Moments earlier I had been riding along with three friends (yes, two abreast) on an otherwise empty country road headed towards the Cotter. As I wrestled with the bike, dazed and struggling not to spear into the bitumen, it took me a few moments to realise that someone in the white ute that had just come past at speed had thrown a large orange, at close range, into the side of my head.

It wasn't the first time I'd experienced unprovoked road rage on Canberra's streets, and it probably won't be the last. I'm also the first to admit that I've done some stupid things on my bike that probably contributed to some of that rage that I've later come to regret. But I've also make mistakes in my car.

This week's apparent road rage incident involving former Prime Minister Tony Abbott has once again raised the thorny issue of whether we have a cultural problem on our roads. Sure, it's easy to pick out the isolated examples, like the bottles of urine, spit and abuse that have all been hurled at me from car windows over the years.

As both a cyclist and a motorist, I also shake my head on a regular basis as I see bikes ignoring red lights, weaving between cars and taking what I consider to be unnecessary risks with their own safety. But there's an ugly cultural issue that needs to be called out in our city, a place that is widely regarded as one of the most bike friendly in the country - namely a lack of respect, and it runs both ways.

What Mr Abbott and his friends experienced this week is not necessarily a common experience on the capital's roads, where most drivers go out of their way to be careful and considerate of vulnerable road users. I wouldn't ride here if I thought there was a high chance of getting run down. But anyone who's spent any serious time on a bike in this city has a tale to tell.

Perhaps one of the most disturbing examples I've witnessed was on an afternoon commute home alongside the lake. A wedding party was sprawling out across the shared path I was riding on next to the Carillon. No problem, I thought, I'll give them space and move out on to the road, and the rider on the mountain bike in front of me had clearly decided on the same course of action. As he pulled on to the grass to make his way towards the road, one of the wedding guests moved out of the crowd to head off the rider and took a half-hearted swing as he went past. I somehow doubt if we'd been walking or jogging past he would have had the same reaction.

Riding a bicycle on Canberra's roads is a legal activity, but it's also a risky one. Those that ride on the roads know this and accept this risk. Why? For me it's about the physical and mental health benefits I get from exercise, for others it's a host of reasons, including saving money, time, and environmental. And it's not just an elite group of hardened road warriors who think it's worth the risk - the ACT Government's strategic cycle network plan outlines $84 million in cycling infrastructure spending over the coming decade. By 2031 the government hopes to see an additional 400,000 cycle trips a year by 2031 as a result of that investment, which is estimated to save the ACT twice as much as it costs.

On my weekend rides I occasionally find myself being passed by the likes of world-class athletes like Mathew Heyman and Michael Rogers, and I've also spotted the now former PM and other cabinet ministers on the roads a couple of times too. Like Mr Abbott, I've got a family and children, and I worry more about them than I do for myself when on the roads. I wonder if those leaning on their horns or launching cans of softdrink out the window would do so if they thought it might be the PM, a Tour de France star - or even one of their own children on the receiving end?

Clearly some riders need to get over their sense of entitlement and respect the fact that they may be causing unnecessary delays to other road users. There are some roads that are probably safer single file, while there are others where two abreast is unlikely to cause a problem. But given the growing number of people taking up riding, we are only going to see more, not fewer riders on the roads, so we might as well get used to the idea. This can go one of two ways - increasing conflict, abuse and injuries, or an acknowledgement that all sides need to work collaboratively to find ways of coexisting.

I for one hope the conversation can move from vitriol and abuse to one of respect, and clever solutions for how we can make the roads work better for all users - be they cars, bikes or anyone else with a legal right to be there.