We have one of these just outside our "downtown," in a very busy area in front of a private school. There are cars parked along the curb, people pulling in and out of the school driveway, and a crosswalk. When I ride through here on my commute, there is still residual traffic from rush hour in my direction, and the other direction is full of cars.
When they put this in, a well known elderly man in town drove his car right into the thing and was injured, because he "didn't see" it. It caused concern, but nothing was done. I get in the lane just about every time I ride here. Of course, people here are used to cyclists doing this, and there's a huge amount of cyclists. But, once in awhile, you get someone who is aggressive like you describe.
I just make sure I stop for the peds in the crosswalk there, so I am not seen as part of the problem.