I’ve cycled for sixty years and encouraged my sons to be considerate cyclists to other road users and especially pedestrians.
At times I’ve joked that the first task to learn (for all forms of transport) is how to stop.
I worry that the many inexperienced cyclists who rent electric cycles haven’t discovered that basic skill.
I’m familiar with people (in India) no knowing or following the basic rules. Here in the UK, because it’s such a contrast to what came before —- its a shock.
Mayhem on the roads and it’s incredibly dangerous.
Were the politicians and police asleep or comatose when they failed to anticipate this chaos.
The majority … of the Inexperienced cyclists on rented electric cycles ignore the signals, travel on payments, weave in and your, come close to mowing down people who are on a crossing
I’ve no idea of the accident rates but I’m scared
It’s a real danger and all at relatively high speed.
They generally don’t wear helmets, aren’t focussed and sometimes on phones.
Then they block pavements when discarding the cycles.
It’s got out-of-hand.
Me and MYCycle 
I’m sorry to say that I completely agree with you about those who rent bicycles and who apparently have not gained the basic skills to operate their rental vehciles proficiantly.
At junior school we had cycling proficiency classes, where we cycled around a car park with cones, learning how to signal properly, how to stop safely, and the basic road rules. I guess we were around 10 years old. Such a great idea – it should be compulsory for all schools.
We see in Melbourne there are many immigrants who come from countries where the road rules are not considered as stringent as they are in Europe. That may be one excuse for cycling (or driving) in a different “style” to what the Europeans expect.
And then we have the rental bikes. They seem to be an excuse to abandon all road rules, cycle on pavements, or the wrong way down the road in the wrong lane, run red lights, and abandon after use in thoughtless locations.
The two year trial of rental e-bikes has just come to an end and the contract has not been renewed, because of the reasons stated above.
Next are the e-bike deliveries. These people follow all the bad traits of domestic bike renters but on steroids as every second costs them a fraction off their minimum wage.
The cities are getting busier everywhere (except London which recently has lost net residents for the first time since the 1980s – due to cost of accommodation and WFH), and so there’s more traffic, now a significant part is comprised of unregulated two wheelers that bring all bicycle riders into disrepute. I number of times I have stopped at a red light to then be passed by multiple bike delivery guys reminds me of China, where they don’t stop for anything (red lights, zebra crossings, even other cars!).
The chaos I see is not limited to e-bikes – the car drivers are also losing their driving skills. Around 10% have defective head or tail lights, and how they drive and which road rules they follow are food for a long and disappointing discussion about humanity and how we now live with each other.
Rant over – we seem to agree entirely.
Thanks Stuart, I think the broken window pane analysis helps illustrate. Don’t tackle broken windows or bad behaviour and it just gets worse.
In my negative thinking mode ( I prefer positive!) it feels like collapse. How in U.K. can we have black shirts terrorising Kent and imprison demonstrators defending Palestine?