There's quite a backlash against protected cycle ways at the moment of which that DM article is just one angry voice. I think we're probably at Tony Benn's stage three. Looking on the bright side, it won't be too long before we get to the final stage.
First they ignore you, then they say you're mad, then dangerous, then there's a pause and then you can't find anyone who disagrees with you.
Indeed. The best way to avoid a backlash is to do nothing (which, let's face it, was the cycling policy of many years and predictably achieved nothing).
Anyhow, that article was just crap, the usual jangle of febrile non-sequiturs and sticky apoplexy. I've think we've all known for a while that the Daily Mail is written by an enormous bile-spluttering mechanical writing engine called Hateful Hatty. I don't think anyone attends to her any more.