Given that the route included parts of Sydney’s inner west, including King St Newtown, I expected to, and did, observe a few more cyclists than would be typically seen in other parts of Sydney. I counted 12 in all actually mobile on bicycles. Of those, only 2 were riding on the road in what I consider to be a safe fashion: one making his way along a quiet street, the other pulled up and stopped at a set of lights waiting to turn. 8 cyclists were riding on footpaths and didn’t come onto the road for the time that I was observing them. 1 cyclist ran a red light, switched from the road to the footpath and back several times while in view. The final cyclist of the 12 crossed King Street diagonally in front of a stream of traffic after running a red light, and then rode up at full speed onto the footpath narrowly missing several pedestrians.

I don’t infer anything much from this – most of the cyclists observed weren’t putting others in danger – but I do consider it a fairly typical set of observations, and wouldn’t be surprised if the proportion of badly behaved cyclists was similar to that of badly behaved drivers, if we were to define ‘badly behaved’ as, through pig-headedness or obliviousness, causing danger to themselves and others.

there is an obverse case where bike riders may become better car drivers – I recommend everyone who is fit to do so practise on different modes of transport. No doubt folks will come up with examples that will break this rule. But I drive like I ride, looking 360 as much as possible and gauging what drivers will do next. But I find more freedom on the bike, so prefer that.

And defensive riding I find like defensive driving – it can actually be safer, faster – if you can gauge what drivers are going to do (watch their “drift” – most drivers indicate by their motion what they are going to do next – I only slow down when I detect erratic behaviour or indecision). If you have enough strength in your legs to accelerate out of a particular position, then you’re good to go.

I think there are some things that governments can do to help. People laugh a bit about the “green forcefields” on cycle lanes in Canberra – they paint the cycle lanes bright green on some major roads in the areas where its common for cars to merge on or turn off. Its just a simple reminder to car drivers that cyclists have right of way there and I think it helps.

The number of times I have come around a blind corner, early in the morning, with sun filtering through the trees making visibility difficult, only to come across a cyclist (sometimes two riding abreast), wearing black, riding smack, bang in the middle of the lane instead of in the hard shoulder is truly frightening. That no-one has been killed is frankly a miracle.

Have you considered driving responsibly?

The law is actually very clear on this – you are required to drive at such a speed that you can stop safely in the distance you can see. Driving around a blind corner in the hope that the road is clear is illegal as well as stupid.

You completely miss this point Martin. It’s not about what’s dangerous. It’s about what roads are for.

Saying that cyclists should receive “equal rights” in road use completely ignores the reasons that the roads are there to begin with: Transport.

Bicycles are not for transport, they are for recreation.