|
Teenagers throwing stuff
at cyclists near Shoal Creek
Blvd.
Mar. 27, 2006
From: Stephen.Kreidler@ci.austin.tx.us
Subject: FW: bolo assaults on cyclist
I spoke with Det. Crippen and he said it's okay to let
folks know that APD is confident they have identified the
suspects in this case and are continuing their investigation
to identify the assailant.
By the way bolo means "Be On the Look Out". I was
imagining and Argentinean gaucho throwing a bolo at the legs
of bicyclists.
Colly
-----------------------------------------------------------
From: APD
Location: 6400 BLOCK GREAT NORTHERN BLVD.
Suspect: Multiple (2-4) W/M Teenagers
Vehicle: Older Model, Volve 4-dr Sedan, Light colored
(White or light Yellow) and a Light Colored Saturn 4-dr
Contact: Det. Crippen: 974-5071
2-4 male teenagers, in a white or light-colored older
Volvo 4-dr (possible 1990's model) were seen throwing
objects at cyclists. One victim suffered a severe eye
injury that may result in permanent vision loss. In other
reports, the subjects were seen in a light colored Saturn
4-dr car. These teens may be throwing water balloons,
firing plastic pellets, or paint balls. Subjects are listed
as teenagers and may attend school in the local area,
possibly Anderson or McCallum High Schools. Please, contact
Det. Crippen at 974-5071 if you have any pertinent
information.
Bike cops set motorist
straight
by xxx, Mar. 15, 2005
[Ed. note: While
harassment against cyclists will undoubtedly continue for
a long time, I hope this case marks a turning point in
the police response, because it was exemplary. It wasn't
that long ago the list would get posts like the one where
after a cyclist got yelled at and nearly run over by some
road raging motorists and the cyclist called the police,
the dispatcher asked, "Wasn't there a sidewalk there you
could have ridden on?". In many other cases the police
never showed up when called or just didn't care when they
did. So the case below, to me, is pretty historic,
although I suppose it's not surprising if we get a better
response from bike cops than from car cops.
Anyway, I usually don't put
every individual case of harassment up on the website,
because if I did then that's all I'd do. But I'll put
this one up because it shows how the police acted really,
really well. Let's hope this isn't an isolated incident,
that it's a sign of things to come, and that even car
cops will defend our right to the road to aggressive
motorists.]
I often commute by bicycle to my office downtown. I do my
best to share the road responsibly and sensitively, but
sometimes that isn't enough.
On Thursday morning, March 10, 2005, as I rode north
across the Congress Avenue bridge, a car driver behind me
aggressively pulled around and hit his brakes, coming to a
sudden, complete stop right in front of me. I was puzzled by
the move, as I had been riding at the right curb, as
straight as I could manage.
I watched as he entered his parking garage, and I called
911. As I spoke with the police dispatcher, the driver
walked out of the garage and confronted me. He screamed in
obscene language that he had commuted by bicycle for two
years and that he had "never once held up traffic." He
called me "a disgrace to the bicycling community" for
"completely blocking traffic," then walked away.
A pair of police officers on bicycles showed up less than
five minutes later and took notes as I described the driver,
his car, and the incident. One officer even went to the
man's office building in an attempt to find him. Then the
three of us rode into the garage and found his car.
The driver must have been watching from his office
window, because he came to the garage and confronted the
officers with his "side of the story," about how I was
?taking up the whole lane at five miles an hour? and how he
only intended "to teach him a lesson on what it feels like
to be held up by somebody -- you know, tit for tat." He told
the cops that I "was never in any actual danger."
The police were not sympathetic to his admission that he
had just deliberately used his car to try to intimidate a
bicycler. They told him that bicycles had a right to use the
road, just like cars, and that his action was inappropriate
and illegal. They also pointed out that he couldn't have
been too inconvenienced if he had managed to pass me in the
first place. He continued to argue that he had only done
what anyone else would do.
They asked what resolution I expected. I told them that,
while I thought pursuing further legal options would only
make matters worse, I hoped the man would realize greater
understanding for those with whom he is bound to share the
road. As I left, they told me they would file a "road rage"
report, and that they intended to "talk to this guy for a
little while."
