Hrmm..
Been a cycling enthusiast since a wee tacker and I've noticed some things:
Riding on roads is nothing to be enthusiastic about (some learn the hard way)... I completely agree photo ID should be carried at all times. Even for kids (school id etc). Breaking laws like no helmet, running a red or holding onto a car (wtf?) should incur a hefty fine.
I've noticed attitudes towards cyclists vary depending on where you are (even interstate attitudes vary widely), traffic conditions, day of the week and time of day. All these things should be considered before heading off for a ride. Planning your ride so you're on the road as little as possible and at the least riskiest times is a no brainer and should be encouraged. Lets face it, if you're a cyclist and on the road, you're essentially a bag of unprotected soft meat dodging fast moving metal objects. This is why for health and fitness and you're a Lycra wearing road biker, imo it's better to choose roads with (ample) shoulders or better still, grab a different bike and go find a (usually shared with peds) bike path off the road entirely, you're not going to get more fit just because you're on a road. There are plenty of options to do that all around the country. For commuting there's less choice of course.
For cyclists riding two (or more, which is illegal I think?) abreast, forming a single file is a decent thing to do if you're holding up traffic. I've never understood cyclists that do that. If you're well under the speed limit, let the very hard metal object pass.
The main thing I've noticed (and I think this is the major factor) is how many new cyclists there are in the last few years. It has exploded, and their mindset can be suicidal. Without wanting to come across too jaded, it seems recently for the newbies there's a serious under-appreciation of just how dangerous riding in traffic can be. As a motorist it's also a relatively new thing to have to be increasingly hyper-aware of careless and unskilled cyclists. That's not a good mix.
From experience, on the bike, there is only one way to ride in traffic if you want to stay alive... ride completely defensively. That means getting out of the way, but I'm seeing less of this mentality.
So in my view, the only way for there to be less injury and death, is to separate the two. Punitive measures won't likely make a dent in poor cyclist judgement (or poor motorist judgement). Just get them off the road. Build more paths.
Cycling is a good thing and should be celebrated, until you hit a car or a car hits you. Biking on roads is a death trap and should be treated as such.
