One day I was cycling on Rowlett Park Drive in Tampa and a driver was upset I was on the road. He passed me while also screaming his discontent and then pulled over about a quarter-mile up the road.
He got out of the car, assumed a boxer's pose and wanted a fistfight.
I biked around him and ignored him.
A story sent to me by my bicycle pal Ellen tells a tale of a bike racer who faced a driver who wanted to do harm to him.
1 comment:
Not at all unusual in the Tampa Bay area. Here's one.
I was riding in the bike lane (of course always in the right direction) on Ehrlich Road when for no reason some "A Hole" in a pickup truck put his hand on the horn and came at me. I'm sure his purpose was to force me into the ditch and get a good laugh. I couldn't help but think that it would be great if one of the cars behind him would come forward as a witness. Well to my surprise, a bit later someone did turn around and approached me to bear witness and give me his license plate number. A very nice gent who offered to speak to the police if I filed a report.
Later I went to the Sheriff's office near the Citrus Park mall and filed a report. The deputy called the witness to verify. Later in the day he visited me at my home to complete the report. Three different times the deputy asked me if I had an altercation with the driver. It was obvious he felt I (on a bicycle) must have provoked the driver of a three thousand plus pound vehicle. I guess the witness meant nothing. I don't believe it is against the law to harass & try to run a cyclist off the road in Florida. This has happened to me many times, but only once did someone come forward to bear witness, and what good did it do?
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