We saw a Melbourne cyclist take similar action last week, when she filmed a 65-year-old man opening a taxi door into her on busy Collins Street. He refused to give his details and verbally abused her. There are problems with extreme responses on both sides of the cycling wars. They create conflict, heighten the chance of road rage and are impractical because so many drivers and car passengers ignore road rules or intimidate cyclists. In seeking a truce, the starting point is cultural. Governments have to implement policies on the basis that crowded cities need more cyclists, not fewer. According to the O'Farrell government's Cycling for Sydney report last December, 70 per cent of NSW residents say they would like to ride a bike more for everyday transport - and would do so if cycling was made a safer and more convenient option for them. We need to recognise the world has changed. Cycling is not, as some claim, ''arrogant elitism''. Authorities have not ''bowed to the demands of selfish cyclists and their lobby groups''. Our cities are dominated by cars not ''because they are sprawling''. They are commuter nightmares because successive governments have played down public transport as well as the health and logistical benefits of safe cycling. In theory, dedicated bicycle paths are a priority - and to that end linking existing ones into networks away from busy roads is a move in the right direction. The government needs to accelerate their implementation, not impose further delays and focus only on lanes within five kilometres of the city as has been the approach of the O'Farrell government. More investment will pay off.

Drivers also need to have much greater education as to the dangers of sharing roads, with harsher penalties for flagrant ignorance of cyclist safety. Cyclists are entitled to take up a full lane, ride two abreast, and be given a full-metre clearance when a vehicle overtakes them. What's more, cyclists are entitled to overtake on the left as long as the car or truck has indicated but not commenced a turn. Technological advances can help protect cyclists when they inevitably have to share crowded roads. Apps are being developed to warn motorists and cyclists of impending collisions, to reduce human error. Better traffic management can handle bus lanes and can be tailored to cover rapid-fire cycle crossings at key intersections. At the same time, cyclists need to pull back, and recognise that time is money for commuters and trucks on suburban roads. They should recognise that escalating tensions will only undermine broader public support for reforms. A cynical minority of cyclists need to stop running red lights, eschewing hand-signals and pushing their luck when turning. That only undermines their case for reform. Both sides will need to accept trade-offs. In return for greater access on shared roads, cyclists need to accept some ''high difficulty'' thoroughfares need to be closed to bikes due to the expense of making them bicycle friendly; the speed of traffic; very high traffic volume; high numbers of buses and insufficient road space. Among proposals being considered for the NSW government's Cycling Safety Strategy to pursue, beyond white lines and signs, are safer road infrastructure bicycle safety features. They cannot come soon enough.

How to not fumble a fly ball at the SCG It's the question every Australian is asking as the Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks strut their stuff at the Sydney Cricket Ground this weekend. Why does a baseball fielder wear a glove? It's understandable for the catcher (wicketkeeper) who has to stop 160kmh pitches. But a cricket ball is heavier, smaller and as such a denser projectile than a baseball. And generations of Australians in the slips, in the gully, at silly mid-on, deep fine leg and left right out have caught cricket balls with their bare hands. Even fans grab classic catches while not spilling their beer. Yet since the 1870s gloves have become a fixture on all baseball players.

Sadly, this American inability to grab the ball barehanded seems to be catching on here. Australians in the crowd for the exhibition match between the Dodgers and Australia on Thursday dropped every ball that came their way via fouls, the Yasiel Puig homer and even the tradition of players tossing every ball they touch or practise to the crowd as keepsakes. The only Aussie fan who managed to catch a ball was a small boy who threw a tantrum when another kid grabbed the ball he reckoned was his. The tanty thrower caught it barehanded when the rival tossed it back to him. Luckily, we can learn from American crowd catch expert Zack Hample - he's grabbed more than 7100 baseballs flying his way. He's in Australia for the MLB season opening series. Hample does his homework on where the batters are likely to hit. He arrives early for batting practice. He avoids standing next to tall people. He mentions the player's name instead of "hey mate". He doesn't barge over kids but ''I'm willing to look silly in order to get a head start on the competition''.

And why is wearing a glove important? Because you catch more baseballs that way and it hurts if you don't wear one.