I am far from one of the bogans you are describing, but cyclists drive me INSANE!
I drive along Beach Road in Melbourne every day, and cyclists cause me more stress than drivers. They hold up traffic, break laws and what annoys me the most is when you get to a traffic light they cycle up to the front to hold you up again rather than just sitting back staying in their place behind you. I try to get as close to the gutter as possible to deter them getting in front. Actually no, what annoys me most is they don't use the bike path which is available for part of the Beach Road trip, they use the roads! They should HAVE to use bike lanes/paths whenever they are available rather than the roads and also they should be registered so they can be identified so they don't just roll through red lights without a care in the world. So maybe the driver mentality of aggression towards a lot of cyclists is brought on by the cyclists and is well deserved.
This highlights a lack an empathy that has developed among some car drivers and some bicycle riders. That is dangerous.
Imagine yourself riding on a bike on a major road. You are doing maybe 25 km/h. Vehicle traffic is doing 60-70 km/h. Even if there is a bicycle lane on the road, cars are passing you at much greater speed. One small mistake from one of those drivers can send you to hospital. Who do you think ought to be more stressed? The cyclist or the car driver?
Cyclists travel at a range of speed from pedestrians up to a slow car in city traffic. When they travel slowly, they can mix with the pedestrians, as they sometimes do when they have to ride on footpaths. If you had to choose between having serious chance of getting killed and riding on the footpath, which one would you choose? The idea of making riding a bicycle on the footpath illegal is completely stupid. Cyclist are happy enough to use the road when it is not lethal. Pushing them into the road when it's not is crazy.
As a pedestrian, if you see the "little red sign' telling you not to cross at a light, many people look very carefully, then they cross the street. Think of a cyclist crossing carefully through a red light when there is no traffic as doing pretty much the same. They are not putting anybody else life in danger. What would that make you so upset? It shouldn't matter to you.
A natural advantage of riding a small vehicle like a motorbike or a cycle is that you don't have to be stuck in traffic jams created by theses large cars, carrying often only one person. Have a bit more respect for those using much less road space. If you push them into cars, it will mean more traffic jams for you.
On a positive note, I ride to work a few times per week in Sydney. I only use small, secondary streets. I never had any problem with car drivers. They leave me plenty of space and I do the same when they need to overtake. It is a relationship of mutual respect. It works. Maybe it is because I am wearing bright yellow clothing that is nearly impossible to miss. I also have a rear view mirror so I know what's behind me. I also ride a bike with an upright position, not a racer where you are bent over. That makes it much easier to see and be seen by the traffic. I don't believe that cars & bicycles need to be in a adversarial relationship. A little bit of respect and consideration from each side goes a long way.
Try it. You might find your commute a bit more enjoyable.
Cheers,