I expect inattentiveness and ignorance on the road, but
when drivers choose to express their frustration in
willfully dangerous ways, I will call the police every time.
We don't allow children to get their way by throwing
tantrums, and we certainly cannot afford to allow bullying
behavior from adults wielding two-ton cars as weapons.
Death
Threat
8-15-01 by Mark Pedini
I had a motorist tell me that he would "run my ass over"
and he would not be prosecuted due to the fact that I was in
the street rather than on the sidewalk.
Throwing things at
cyclists on S. 1st
8-9-01 by Patrick
Goetz
Last time I biked on S. 1st from Riverside to William
Cannon, someone hurled a cup of ice at my back (it was hot,
so I wasn't terribly put out). The time before that, it was
a beer bottle (not nearly as much fun). I can't comment on
what South First is like beyond Wm. Cannon, but I can say
that I have never biked south of Wm Cannon without being
harrassed at least once by a motorist. I've been road biking
lately, and the contrast in courtesy between going
East/North or South is remarkable. I really think that it is
quite dangerous to bike South of Wm Cannon.
Motorist cuts off
8-year-old and gives the
finger
6-1-01 by Lane Wimberly
The other day, I was out with my 8-year-old son. We were
going straight through an intersection, and had stopped at
the red light. Normally, I would not stop on the right, but
would pull up behind any waiting cars in the right lane.
I've been turned into by right-turners too many times. But,
this time, since my son's top speed is about 13 mph, I
decided that it might be better to cautiously attempt to
stick strictly to the bike lane on the right than to merge
with aggressive late afternoon traffic.
So, when the light changed, I checked for a clear way,
and then yelled to my son to proceed. Sure enough, just as
soon as he entered the intersection, a small car pulls up
quickly and cuts in front of my son, turning right -- a
close encounter. I yelled loudly at the driver. Glancing at
me in the rear view mirror as I crossed the intersection, he
shot me the finger. "Yeah, buddy, I nearly ran over your
son, and here's a little present to go with it."
So, making a light is more important than the life of an
eight-year-old boy, and I'm a dick if I think otherwise.
It's a sad world. And, it's sadder still that people want
it that way.
Don't Throw Rocks at
People's Heads [Austin Chronicle, 9-15-00,
p. 12]
Dear Chronicle Readers:
I write this letter out of anger, fear, disgust, and
frustration. Last Sunday night my best friend called me,
very upset. She had been biking home, minding her business,
when an SUV full of guys drives past her. One of the guys
hangs halfway out the window and hurls a rock directly at
her head. Thankfully, the rock missed, but only just barely.
The culprit laughed loudly as he and his accomplices sped
off. My friend screamed and cursed them. Then, fearful that
they might come back around the block and, who knows what,
throw another rock? Run her over? She biked home as fast as
she could.
These kind of things simply should not happen. I wonder
and I worry, what kind of place is Austin becoming? I feel
powerless over these kinds of things happening again. What
can I do? I make it a point to smile at car drivers
everywhere I go on my bike. I say hello to the other bikers.
And when I drive my car, I smile at the bikers. If my
windows are down, sometimes I'll say hello. Because guess
what -- we're all people. And most of us are just trying to
be good people.
Sincerely, Alegra Bartzat
Newcomer to Austin
alarmed by rude motorists 1-25-00 by Tom
Haycraft
Reading Michael Bluejay's Bicycling
Newsletter 1-23-00 was very timely, especially,
"DISCUSSION: Newcomers to Austin think we suck." This
statement could not be more to the point, more correct (in
my opinion) or more timely.
In early October 1999 I was offered a job here in Austin.
It was a great career move and from all I had heard about
Austin and cycling here, I jumped at it. I got here November
1, and moved my family on December 11 after I closed on a
house. I live in south Austin near Slaughter and West Gate.
Nice community. I love the fact my boys can go out for hours
at a time and roam the neighborhood and surrounding fields,
something I never felt comfortable with them doing where we
lived in Dallas.
