The hatred towards cyclists/horse riders etc

I don't know anyone that feels amazing when a cyclist is hit.
As for justifying it some (as we have done) will point out when its not just the car at fault.
As for social media it has more than its fair share of dickheads, wankers and trolls that post just to piss people off. Look at the current Euros win. how many are just posting to piss people off.

I don't hate you (or all cyclists) at all, and am in much the same situation as your wife. I think, though, for most road users, it does come down to the difference in speed. To a driver, a cyclist is a hazard and because they have to react, adjust, make additional decisions, and concentrate specifically when one is around, they become an annoyance, like when cars park on bends and make it difficult to see if you can move out to get around, or when kids dart into the road. It is more taxing and in each case you're slightly anxious about there being a negative outcome.

It may be because the cycle paths are unusable. There is one by me along an A-road. It has broken glass and grit on it, low overhanging trees (so much so that I have to get off my bike to pass under them) and the cycle path randomly weaves back onto the road without warning to either the road users or the cycle track users. There are also many many side roads and every time the cycle path crosses one, the cyclist has to stop - which means getting from A to B takes a ridiculous amount of time.

Many paths are not wide enough to do this. Have a look at the one in the article shared by the OP as an example.

Why would you assume that?

Agreed.

Cycling in the Netherlands is a joy. There are dedicated bike lanes everywhere, and separate traffic lights for bikes / pedestrians / cars.
Roundabouts have special cycle lanes (in the UK I refuse to cycle on a roundabout).

Car drivers always stop for cyclists and pedestrians.
Everyone seems to cycle - old people, kids, cargo bikes for deliveries, etc. I never felt I was being a nuisance.

In the city centre where we stayed it was all bikes, no cars.
And yes cyclists frequently ring their bells to alert you they are there. I got used to it once I realised they weren’t being rude.

I don’t know the overall impact this must have on pollution and health in the Netherlands, but it must be significant.
We didn’t see many obese people…

The trouble in the UK is that cyclists have to share the road with cars, which is just not safe, and we are a very car-centric society. How many shopping centres or new housing estates are built with separate bike lanes, decent amount of bike parking etc?

I expect that most people who are out for a walk are able to step to the side. But yes, cyclists should give plenty of time and space just in case. I don't really understand why so many pedestrians are surprised by cyclists on a shared path though. You don't need quick reflexes to react to something that is expected to be there.

If you are on a shared path, you need to slow down to a speed that you can pass safely and widely enough without needing to ring your bell.

Except that the cyclist doesn't know anything about the person that they are ringing the bell at, they could be deaf, they could be wearing ear pods.
By all means ring your bell, sound your horn but if you have to slam the brakes on to stop or you can't maneuver around them without slamming the brakes on or sliding to a halt you are going to fast.

The point is that there is not always safe to move aside quickly on a narrow path. Especially with young kids. The most sensible option is for the bike to slow down until there is space to overtake. Like a car should do. Inconsiderate joggers can be just as much of a pain too tbh but less chance of getting run over by them!

Assuming you are in the UK, I would assume you would go left as well...

I think you’re getting a little hyperbolic now. But I am sorry that you and your wife have been made to feel unsafe, I don’t like aggression in any shape or form.

Cyclists should travel at a speed appropriate to the terrain. I agree with you there. But, if you are on a shared path, you need to be prepared to make space for cyclists to pass. There is nothing wrong with a cyclist ringing their bell to let you know they are behind you so you can move to the side.

Not all of us have quick, calm reflexes. This is ableist thinking.

it is the responsibility of the cyclist to presume that the pedestrian will not be able to move and may even behave erratically.

This doesn't always work. I was walking on the canal with a toddler and a buggy when I heard a ding of a bell behind me. So I moved all of us closer into the side we were walking on giving the cyclist more space on the free side to pass.

For some reason, she expected me to have eyes on the back of my head and to move a metre to the left instead of her simply changing her path and cycling around us. She came up right behind and had to skid to a stop to avoid hitting us. Some cyclists, like road users, are just thoughtless idiots.

if a bike is travelling quickly with no intention of slowing down then there isn’t time to ‘calmly’ do anything especially manoeuvring small kids and a buggy. How about the cyclist “calmly” adjusts their speed to accommodate other users in the same way I would in my car around bikes/horses on a road?

so we can agree then that some drivers and some cyclists are dickheads. Therefore it’s not that there’s a vendetta against cyclists but that just humans in general can be pretty shitty 🤷‍♀️

How about, instead of jumping into bushes, you just calmly move to one side and allow them to pass?

I don’t hate cyclists when I’m driving but don’t get me started on cyclists when I’m walking along my local canal towpath. Everyday some twat will shout or ring a bell (if I’m lucky) and expect me and my kids to jump into the nearest bush so as to avoid the cyclist having to adjust their speed or god forbid even stop. Can you imagine if a car refused to slow down and just honked their horn obnoxiously behind a bike and expected them to get off the road.

Dh has cycled in many countries- it’s only the English that aggressive and awful to cyclists 😳. He cycled the length of France without one incident from a driver not one. In England it’s vile abuse and swerving at him. So depressing.