I am a very defensive rider. It means that I cede my priority, that I pay extremely attention at each pivate gate. Fortunately I can ride most of the time on a separate cyclepath when I come from Leuven to Brussels so that all those precautions and attention aren't really necessary.
The cyclepath I use is an exception.
In the Netherlands they met in the '80 the same infrastructural problems. The roads weren't adapted for cyclists. Massive protests an political led eventually to a splendid cycle path network. Have a look at the video...
