In my view these discussion always conflate two issues that really need to be separate.
The first is what you expect of others, both in terms of their behaviour - compliance with road rules and courtesy - and their inclusiveness. By that I mean the gamut of how cycling is treated: how planners cater for cyclists, how legislation is crafted etc
The second is what you expect of yourself.
We can rant on about the issues and campaign and pressurise for improvement (which I take to be at the core of the OP's point), we can argue the effectiveness of things like segregation, ASL provision, the only thing you can directly alter is yourself.
The most hackles rise when discussing the second: "You shouldn't have to" "victim blaming" etc etc etc, ad infinitum
I'm going to preface the next comments by saying that it is quite possible that the population of this particular forum may not be entirely representative.
Somehow most people think that with a bare minimum of formal training and application of their own intelligence, their roadcraft is perfect, and beyond criticism. Whether it is driving a car or riding a bike, they are GOOD. Even if they don't think they are good, they think their compensation for failings is adequate. Unless you have some external validation of that, the chances are you are not as good as you could be. I don't know of one rational person who has done advanced driving training, or adult cycle training and not come away better (excluding from that knobheads who don't listen). Look at the threads passim about speed awareness courses (only a small part of the whole) and you'll see just what I mean when it comes to driving. Cycling? we're all too good and too experienced, aren't we. Having taken advantage of the free adult training that you can get, certainly anywhere in a London borough, I can tell you the same is true with that, too (thanks, Wooly!)
So, how many of you have taken advanced driving training, even though you are piloting around that dangerous lump of metal? (something I think should be compulsory for anyone going onto L/HGV licenses) How many have taken adult cycle training? That training doesn't absolve the rights and responsibilities that are covered in the expectation of others - and experience tells us it is only a small percentage of people who will take the additional care to develop their competence - but it does give you the tools to help keep you out of trouble, on the bike and in the car.
So, while I actually agree with the OP, that's over the first part of the discussion, the expectation on others. I'm off to start a poll to see what people's attitudes to training are.
