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I agree that there is a lack of respect for cyclists out there. However I don't believe it's simply a matter of car drivers disrespecting cyclists. It's simply a matter of people not respecting others in general.
With regards to cycling and driving: I used to cycle nearly every day and it reached the point where the stress of getting to the lakeshore almost undid the pleasure of cycling along the lakeshore. While I was never subjected to the kind of hostile treatment that has been described here, I have witnessed other cyclists victim of aggressive and hostile drivers. What eventually stopped me cycling was the theft of my bike.
Having said that, I also have to agree with spectre with regards to cyclists around the downtown area. There seems to be a general snobbery among the cycling elite that seems to emanate from their pores. I see on a daily basis the blatant disregard for traffic laws exhibited by cyclists in the loop. In fact, I will say that I have never, ever seen a cyclist stop at a red light - as is the law. I have never, ever seen a cyclist yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk - as is also the law.
I've been on public transportation where the bus has been forced to slam on its brakes because a cyclist swerved in front of a bus in order to make a right turn.
I feel little sympathy for cyclists who cry foul at drivers when those same cyclists have no respect for pedestrians or the traffic laws to which they are supposed to adhere. Likewise, I sympathize with cyclists who obey the laws of the road and are continually put in danger with impatient or inattentive drivers. The cyclists who ride down Diversey take their lives in their hands as it's a fairly narrow street with a lot of parked cars, a lot of traffic, and little room for error.
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"I can normally tell how intelligent a man is by how stupid he thinks I am" - Cormac McCarthy, All The Pretty Horses
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