I think that's just wishful thinking. I'm from Melbourne where cycling is pretty common (although not as hectic as in Holland). The cyclists here are still pretty rude.
There's a difference between rude and illegal. I think the original commenter was speaking more about illegal behavior leading to accidents.
In my experience in cities where cycling is built into the architecture of the city, most do tend to follow the road rules. However, a pedestrian might still find it rude if a cyclist were to pass close enough to brush shoulders, or a driver might find it rude for a cyclist to lane split.
From my perspective that kind of "rudeness" is just part city life, though, it's not really something exclusive to cyclists.
Yeah, I was referring to outright illegal behavior. I really dislike the "rules don't apply to me" attitude - seems so entitled.
On the rudeness aspect though, I do find cyclists in general pretty rude. I've even seen cyclists that seem to outright seek confrontation by putting themselves in situations that are unfavorable to them. For example, the other day I observed a challenging traffic situation and a driver had to stop mid turn at a corner. A cyclist was coming and saw the whole thing happen, but they still positioned themselves such that a "hook" accident could occur once things started moving again. As soon as the car started moving to complete their turn, the cyclist also moved forward and started arguing with the driver. It looked pretty clearly premeditated.
In my experience in cities where cycling is built into the architecture of the city, most do tend to follow the road rules. However, a pedestrian might still find it rude if a cyclist were to pass close enough to brush shoulders, or a driver might find it rude for a cyclist to lane split.
From my perspective that kind of "rudeness" is just part city life, though, it's not really something exclusive to cyclists.