"They pay little or nothing towards the cost of the roads and footpaths they use"

Cyclists are council tax payers too! And many also drive and therefore pay road tax. I suspect the wear and tear on the road infrastructure from cyclists compared with drivers is pretty minimal anyway.

"Moving around in and out of towns in England, it is the rule, rather than the exception, to see cyclists ignore red lights and controlled crossings (zebra, Panda and Pelican), ride at breakneck speed on crowded footpaths and travel in pitch darkness without lights and dressed in black (even on country lanes on moonless nights).

Without wanting to get all gestalt on yo' ass, you tend to see what you want to see (there's even evidence for this if you want me to find and cite sources). This means you'll remember all the times you see someone cycling badly and probably not even notice all the cyclists who are cycling responsibly. I know this because I do it too: I've never said to whoever I'm with, "look at that cyclist! He's on the road, wearing fluorescent clothing and waiting at the lights!"