I'm with you Chris. I notice more people riding around here, and most of them do not have any traffic handling skills whatsoever. Many of them avoid traffic, Thank God, but they often come close to bowoing over pedestrians on the sidewalks. Eventually these riders will attract the attention of the authorities and the ensuing crackdowns will be hell for all of us.
I also fear that these new riders, with their ignorance and fear of traffic, will lobby to have segregated facilities made mandatory for all cyclists. We could lose the easy-going freedom of movement that we now take for granted.