Are Bicyclists Menace to Society?

There are many more pedestrian fatalities involving cars, but the recent death caused by an allegedly negligent bicyclist who ran a red light and plowed into pedestrians crossing the street in San Francisco and actually killing one man raised heat rhetoric over the behaviors of some cyclists and the question of who owns public space:

The bicyclist was zipping south on Castro Street at the end of his twice-weekly ride to the Marin Headlands, blowing through red lights and stop signs.

But the Market Street crosswalk was filled with pedestrians, and Chris Bucchere, 36, allegedly was riding too fast to stop. So he aimed for the least populated spot and plowed on through.

"In a nutshell, blammo," a blogger purporting to be Bucchere wrote that March day. The man he hit, Sutchi Hui, 71, died four days later. Bucchere was charged Thursday with felony vehicular manslaughter and is scheduled to be arraigned next week.

Post-crash commentary, angry and profane, didn't just call for Bucchere's head, although there was plenty of condemnation for him and the rest of the Lycra-and-toe-clips set. Instead, the conversation became a fight about who owns public space — a scarce resource in the second-most dense city in America, where bike use is soaring and many motorists decry a war on cars.

Maria L. La Ganga of the Los Angeles Times has the story: Link Previously on Neatorama: Are Urban Bicyclists Snobs?

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Really guys? Maybe that's not your intent, but why would you add fuel to the fire by using that particular headline? The source article certainly didn't. It's painfully obvious that this guy was criminally negligent, and it wouldn't make one lick of difference if he was riding a bike, driving a car, or flying an airplane. He valued the thrill over the safety of others.

Stupid people are a menace to society, in their many, many forms. Leave the majority of the people, bicyclists and otherwise, who are actually trying to be responsible out of it.
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I live in Dublin, Ireland, as car dominated a city as any. I am an avid cyclist. I cycle for pleasure and have worked as a courier. My cousin was killed by a cyclist,on a pedestrian section of pavement, by a cycle courier. He was hit by the cyclist and fell and hit his head. There are many cyclists who behave as if they are beyond reproach. We cyclists need to put a stop to this.
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