I have now ridden with Velocity out of Cycle 360 and the
Sweetish Hill Bakery Ride (great ride, nice pace!). While in
a pack, the drivers have been moderately well behaved. While
alone, in this first month of riding I've had a bottle
thrown at me and countless drivers laying on their horn
while passing and countless others creeping onto the
shoulder with me while passing at 50 to 70 mph. Welcome to
Austin.
Cycling in north and east Dallas for 9 years (4,000
to 7,000 miles each year) got me the occasional horn honk,
but in those years I can't remember any bottles thrown.
Moving to Austin, rated a "top
10 cycling city" by Bicycling Magazine, home to Lance
Armstrong and all those stories about the incredible riding
here had me thinking I'd died and gone to heaven. I'm
mystified by what I have found. While my kids can ride and
roam the neighborhood, I feel very limited on when I can
venture out to ride without tossing the bike in my truck and
driving out of the city.
Yes, 360, Mo-Pac, Bee Caves Rd., Southwest Parkway and
others all have wide shoulders -- full of glass, rocks, and
trash providing 3 flats in 3 weeks. But I know, the drivers
must think I'm Lance -- that is why they are honking! And
those young boys in the pickup (yes, I drive one too), they
were probably brought up with the best of manners and just
wanted me to have something of theirs to cherish and hold
close to my heart (or head). Good thing they had a bad aim.
And again, those drivers coming over onto the shoulder with
me, they DO think I'm Lance and want a closer look like goes
on in Hollywood with all those big stars. Right! That's it,
and here I thought Austin was full of copulating idiots
behind the wheels of the motor vehicles. (Please notice
tongue poking out of my cheek!)
Well, 2 out of 3 (job, home/community ... not
cycling!) have been positive aspects of the move here. And
yes, in regards to cycling in Austin, this newcomer thinks
it sucks. Too bad I have to work for a living and to an
extend, my job dictates where I live.
Funny thing is (if there is anything funny about
this), while driving my pickup around town, driver-to-driver
things appear to be more civilized as compared to my
experiences in Dallas. I can't help but think that the
"in-your-face" advocacy efforts in this town have pissed off
a lot of drivers. Critical Mass? Looks to this newcomer like
it and similar actions could be adding to the attitude
displayed by many of the drivers I've encountered in my
short time here.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[Ed. note: While I'm
embarrassed for us Austinites about the treatment that Mr.
Haycraft has received at the expense of Austin drivers, and
while such treatment isn't surprising, I can confirm for him
that I received just as many death threats from motorists in
the days BEFORE Critical
Mass as the days since. And while
I can't really be sure there is any correlation, nearly all
the significant bike activism in this city started AFTER
Critical Mass appeared (City's Bicycle Program, Yellow Bike
Project, activists on citizen commissions etc.) As for
Austin making Bicycling Magazine's list of Top 10 cities,
yeah, that one had us scratching our heads too when that
came out. Rest assured that we wrote to Bicycling magazine
to provide some details about exactly what's wrong with the
state of cycling in Austin. And here's some more on
the fallout about
Austin's Top 10
ranking.]
Even grandmas get into
the action 1-25-00 by Joe Eyestone
Safety is my personal #1 issue. I don't log the miles you
guys do on my bike, nor go so far afield, yet my
neighborhood jaunts in the little over a year that I've been
in the saddle have garnered one serious incident (where a
car deliberately turned in front of me to cut me off), one
so-so incident (where a car passed behind me, deliberately
seeing how close he could come to my rear wheel) and plenty
of buzzings and finger wavings. It's the attitude of the
automobile drivers that concerns me--is it just me, or do
the majority of them seem simply not like bikes on the
street with them? No doubt road rage comes into play at
certain hours; but I've been squeezed by grandmas as well,
in the middle of the afternoon with nary a harried commuter
in sight nor any traffic to speak of. ... I believe more and
better bike lanes would be nice; but nicer yet would be
greater support from above [City officials] in order
to curb the crazed motorists looking to scouch me into
one.
Getting results from the
police 12-23-99 (Edited for clarity.)
One cyclist had these suggestions:
Forget about the Austin Police Department altogether.
