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Three months ago, I started biking to work downtown. In that time, I’ve found a lot of bicyclists are jerks.

In blogs and letters to the editor, cyclists seem to see themselves as both heroes (i.e., no pollution, reduced parking requirements, good for their health) and victims. This city is not friendly to cyclists, they say when demanding change. Over these last few months, I’ve come to agree with some of their issues. Bike lanes suddenly stop. Narrow downtown streets can make cycling dangerous. There could be more places to secure your bike. Then there are the behaviours of others on the road. Pedestrians cross bike lanes without looking. Cars turn without signalling. Sometimes you need to be aggressive with motorists who do not respect your right to the road.

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Yet while demanding respect, too many cyclists do not show it. Yelling at a driver who has momentarily inconvenienced a cyclist, even when making a legal manoeuvre, is common. A red light, if a car is not coming, is optional. Stop signs are ignored completely, sometimes surprising pedestrians looking to cross. In fact, on my first day of cycling I reduced speed as I approached a stop sign. Another cyclist rocketed past me shouting “What the f***!” even though a car had reached the intersection first and then had to stop short for the other cyclist.