The author is not clear on what rules the cyclists break, he mentions a few, but left a lot of questions in my mind. In reality, there is an exception to the rules for various vehicle types on the roads, such as motorcycles, RVs, and especially 18-wheelers. I'm always seeing 18-wheelers cut off traffic, because they can and they kind of have to because they just can't wait for clear passage like a normal vehicle. By the author's reasoning all motorists should hate truck drivers much, much more than cyclists, since they're so much more prevalent on the roads.

So I do think the author is overthinking this issue. Like so many other authors in the newspapers, he's just trying too hard to sound smart.