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.
Not at all unusual in the Tampa Bay area. Here's one.
ReplyDeleteI 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?