Very interesting, but IMO, a lot of what was said was obvious, some was missing the obvious...
Before i expand, i'm an avid cyclist, but also a car owner, who enjoys the freedom a car gives me, and the convenience that comes with it too.
Lots of car drivers feel guilty ?, but only 2% of journeys in London are by bike ?...thats because humans are for the most part lazy...we'll all take the easy path sometimes, some people will
always take the easy path, despite knowing the environmental damage cars inflict. They feel guilty, but are unable to bring themselves to change.
The guy they were talking about who stated 'hardly a day goes by when blah blah..he's not confronted by RLJing cyclists, cyclists who jump on paths etc etc etc...' was quite obviously a rabid anti cyclist, and therefor cannot be taken seriously. All of those things happen, but he's quite obviously obsessed with it.
Loss of freedom (for car drivers)...rubbish. You have every bit of freedom you had 30 years ago and more, the ability to jump in a car and go wherever you want, whenever you want. What's changed is the cost, the ever expanding volumes of rules and regulations and the inconvenience you'll face driving.
Its drivers fustration at cost, overregulation (in some peoples opinion) and the inconvenience of the volume of traffic, roadworks etc etc nowadays that buggers it all up...there's no loss of freedom.(IMO)
Drivers resenting cyclists for breaking the rules ?...i'm far from perfect, i'm no saint, but no-one has ever (that i can remember) remonstrated me for hopping on a path etc etc. Ive NEVER heard anyone over the dinner table at work complain about a cyclist they saw doing something wrong. They may well see it, they may well occasionally think...bloody idiot, but i dont think the majority could care less. You could argue that a cyclist thats out of a drivers way at TLs for instance, even if he broke the rules doing it, is one thing less to worry about.
I'm NOT saying drivers NEVER get het up about cyclists breaking the rules, of course there will be times when they quite rightly do, but for the most part, i don't think they really care.
Overly moral cyclists ? i don't buy that one either. You get a few rabid anti car zealots, even in here, but i think thats one thats used by some drivers to make themselves feel better, the best form of defence..is attack.
I think they've over analyzed it all. People are lazy, people will point at someone to deflect criticism, people want everything without cost or hinderance. People just expect too much.
JMO