Sounds like they aren't going to aggressively pursue
criminal charges against dangerous motorists. Why waste your
time trying to convince some police officer who really
couldn't care less? Texas is not lacking in law enforcement
agencies. Maybe try contacting the Texas Department of
Public Safety, or Travis County sheriff's office. What about
the Travis County District Attorney's office? Perhaps they
have a mechanism where they review citizen complaints and
can be of assistance? There are several
criminal statutes potentially applicable to motorists
who endanger cyclists with their reckless driving.
Rick Ogan, a police officer in San Angelo,
suggested the following.
When making a complaint about motorist harassment, you
probably won't have much luck talking to a detective. They
think investigating anything less then a felony is a waste
of time. Get familiar with the officers who work bike
patrol. They can sympathize with you and will go after those
dangerous drivers. No one else on the police department will
understand how harassing and dangerous those drivers are.
One other thing that might help with APD, go above that
detective's head. Complain to his sergeant, lieutenant, or
Captain. Meet with the Captain of Patrol and see if you can
get some type of bicycle awareness training for the
officers. Most officers are clueless about bicyclist and
their rights to the road. Most folks believe bicyclist tend
to be second class citizens and the police are no
different.
Police decline to arrest
a drunk, reckless motorist, but arrest the cyclist who hit
the motorist
Marco Rubio, 12-28-99
On September 24th while on a routine training ride with
fellow cyclists, Bob Parnell and Russell Debarberis, we were
riding through a neighborhood in Fort Bend County at about
5:30p.m. The road was a two-lane road with ditches on both
sides. We heard a car approaching then suddenly Bob yelled,
"Look out!" as the car passed extremely close as if trying
to run us into the ditch. The car then stopped at the
intersection, but had no where to go due to the traffic. I
then saw Russell approach the vehicle from the driver's side
and knock on the window. Bob and I had stopped next to the
vehicle on the passenger's side. The driver had been
drinking and was holding a large open container or mug,
which I could clearly see through the passenger's window.
Russell and the driver exchanged words and the driver
spilled his drink on the center console and dash of his
vehicle. As he became violent opening the door and yelled,
"Now you've got a fucking problem," Russell had to defend
himself not knowing what the driver's intentions were. A few
minutes later, a jeep pulled up behind the car and the
couple inside told us that the driver of the car was their
neighbor and that they would call the police. While waiting
for the police to arrive, the drunk driver approached me and
said that Russell was going to jail. He appeared very
confused and his eyes were extremely red and I could
distinctly smell alcohol in his breath. When the police car
arrived, the police officer went straight to the couple in
the jeep and shook their hands and smiled as if they were
best friends. The police officer then approached the drunk
driver of the vehicle and asked him to step over to the side
with him. They talked for a few moments, then the officer
returned and arrested Russell, handcuffing him. He then
locked Russell in the police car. Bob Parnell told the
officer that he should give the driver a Breathalyzer test,
but the officer became very upset and told Bob not to tell
him how to do his job and that he would arrest him if he
didn't shut up. The officer then asked me to tell him what
had happened. After a brief explanation, I very politely
asked the officer why he had not administered a Breathalyzer
test. He answered by saying that he had special training and
that to him the driver did not appear to be drunk and his
eyes were red because he had been watching television. The
driver was allowed to leave. When another lady pulled up in
her vehicle and followed the drunk driver back in the
direction he had come. Russell was then taken to jail.
Police refuse to help
cyclist threatened by
motorist
Robbie Robinette, 12-23-99 (from TBC list;
submitted to Statesman)
Recently, while riding our bicycles on Shoal Creek Blvd.
between Koenig and Anderson Lane, I and three friends had
yet another car incident. The incident was minor but
symptomatic of willingness of drivers to endanger cyclists
to save a few seconds and harass them in some sort of
perverse game. As a competitive cyclist, I am frequently
harassed or endangered by vehicles who are either angry with
cyclists for some reason or simply unaware of the danger
they impose. I had decided to attempt to get the Austin
Police Department to enforce the laws and to try to raise
public awareness to make it safer for myself and other
cyclists.
