Perhaps we don't have a cycle culture like they do in Europe that folks aren't as mindful of those sorts of things. I've seen cyclists blow through stop signs and red lights like they aren't even there. Riding on the wrong side of the road is also a common occurrence. Plus, heaven forbid you get in an accident with one of them, no matter whether they were obeying the rules or not, you are totally guilty in the court of public opinion.
If there is one country that has a cycling culture then it is the Netherlands. But having more bicycles than inhabitants doesn't make them behave better.
My biggest pet peeves are:
- Cell phone usage during cycling
- Not having any proper bicycle lights or even lights at all when cycling in the dark
- No hand signaling when making a turn
- Wearing headphones
- Not paying attention to other cyclists, cars or pedestrians.
- Teenagers riding electronic 'fat bikes' going 30/40 kilometers per hour zig-zagging through busy traffic often in combination with the things I mentioned above.
No it's not better over here.
That's definitely a shame to hear! I have never been there, but I had Copenhagen in mind specifically when I wrote that paragraph above. The e-bikes are getting to be problematic here too. You have kids who aren't old enough to drive riding them down the road going faster than some of the Sunday traffic at times!
Copenhagen is also cyclist friendly indeed.
But you should check out this clip from the Dutch city Utrecht (offtopic)
Wow, that is definitely impressive!