Wow, this thread has made my issues between cars/bicycles seem really small.
I live in a League of American Bicyclists Gold community. All of our major arterials have bicycle lanes, and there are several dedicated bike/pedestrian paths around the community. Every now and again I come across an inconsiderate driver. Usually this consists of them thinking that they can beat me across an intersection because they're a car, even though I have right of way. I almost got thrown over my handlebars last week after having to slam on my brakes because some idiot pulled across the road I was on, even though I had right of way. I'm also paranoid of being doored or turned into, but that's really about it.
If anything, riding a bicycle has made me a more considerate and cautious driver. I will wait to see what a bicyclist does before going, because I don't want to hurt anyone. When a car goes up against a bicycle, everyone loses--the bicyclist gets hurt, and the driver has to live with that for the rest of their lives. It's not worth it.
However, when gas prices went sky high last spring I saw a lot of new bicyclists on the road, and I was not impressed. Many of them had no idea as to what set of rules they should be following. We need more education so that new cyclists know the rules and know what's required of them. I get really irritated when I see bicyclists where they shouldn't be, like the sidewalk (there are exceptions to this; there is a section of town where riding on the sidewalk is required as that is where the bike path goes, oddly enough, and I'm totally fine with little kids riding bicycles on the sidewalk because it's safer in our town). Perhaps every time a bike is sold we ought to require retailers to hand out a pamphlet with the rules and regulations for bicycles.
And in some places, rolling through a stop sign--provided the intersection is clear--is perfectly legal on a bicycle. It's called an Idaho stop. We tried to pass a bill here that would have made it legal in Oregon, but it died before it reached a vote. Hopefully it will be back someday.
I love riding my bicycle and I expect I will be riding it for a long time to come. I feel fortunate, having read some of the other posts in this thread, to live where I live and to be able to pretty much ride my bike instead of driving my car wherever and whenever I like. I'm not the only one, either--many people in my community choose bicycling, walking, or taking public transportation over driving. I would say fewer people drive here than elsewhere, but that's because here driving can be more of a hassle than it's worth. To be honest, it takes the same amount of time to drive to campus/ride my bicycle/ride the bus, but if I ride the bus or my bicycle, I don't have to find a place to park, which would add about 10 minutes on to driving. It's the same with the store--the bike rack is right next to the door, so it's much more convenient, unless I'm buying big stuff.
I love my town
