No peaceful dawn bike ride is safe. There he was in his ute on a Monday morning at 7.25am, stopped at the give-way sign where the Capital City Trail crosses the road adjacent to Royal Park, shouting out of his open window.

The City of Melbourne aims to have 7 per cent of trips into the city made by bike by next year, rising to 10 per cent by 2030. Credit:Daniel Pockett

“Have to stop for f---ing bikes! F--- me!” He was gesturing in frustration, slamming his arm down against the air. The ute was a massive builder’s twin-cab. He was wearing hi-vis, aged about 35, a largish bloke with a short haircut, and he hated me.

Let’s give this a bit of context. Here, the trail crosses a very minor local road. It’s marked out by a bright yellow strip across the road, and is mostly used by joggers, uni students on their way to classes, city commuters and dog walkers.

His car had to stop for about 20 seconds – enough to let a westbound cyclist and me, eastbound, cross in front of him. It was barely a pause.