Indeed, Professor Stephen Glaister, director of motorists' advocacy group the RAC Foundation, suggests much of the hostility on the roads stems from a lack of understanding and suggests levelling out the legislation would reassure drivers that the rules were being applied fairly.

BBC: Is dangerous cycling a problem?

"The Conservative Defeat Project is yet another example of the Republican establishment's hostility towards its conservative base, " Matt Hoskins, executive director of the Senate Conservatives Fund group, said in a statement on Sunday.

CNN: Rove at center of GOP family feud