I see things a little differently Paul.
One of the main problems is the "the law says I have the right away and by God I'm gonna take it no matter what" types create a dim view of bicyclists. While these are few they tend to set the tone for the majority.
The other main problem is the dim view that motorists allow themselves to get.
The bikers that ride two abreast, middle of the lane, run stop signs and a multitude of other rudeness make all of the bikers look bad.
A few days ago a biker ran a stop sign and I had to hammer the brakes very hard to keep him from being a spot on the pavement, lol, I had a good mind to run the retard off the road and cave his face in, it really pissed me off because I'm the one who would have had to go through the investigation and live with the fact that I killed the guy.
On thing the dumbasses need to learn is that the right away doesn't do you any good if your dead.
I have no use for a dangerous or discourteous bicyclist. My disdain for them pales in comparison to my disdain for discourteous and dangerous motorists though.
Studies have shown that bicyclists and motorists violate the law at about the same rate. The reason motorists most often give is based on convenience. The reason cyclists give is most often based on safety.
That sucks about the cyclist that ran the red light. It may have been a purposeful move by an entitled douchebag or it may have been a mistake. What I find interesting is your thought that you should run him down and sort stuff out. Do you have the same thoughts when you see motorists break the law?
A few weeks ago I took time out to go kayak fishing a few mornings in a row. Right outside of my subdivision is a fairly major intersection. The intersection is a damn zoo. There are crashes there frequently. It was early in the morning, so not much traffic. My light turned green. I did NOT go. The norm is for motorists to run the red light. Sure enough, 2 different vehicles ran it. Had I gone, I would have been INJURED. Should I have had a good mind to go sort stuff out? You are a good and reasonable man. Think about how people's reactions differ when cyclists and motorists behave the same way. Why do you think that is, when law breaking motorists are a much greater threat.
The very next morning, at about the same time I was caught by the same light. I saw the light turn yellow and watched in amazement as two vehicles that had time to stop. continued on. One of them, for whatever reason, moved into the oncoming lane. Both of them got hauled off in an ambulance.
