New Trail? and my rant on cars.

I took this picture at the Tampa side of the Friendship Trail Bridge. It appears as if the construction thats forced me into the roadway is to build a new path for walkers, runners, roller bladers, and inevitably...cyclists. This to me leaves me with an emotional, or perhaps political dilema. On the one handthis is a good thing... it keeps me at a safe distance from cars, it keeps cars at a safe distance from me. But on the other hand, as a legal user of the road and a tax payer that pays for that roadway, this can be seen as segregation. Separate but equal. In my opinion this off the roadway trail is much safer than a bike lane. So in that sense I am satisfied, and cars cannot use this trail so another one up. But what I hate is bike lanes. Bike lanes are on road segregation... its like we are alowed to ride on the road, but only in this special lane. sure fine it seems safer... but cars feel like beacuse you are in that lane they dont have to pay attention to you. They dont pay attention to you when they make turns, they fly by you to turn less than 20 feet in front of you so you have to pull hard on the brakes. And they totally disreguard you when you have the right of way at an interesection. It was my turn to turn at an intersection the other day and a truck nearly ran me over, then he gives ME the finger. And the biggest bullshit of all is that because the city is cheap, bike lanes only usually last a few blocks before dumping you right back into traffic, now i have to signal to cars(who arent paying attention) that I am about to merge... scary. When I am in the lane I take the lane, cars see me, i hope. And I have a right of way. well... all i have to say is this.