I will confess that I have learned how NOT to cross the tracks on a bike. And it would have been fun to watch if anyone had been around. (I checked to see if anyone was watching first, then checked for broken bones. Gotta have sound priorities. Thankfully, it was negative on both counts.)
I remember learning as a youngster in NYC in the early 50s...and this was before the skinny tire “English racers” became the norm. Us kids were very happy when those streets were resurfaced. :)