This incident started when a driver pulled along side of
us, paused, matched speeds, then accelerated and turned
right abruptly. We avoided being run over but only barely.
The two people in front were uninjured but badly shaken,
have narrowly escaped serious injury. I sprinted after the
car and got its license plate number. We immediately called
the APD to file a complaint.
This type of thing happens fairly frequently but this was
more egregious than most and we had not doubt that the
driver's action was deliberate. I had the hope that with
four witnesses we could get the police to do something about
this, i.e. call the driver, possibly issue a traffic
citation. Instead, APD proceeded to demonstrate a complete
indifference to this issue. First they declined to send a
cruiser, to the scene, declined to open a case for several
days and immediately closed the case when opened.
After several calls to the case was reopened. I spent
approximately 1.5 hours on the phone with the case officer,
Detective Martin, trying to get APD to at least contact the
driver and then to understand the policy of APD with respect
to cyclists.
The first point of conflict was that Detective Martin
insisted that the driver did not have to yield to a bicycle
in the bike lane before turning right. At best Detective
Martin does not understand the law. A friend of mine found
the following in the Austin traffic laws:
16-1-13 DRIVING VEHICLES UPON, IN OR ACROSS
BICYCLE LANES.
No person shall drive a vehicle in, upon or across a
bicycle lane except to enter a driveway, building or
alley, or except to park such vehicle, or to leave a
parking space, if such parking is permissible. No person
shall drive onto or cross a bicycle lane as permitted by
this section without first yielding the right-of-way as
necessary to avoid collision or interference with bicycle
traffic. ('81 Code, 11-2-14) Penalty, see 1-1-99
I was unable to get Detective Martin to take any action
against the driver or even contact the driver to indicate
that he almost injured several people. I moved on to try to
understand what cyclist could do to protect themselves from
drivers who were harassing and endangering cyclists. The
policy of APD, as I understand it, is that unless there is
an actual collision APD will do nothing. I gave several
examples of motor vehicle harassment of cyclist (pulling
onto the shoulder to 'buzz' the cyclist, abruptly swerving
in front of the cyclist as the vehicle passes, shouting
obscenities, throwing trash, all of the above, etc). He said
that there was nothing APD would do in any of these cases
unless there was a collision. When pressed Detective Martin
indicated that crossing the center line or driving onto the
sidewalk would suffice to indicate hostile intent even
without a collision. Detective Martin said that while these
activities were rude they were not illegal, he went on to
mention that cyclist were often rude themselves. I pointed
out that few car drivers had been killed by errant or rude
cyclists. The irony was lost on Detective Martin.
To me, as a cyclist, these activities clear examples of
people in motor vehicles deliberately threatening my life.
(For non-cyclists, if you disagree, I suggest that you spend
a few thousand miles on a bicycle before making that
determination.)
After several more calls to APD by other persons involved
in the incident Detective Martin did call the driver and
called me to discuss the results of that. Detective Martin
said that the driver was aware of us, that the driver did
not intend to harass or obstruct us and that any danger
presented to us was accidental. Detective Martin said that
he was closing the case, having assured himself that there
was no intent to harass. I was pleased that APD did call the
driver, that was really the best that I had expected. I am
deeply disappointed that APD is not willing to enforce the
traffic laws and help ensure the safety of cyclists. I
suppose that APD feels it has better things to do, the all
to frequent messages I receive about friends or
acquaintances who are injured or killed by motor vehicles
tell me otherwise.
Threat with a vehicle is
the same as assault
Patrick Goetz, 3-26-99
Texas law requires me to ride on the right hand side of
the road, which is what I was doing on 26th yesterday in
moderately heavy traffic. Unfortunately the I-35 access road
exits from the right. Some asshole who wanted to get on I-35
started honking his horn behind me and running up on my
rear. When I tried to move to the left so that he could pass
me on the right he also veered to the left as if to hit
me.
