I agree about the use of the MP3 player, I'm pretty sure that this was at least part of the reason for the pedestrian who ran across the road in front of me to not realise I was there. I find that I use hearing as much as sight, particularly with regard to traffic that's behind me.
However tempting it is, I would caution against committing any unlawful act by way of retaliation. It's an odds-on favourite that it will be you that will be charged, rather than the original miscreant, and you may well get a heftier penalty, as the bench/court will take into account the degree of premeditation (presuming that, like the lady with the ball pein hammer, one had already thought about retaliation).
The best answer is to ride defensively, assuming that everyone else you see is a plonker, and to just ignore provocation, either by pedestrians or other road users. One thing that would be legal, and might possibly help a lttle, is an extremely loud horn, one of the air powered variety.
Jeremy
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