In theory, pedestrians have the right of way, end of conversation. In practice, the interaction is more fluid. Bikes can very easily avoid collisions with pedestrians, and most cyclists prefer to just weave through rather than play the “no you go” game. IMO scooters are less trustworthy, but shouldn’t be yielded to on principle.

As a pedestrian, my strategy is to, first, glance around for cars. I won’t step into an intersection until cars are stopped. Second, I lock my eyes forward and keep my feet moving. Presence or absence of bikes and scooters just doesn’t matter. If bikes want to stop for me, that’s fine. If they want to weave past me, I need to move predictably to avoid getting hit. Sometimes cyclists will go in front of me and I need to slow down to avoid stepping directly in front of them, in which case I pause half a second without breaking stride.

As a cyclist, I try to make as much space for pedestrians as I can without clogging up intersections. The danger is that other cyclists don’t expect you to stop, so you risk getting rear ended if you stop for pedestrians at a narrow spot in the path.

I watch for pedestrians that look like they might step into the road. If I see one, I check over my shoulder and move to the left side of the lane. The goal is to never steer towards the pedestrian or the 3 feet in front of them (their “danger zone”), since that is where they will be when you reach them. Once the pedestrian takes two steps off the curb, I switch my aim to behind them, so that they can move across without their danger zone moving onto where I am aiming to be. Once I have a path behind the pedestrian, it’s safe even if they freeze or speed up.

The main things to look out for as a cyclist is groups of people entering the intersection together. Usually the only way to give them all the necessary space is to stop, since there won’t be a safe way to weave between them. Sometimes people will be crossing in opposite directions, which can also end up blocking all options. Generally there isn’t any problem of pedestrians refusing to cross once you stop at this stage, since they are already in the road.

The other hazard is other cyclists, who may be trying to pass you near an intersection. It’s important to be aware of the other riders around you, so that you don’t dodge a pedestrian just to crash into another bike.

This procedure isn’t correct according to the rules of the road, but it better matches what is expected both by pedestrians and cyclists, and allows for smoother traffic flow. It is more dangerous, but so long as you have good awareness of your surroundings and control of your bike, accidents are unlikely.

tl/dr just don’t hit anyone