Are cyclists a menace?

I was riding down a 4 lane road in the left lane. I came to a green light and went to go through it. A car in the left lane (going the same direction as me) got sick of waiting for the car in front of him to turn left so he swerves into my lane

Do you mean you were in the right lane?

and continues to go straight. I slammed on brake and simultaneous had to hop skid stop to miss his back fender. I could seem him through his rear window chatting and laughing with his passenger. I caught up with him as he sat in traffic and knocked on the passenger window and smiled. He rolled down his window. I politely explained that had I not been skilled enough to stop like that (if I do say so myself) I would have been picking my teeth out of his boot. His wife looked honestly sorry but neither apologised. He said "ok, that's fine, but let me just say one thing, don't run red lights." Confused I explained it was a green light, the same one he himself went through. He said "yes but you all jump red lights" and rolled up his window.
My very round about point is that the media has been able to get most of society to paint us with one segragist brush. It smacks of just the most recent socially-accepted bigotry. Blacks, muslims, women, gays, cyclists...
I wouldn't see it quite so dramatically--essentially, all change brings up fears in people. This country is currently undergoing a change--in nothing more dramatic than its transport profile--and for a lot of people, that's happening much too quickly. It's important to remember that in such a class-riven country, people strive for status symbols perhaps more than elsewhere, and driving has always been one. Most of the attitudes that were in force when the 'upper' classes first took to motoring still persist. Suddenly, that's all supposed to be changing--it's terribly confusing.

The driver's attitude, of course, was well off. I hate it when they just close the window.