Yes, but the GP wasn't talking about some objective notion of "control" - they were talking about some subjective "feeling" of control and how that translates t

Yes, but the GP wasn't talking about some objective notion of "control" - they were talking about some subjective "feeling" of control and how that translates to perceptions of risk and danger. Driving a car feels like you're in control because you're the one doing the driving and are isolated from your environment even though (as a sibling comment notes) you're at the mercy of a huge number of factors that you don't perceive. That's why folks don't perceive driving as risky. (Consider airplanes as a contrasting example - extremely safe, but you certainly don't feel "in control".) In that context, cycling doesn't feel like you're "in control" because you're surrounded by large multi-ton vehicles moving significantly faster than you. Walking in urban areas feels safe because of the incredible amount of infrastructure that exists to support pedestrians and the normalcy of walking in those areas.