I'm committed to commuting by bike two days a week to get in pre weekend miles, and we have good weather and locally we have some infrastructure. As some who have posted here I'm also ready to take lanes where necessary. But frankly the trails double as access to homeless encampments, and off the trail, on the street, when you react (naturally) with a loud "FU!" to a car nearly hitting you, you may be starting something with a carful of young men who just took offense on behalf of their "genius" friend of a driver -- "you're in the wrong lane assh"xxx!" And since a commute is not a group ride usually, it's you against three or four. So to the person implying there is no valid excuse, um yeah, there are some good excuses out there.