As usual, I need to remind the sanctimonious (and I
suspect recreational and occasional bicyclists) among us
that someone who guns their engine and makes as if to hit me
when I'm on my bicycle is ASSAULTING ME WITH A DEADLY
WEAPON. There is ABSO-F**KING-LUTELY no difference between
this and pulling out a loaded gun and pointing it at my
head. I do not like to be assaulted with deadly weapons when
I am out in public minding my own business. I do not like it
one bit. [Ed. note: Here's a link to Texas
laws governing motorists.]
Cell phones help to catch
motorists
Dan Connelly, 09/07/98
sarabear wrote:
>
> Some states do something about harrassment...
> I called the police from my cell phone.
These stories are good and interesting, but really
represent special cases due to the nature of the area
(rural) and the writer's quick access to a cellular
phone.
I was bumped (contact) off the road on my way home
in NE Austin. I dialed 911 when I got home, and was asked if
I was at the scene. I replied no. The person on the line
seemed surprised I didn't have a cell phone. There wasn't
much that could be done, really, since I was not completely
certain of the license number, and frankly tried so hard to
remember the number I neglected to retain any details of the
make and model.
Those of us who are memory-challenged (I'm the type
who has trouble with his own phone number, let alone a
7-digit alphanumeric sequence glanced in a moment of
self-preservation) or who ride in crowded urban settings
really are not in a good position to have anything done
about these things..... at least until we wear wrist-cameras
to quickly get photographs of offending vehicles.
Some states do something
about harassment...
sarabear (Sara), Sun, 6 Sep 1998
I think everyone who rides the roads with any regularity
has experienced agression from local motorists in one form
or another. One of the problems with cars is that it creates
sense of isolation and anonymity for the driver, in which he
feels that he can behave in a manner that he would not
otherwise behave if he knew he would be held accountable for
his actions.
I usually get a few hoots and howls any morning
that I choose to ride alone. They usuallu come from angry
passengers in old pick-up trucks who think it is their
personal responsibility to ensure that our streets are free
from slow moving traffic, or from 30-something housewives
who are sure that they are saving me from certain death by
telling me that riding in the street is unsafe. I always
muster as big a grin as possible and wave with all fingers
visible. I also believe that it is more difficult to be
irate with someone who is cheerful and nice. I have to think
of their nasty behavior as acknowledgement that I am
there..... if they see me, they won't hit me.
Last summer, a friend and I were taking a long ride
on one of the more deserted roads outside of Phoenix. It is
one of those highways to nowhere that connects a road on the
far north of town to a road about 20 miles south. There may
be only one or two places where a rider can turn off the
road along the way, and there is nothing but desert on
either side for miles. Most of the time we were the only
vehicles on the road. Once in a while, we would see a car or
truck coming toward us on the other side of the road, or be
overtaken by a truck. A single 18 wheeler truck decided that
we had no right to be on the road. Rather than passing us
safely and legally, he chose to blare his airhorn and run us
off the road. There was no oncoming traffic, and he could
have pulled over a few feet. My friend ended up diving for
the gravel on the shoulder, and I was barely missed by the
rear wheels of his trailer. I got the license plate number,
and while she was brushing the gravel off her knees, I
called 911. I told them that the driver was running cyclists
off the road, then gave them the details. Somewhere along
that road, there was a trucker who wished he could have
found a turnoff. We thought it was kind of odd at the time,
but for the rest of the morning, we were treated more
respectfully than we had ever been on that road. We found
out later that 911 calls are monitored regularly and that
our call had put other truckers on alert to be nice. We also
learned that they caught and ticketed the offending truck
about 10 miles down the road.
One morning this summer, during my daily ride, I
was spinning along in the proper position of a narrow lane
on a street with 2 lanes of travel in each direction. It was
rush hour, but I was out toward the edge of town, and the
traffic was not heavy. I was moving along at around 25mph
when a guy in a Saturn decided that he could not wait. He
zipped around me to cut me off and turn right. I did manage
to stay upright, and kept my wits about me long enough to
get his license plate numbers. I called the police from my
cell phone. I waited and was met on the corner by another
officer. They stoped the driver and read him the riot act.
