It should be permitted for any car driver to mow down pairs of cyclists riding side by side chatting, rather than in single file.

They're allowed to ride side by side, I'll be honest i think a lot of car drivers need to grow up when it comes to cyclists, in London it strikes of jealousy that they can get through traffic easy, while mr rich and unfit sits in his stationary BMW.
Another is they get held up from doing 40mph briefly on the b road to work because they can't overtake.

As to the original question - they sensible ones don't bother me. The idiots on the other hand do! At the Saints game at Headingley earlier this year I was waiting to cross the road outside the Original Oak and when the traffic stopped for the lights I was nearly mowed down by some beardy-weirdy on a bike who decided the lights didn't apply to him. I'm still regretting that I didn't clothes-line the 2@! As a keen walker I encounter cyclists on mountain bikes churning up the trails as they seem to like riding through muddy puddles and on canal towpaths they can be a danger often going way too fast. I move away from the canal in such cases so they have to skirt the waters edge rather than me. We have a few ultra-keen cyclists at work who spend literally thousands on their bikes and equipment and a couple of them are basically at war with motorists. Every morning there's some tale about a run-in with a motorist which seems utterly stupid to me as there is only going to be one "winner" in a coming together. One of them is still involved in legal proceedings trying to recoup damages to his equipment after being knocked down which left him requiring lengthy physio but the main thing is he was in the right! It is down to attitude but on both sides! The ones listening to music whilst cycling should be made to carry a donor card!

I have but it didn't tell me anything I didn't already know.
I am heartily in favour of better infrastructure for cycling, it could reduce congestion (as in London, where cycling uptake has been huge since the introduction of the congestion charge), reduce emissions and make people fitter and healthier ... all good things.
Not that it's possible everywhere in Britain but we have to start somewhere and, I suggest, cities are the place to begin because most bike journeys are going to be short ones (as with most car journeys).
Painting a cycle lane on an existing road is, to my mind, insufficient, at least a kerb is required to separate the lane from the road to keep motorists from parking on the cycle lane or driving along it.
I'd also like to see, in conjunction with anti-congestion charging, park and ride car parks on major roads into cities, where lockable bike racks/lockers for overnight storage of privately-owned bikes, plus bikes-for-hire, as well as buses into town are available.

On the other hand, the A64 eastbound towards York has had a cycle path, separated from the main road by a generously wide grass verge, ever since it was upgraded to dual carriageway (either just before or shortly post-WWII) and, whilst it might well get used, I have personally never seen a cyclist on it.
Ditto regarding the beautifully-smooth and brand new cycle track alongside the Calderdale Way (aka Elland Bypass) ... not a soul to be seen on it.

At the other end of the scale, Hull, Norwich, Oxford and urban York strike me as places that are already bike-keen.

Sweeping generalisation but in Leeds the rule is " I'm a cyclist why don't you f off the pavement when I'm speeding along them and allow me to cause chaos and go down 1 way streets the wrong way as well as through pedestrian crossings and lights at red."

That just about sums it up.

To be honest all that is needed is a painted lane for the morning (or evening) commute to be a much more pleasant affair, I used to use the cycle lane from Headingley up to Cookridge every night at around 5.30pm, it just a three foot red stripe down the left hand side of the A660, one of the busiest commuter roads into and out of Leeds but the lane provides enough separation from cars as to take away the ever present fear that some distracted idiot is going to pass to close or even hit you from behind and it also takes away any guesswork on your part, "how far out from the kerb can I ride to avoid drain covers and potholes etc".

Kerbs and special traffic control lights would be fantastic but not absolutely necessary, even when the A660 crosses the ring road at Weetwood roundabout (as busy a roundabout that you'll see at 5.30pm) you have a cycle lane at the white line and even if the lane doesn't go across the roundabout it still gives you space to set yourself up to dive into the flow and it prevents you from holding up a car behind you while waiting for a bike speed sort of gap.

Conversely going back down into Leeds on the same road the bike lane is shared with the bus lane which seems to me to be the sort of suicidal planning decision that could only have been made by someone who has never traveled in anything but a council limousine.

Well again, that sort of attitude diminishes when even simple segregation of bikes is applied, there is no excuse for pavement riding when you have a cycle lane and there is every reason then for proper policing.

Like an earlier poster I just don't understand the attitude of some cyclists who take on the job of urban warrior and film their commutes while looking for similar tools in cars to pick a fight with - there are hundreds of them on YouTube - you need to be defensive in heavy traffic not offensive and as in all walks of life if you go looking for a fight you'll always find one, its just that you versus a car is not a fair fight even if you are recording it on a helmet cam.

At least your relatives won't have to try and imagine your last moments in the funeral home.

People rarely cycle side by side, it's a bit of a myth that gets massively overused by cyclist haters. My local PCSO always comes up next to me on his plod pedaller if I'm biking into town as he likes my bike and always wants to chat but that's it.

Help me! I agree with Dally!

May I also add:

5. Cycling on the pavement
6. Hurtling along the canal bank as fast as they can yelling at anglers, boaters and walkers "Get out of the f*@!ing way!"

The canal towpath from Leeds City Centre out to Saltaire is an ongoing project between British Waterways and Sustrans (the national cycle route people - excellent long distance routes), hard to believe in some places but it will eventually be a properly surfaced cycle and walking path.

Its a mistake in my opinion and I've used it as both a cyclist and a walker, and a dog walker who can't let his dog off the lead to wander free because of the risk to cyclists - pedestrians and cyclists don't mix on the same pavement especially when they are both heading in the same direction, people like to walk in groups, side by side and chat as they walk along, ignoring anything coming up quicker behind them, it just doesn't work.

The tow path along the Leeds - Liverpool Canal that passes through the Wigan Flashes has been paved really nicely and is excellent for walking along to view the birdlife on the flashes and is also a nice strech of water to fish. It is blighted by mountain bikers. I have long since given up fishing canals close to urban locations due to inconsiderate cyclists and dog walkers, despite the fact that I have to pay to fish them whereas the mountain bikers don't. I don't mind the boats because they were the reason the canals were built and they also pay for the right to use the water.

As an angler I avoid blocking the towpath with my gear, placing my tackle parallel to the bank. I use a standard rod and reel so don't need to occasionally block the path with a long pole. Next year the Div 2 National Championships are on the Wigan DAA section of the Leeds - Liverpool canal. Can see there being some conflict of interest then as the vast majority of the several hundred anglers taking part will be pole fishing.

I wonder how many of those cyclists have a canal permit? It doesn't cost anything but is still a legal requirement to cycle along a towpath