> Some of the various kinds of protected bike lanes make it harder for pedestrians to see car traffic, to cross in a crosswalk

Daylighting improves safety significantly, with or without a protected bike lane.

> I can tell you that, in the last two years, IME, the car drivers behave much better than the overwhelming majority of people on bikes and motorizes bikes/scooters

Stats would argue against that, as the overwhelming majority of pedestrian injuries and deaths in your city involve cars and drivers, not bicycles and cyclists. Boston sees multiple car vs ped deaths every year, whereas there was exactly one bike vs ped death, according to available data, in 2025.

> Politically, when walkers in a Masshole city start side with cars, and walkers suddenly feel a lot less solidarity with their bicyclist cousins, then you should suspect there's a big new problem

Yes, but it’s not the problem you think. Bike lanes and increased ridership simply amplify the dangers caused by car-centric infrastructure.

> It used to be that bicyclists rightly felt they had to look out for themselves, because they were in constant danger from the "I'm a car guy" mayor town drivers

This hasn’t changed at all.