A closer look

Traffic lights aren't barriers for professional bike couriers; they are highly predictable rhythm games. City planners stagger urban traffic lights to accommodate cars moving at roughly 25 mph. Veteran couriers exploit this cascade by maintaining a hyper-specific, agonizingly precise pedal cadence that allows them to hit every intersection just as the cross-traffic clears, turning a chaotic gridlock into a perfectly choreographed, brake-free ballet.