I commute on my bike in NYC daily and I am far more terrified of pedestrians and other cyclists than I am of cars. Cars for the most part pay attention and obey traffic rules. Cyclists less so and pedestrians ignore rules entirely and frequently aren't even aware of cyclists.
The difference is that almost getting killed by a car happens only a few times per month, but having pedestrians step into the bike lane right in front of you without looking happens multiple times per day.
I have not dug into the data, but for whatever it's worth, cyclists completely ignore the Red Bicycle lights here in midtown. These are red lights that are even shaped like a bicycle, and when pedestrians are crossing in the other direction the bikes keep going.
You do have to weigh the severity of death against the frequency of lesser injuries. Hippos are more likely to kill me than mice, but I'm much more worried about the mouse problem in my building than I am about hippos.
been a cyclist for a long time, know hundreds of cyclists, you are the first person I've heard say this. If you collide with a pedestrian or cyclist the likely result is an injury, with a car death becomes very likely. Statistics certainly back this up as the vast majority of cyclist deaths are due to vehicle collisons not bike-bike or bike-pedestrian collisions.
Are you literally "far more terrified" of pedestrians than cars, or are you looking for a way to appear clever and different than everyone?
I bike for about 60 minutes in Manhattan most days. I'd guess that I have to slam on my brakes or swerve away from a pedestrian maybe 2-3 times per day on average, usually because they stepped into the bike lane from the sidewalk while looking down at their phones. It's so common it barely registers. While I am very aware of cars, they rarely do anything surprising besides occasionally opening a door into my lane. I've certainly never seen a car go from a dead stop to suddenly darting into my lane against the light, the way pedestrians do. So while I acknowledge that I'm much more likely to be killed by a car, I spend a lot time avoiding pedestrians.
Your experience is entirely the opposite of mine. Cars are not only usually unaware of me (despite me being lit up like a Christmas tree day or night), even if they do see me they'll just cut me off or even run me off the road if I'm in their way (and in violation of local law).
Pedestrians pose no threat to me unless I'm breaking the law, i.e. bicycling on the sidewalk, running a red, running a stoplight, etc.
If you ride in the middle of the lane and follow the rules of the road for drivers of vehicles, then it becomes much easier to predict what other vehicles drivers will do (vehicle type doesn't matter).
But if you want to follow pedestrian rules at vehicle speeds, then it's not going to work so well.
I've had several minor scraps with other cyclists, and some close calls with pedestrians. The injuries involved were so minor it's not even worth cataloguing them.
Cyclists are routinely killed by motor vehicles in NYC. It's not even close which one you should be more afraid of. The scariest thing in the world if you're a cyclist is a big truck. They are statistically most likely to kill cyclists. People on foot don't even come close.
Almost all comments in the comments section here are anecdotal. People are singling out this one because it goes against what most other cyclists are saying.
I've never heard another cyclist express this sentiment. Most of us are scared of speeding cars grazing us or parked car doors suddenly opening up in front of us.
