"it really odd that people in cars think that cyclists need to watch out for cars and not the other way around"
But isn't it even odder that cyclists think the same thing about pedestrians? My encounters with the "dick cyclist" has always been when I was walking. Isn't this similar to what cyclists think about the "dick driver"?
It seems whenever people are in a position of "power" they become pushy, impatient, and careless towards people in a "lesser" position, e.g. drivers towards bikers and bikers towards pedestrians.
In reality, most people that are cyclists are not dicks, at least where I am. Most people go out of their way to avoid pedestrians. There are some people that are 'dick cyclists,' but I see them act like dicks towards cards, pedestrians, and other cyclists alike. It has nothing to do with a position of power, and more to do with a general attitude.
The problem between car drivers and bike riders, is that there are a lot of drivers that view the position of the person in the car as the 'normal' position, and the position of the cyclist as the 'abnormal' position.
Take the article that the OP is in response to. It is written along the lines of:
I drive a car, and do not drive bicycle. I therefore
have little vested interest in infrastructure relating
to bicycles and a strong vested interest in infrastructure
related to cars. Therefore I see infrastructure related
to bicycles as 'stealing' time/space/resources away
from the infrastructure related to cars.
I think the difference in the two interactions is that if a biker hits a pedestrian they are likely to be hurt just as bad as the pedestrian if not worse.
A driver who hits a cyclist or pedestrian risks a dent in the hood at the worst. So while the "dick cyclist" is annoying, the position of power isn't comparable.
But isn't it even odder that cyclists think the same thing about pedestrians? My encounters with the "dick cyclist" has always been when I was walking. Isn't this similar to what cyclists think about the "dick driver"?
It seems whenever people are in a position of "power" they become pushy, impatient, and careless towards people in a "lesser" position, e.g. drivers towards bikers and bikers towards pedestrians.