If the guy comes back, tell him calmly that the police already came by and indicated that you and your children have the right to ride your bikes in the street. If you feel at all threatened, I wouldn't hesitate to get the police involved again.

I think that the trend toward bike hating stems from the cultural shift that occurred between our childhood and the present. We now live in a rapid-fire, constant movement, perpetually entertained space. And I think that people have grown increasingly impatient because of that shift.

A few weeks ago, I was out early (about 6 am) getting in some miles before work and I had a man pull up next to me at an intersection. He said something like "I bet that is good exercise" and I agreed. He then ranted until the light changed about how when he was a kid he wasn't allowed to ride in the street because he was poor and the rich folks changed the laws. Now, because rich people like me ride expensive bikes, it is now legal for us to use the road. Uh...what? It seems like he assumes that cycling is somehow elitist. I don't think that he was among the impatient, but it seems like these two classes of people are the ones that I encounter most.