Originally Posted by
mulveyr
Perhaps you live somewhere with people who act differently than the ones around here, but it is categorically not the case that scofflaw cyclists all achieve of a moment of realization that "Oh! I have been flouting the law, but now I see the light! I shall go forth and never run a stop sign again!"
This happens more often than you think, especially after watching some commuter cyclists evolve over time, but more realistically, it's after a collision of some degree, and provided that the cyclist can ride again.
Yes, we do get treated like crap from many motorists. How exactly does that justify engaging in illegal, potentially dangerous behavior? When I'm a motorist, all I ask from cyclists is that they behave predictably - that they take the lane only after indicating their intentions, that they don't choose to ignore some laws while honoring others, and so on. It's that latter issue that brings in the problem of unpredictability.
Do you know what I ask from motorists when I'm a cyclist? Exactly the same thing.
When local motorists talk to me about my being a cyclist, it's not about scofflaw cyclists, it's always about them telling me to either be careful when riding amongst our local motorists, or how dangerous many of our local motorists are.