It was clear that he was ignorant of the law and that he was
truely sorry, so when they asked me what I wanted them to
do, I agreed that a warning was probably best. I really felt
that the guy would end up educating his friends so that they
wouldn't be as ignorant as he had been. I was pretty shakey
after that experience and because of my shakiness, I did not
check my bike thoroughly. If I did I would have discovered
that my tire was trashed, and I would have taken his
insurance information, or some cash to replace my tire.
I have been well trained to get that license plate
number. The police were very helpful and co-operative
because I was able to give them something that would
identify the driver. If I had not been able to give them
that number, there would have been nothing they could do.
Motorists will recognize their responsibility when they
realize that they are not anonymous. I suggest that we all
teach our students to look for license plate numbers when
they or another cyclist with whom they are riding are
threatened in any way.
sarabear
LAB (ECI #690), USCF, ABC, CAB, and a bunch of other
organizations...
Motorist runs after
cyclist
From: egan jones, 7/11/97
OK, here's another story involoving bike lanes!...
Yesterday I was riding up Guadalupe (in the bike lane
adjacent to campus), approaching the crosswalk at the Coop
(or what's left of it) when a driver passes me and swerves
to park in the bike lane DIRECTLY infront of me -just to
drop off his sweetie at the front door.
After slamming on my breaks and checking the traffic
coming from behind (so that I may avoid a possible
splattering), I showed my disapproval by tapping/rapping my
fingers on his driver-side window, much as I would honk at
him if I were in a car.
After I passed him and continued north in the bike lane
he came racing up beside me (I almost thought he was in the
bike lane behind me!), jumped out of his car with a
livid-as-hell look on his face, and started for me. I had
just enough time to figure that I better just start cranking
as hard as I could on those pedals. He only got a skim of a
kick on my back tire. As I stood at the corner of 24th and
Guad, I really wanted to bring to his attention his complete
ignorance and lack of concern for bicyclists well-being, but
he seemed in NO mood to talk. (I had my U-lock handy just in
case.)
Call me chicken, but I decided it was better to leave
this one alone (he was about 6-2 and big). I pretended to
turn into campus, but then u-turned to exit. He didn't see
the u-turn and entered campus looking for me. I waved from
behind him and went on my increased-adreline day...
Seems to be a good example of how, yet again, people will
cross whatever barriers that are in place to protect
cyclists, for whatever whimsical reason.
Motorists throw beer
bottle at cyclist
Rick Waring, 7/1/97
Received a call today from a commuter who rides from
Austin to West Lake Hills frequently using Barton Spring,
MoPac feeder and Bee Caves Rd. Saturday evening coming home
from work she was violently assaulted by some individuals in
a small dark pick-up who threw a full beer bottle at here.
The bottle broke severely cutting her leg requiring a trip
to the hospital. She reported it to police, but didn't get
the license number.
Motorists throw water
bottle at cyclist
Kristin Ashton, Sat, 31 May 1997
While driving home Friday, approaching the intersection
of 360 and Loop 1, I happened to pass a bicyclist....I
thought to myself, "I bet he's in good shape," smiled, and
continued to the stop light. I just happened to glance in my
rear view mirror in time to witness a car full of morons
throw a FULL water bottle at the rider, who was in NO WAY
impeding traffic, and was easy to see. The car swerved
behind me unsteadily, right on my tail, before passing into
the left lane and racing on through the intersection. This
was during rush hour.
Caught up in the flow of traffic, I couldn't slow enough
to make sure the rider was okay, but if you are reading
this, I hope you are. I do not bike often, but I believe
that as a driver of a bigger and more potentially dangerous
vehicle it is my duty to help keep the road safe for ALL,
not more hazardous. A license does not buy you the road,
only the right to share it. Period.
So, let me share this with you, dear readers....to the
BLUE VOLVO STATION WAGON, I got your plate number....I
called the cops on you, I' d like to wring your moronic,
infantile, little necks, and you suck. I love this city
because people like you are refreshingly rare, even in these
troubled times. [Were that only true! -- Ed.] I only
hope you are incapable of reproduction, since natural
selection obviously failed us in your case.
Sincerely, Kristin Ashton
(A driver who gives a shit)
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