If cyclists want to be respected as road users, we must also accept the responsibilities. Too many cyclists think they can ignore the law and basic safety sense without consequence and this leads to drivers seeing us not as legitimate road users but as road abusers.
It's possible that police have been excessively lax about enforcing traffic laws for bicyclists. If they are now remedying this problem, it would explain the sudden increase. As long as police aren't issuing blatantly inappropriate tickets, this increase seems like a good thing, not bad.
Or am I missing something?