There’s a reason bicycle operators are legally defined in Oregon as “vulnerable roadway users.” We use the streets without all the steel and glass that protects others. And that’s why we take harassment and road rage so seriously. Even when people think they’re just pulling what they think is a harmless stunt like revving an engine or “rolling coal,” they often have no idea just how much their actions hurt and scare us.
BikePortland reader Reed Andrews says he was the victim of a “prank” last night that left him trembling with fear and the aggressors laughing in delight.
Here’s his story:
I got doored by a car intentionally. Just a teenage prank most likely.
Around 1:20 am Thursday I was heading home from work. I checked to see if anyone was behind me as I turned from NE 21st to Tillamook.
A block or two down I sensed this car was super close to me and I wanted it to go away. Someone then got in the back and opened the passenger side door on me. It knocked me off my bike, not particularly violently. And then I yelled at them as they sped away.
I called 911, and as I did they turned around after experiencing the diverter on 16th. I feared for my life in that moment, thinking they were coming back for me. The car then went up 19th, its hissing go-cart like engine haunting me as it drove off. Police came and took down my info. All they said they could do was arrest him for harassment. The car was a beat up and old teal Honda Civic/Accord sedan, I know the difference but the car was so old I am not familiar with the differences in those models. They were from Washington, standard license plate, I think it was AHJK141 but I’m really only certain about the A & the 141 in that sequence.
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I’ve never felt so vulnerable, and I guess I’m lucky in that I’ve never been the victim of a heinous crime, just a prank where someone took their car and tried to scare me with it. I wasn’t hurt and other than my chain going off after it hit the street my bike is fine.
I got hit by a car last spring when it turned in to a gas station and didn’t see me. This feels worse if only because whoever those teens are think they can get away with it. The woman who hit me felt bad, she apologized, those teens probably thought it was hilarious that the lame biker yelled and cursed as they drove off. And that sickens me. Hopefully these people are caught, hopefully it never happens again. And if any good can come from this it’s that drivers need to better realize people on bikes are on there, and are vulnerable to any movement their massive car makes, so be careful.
I wrote this in part just to feel better, and it’s at least calmed me. Thanks for everything you guys do.
When I followed up with Reed to ask if we could share his story, he said he won’t let this incident stop him from using his bike. “I’m riding to work tonight,” he wrote, “I’m not letting the bastards stop me.”
— Jonathan Maus, (503) 706-8804 – jonathan@bikeportland.org
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I had a car following me so closely on my bike and driving utterly aggressively the other day (on Overton) that when we got to a stop sign I spat on the hood of his car. The driver jumped out screaming and chased me 2 blocks down the street ready to rip my face off.
Lesson : Don’t mess with crazies.
Overton traffic is only getting worse with all of the new construction and PBOT claims that they can’t do anything about it. Sad!
I think I read somewhere that Overton is a fire truck/emergency vehicle route so that can’t do diverters, speed bumps etc…
they can do speed bumps with channels in them spaced to the emergency vehicles width, which is wider than a car so they can’t speed through them so much… like they have on NW Cornell coming down to Lovejoy…
The treatment you describe is a “speed cushion”…and our (VFD) fire department has embraced them in the past as a measured treatment that improves traffic safety (reduces their calls for crashes) while not impacting their response times for fires.
No offence, Todd, but the speed cushions in Vancouver, WA, are crap.
PBOT and PF&R used the ones out on 160th for test runs.
Also, any channel in a speed bump is one motorists can use to reduce slowing. Even the PBOT test on NW Cornell can’t seem to get the 85th below 30 mph, and the channel’s in Portland’s cushions are narrower than the Vancouver ones.
At least he got some exercise that day.
I’m curious what you expected the response to be? A calm dialogue about sharing the road?
I keep reading that folks feel like drivers are getting more aggressive- and that’s probably the case. I also feel like i’m reading more about these types of responses, spitting, slapping cars, yelling matches – and I wonder if we think we’re going to get more careful, conscientious drivers out of these interactions. My suspicion is no. I feel like every time this happens, we’ve hardened that driver and all those around that witnessed it to feel cyclists are the assholes on the road. I get the anger and fear, but I don’t think spitting on cars is going to result in safer driver behavior for all of out there on our bikes.
do you also believe that the anti-social actions of a particular pedestrian will cause drivers ,in general, to be less careful or conscientious? or conversely, when a driver behaves antisocially does this cause people who cycle to cycle less carefully or conscientiously?
“or conversely, when a driver behaves antisocially does this cause people who cycle to cycle less carefully or conscientiously?”
Since we’re talking about a case in which a driver’s aggressive behavior prompted a cyclist to spit on their car, I’m going to with “yes.”
Anyway, the point is, given that there’s a palpable tension between cyclists and drivers in this city, responding to drivers’ aggressive/antisocial actions with the same accomplishes nothing other than widening that rift. I’m certainly not suggesting that us vulnerable road users should be complacent with dangerous and aggressive behavior, but in the heat of the moment, a little de-escalation will go a long way.
Anyway, the point is, given that there’s a palpable tension between cyclists and drivers in this city
in my experience there is far less tension between people cycling and people driving in this city than 8 years ago (peak bikelash).
Just because we’ve made progress doesn’t mean there isn’t still work to be done. I’m glad that the bikes-vs-cars rift isn’t as bad as it once was, but if it wasn’t a concern at all anymore, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.
In any case, the point remains: Are you suggesting that a cyclist spitting on an aggressive driver’s car doesn’t directly answer your question, “when a driver behaves antisocially does this cause people who cycle to cycle less carefully or conscientiously?”
As I understand it, bullies that go unchallenged are likely to never change their ways, let alone have any knowledge that their behavior is not acceptable.
“I spat on the hood”
Are you a real-life version of the “bicycle rights!” guy?
What you did in no way reinforces the negative cyclist stereotype. Thank you for taking the high road, sir!
I know…I’m not too proud of my actions. I’m normally a very calm and easygoing cyclist. But I’ve had a lot of close calls/issues the past week and that was just the icing on the cake. The BP article about the cyclist that was run over on Williams by an impatient and aggressive driver really struck a nerve with me.
I use a ride camera. Since I’m being filmed too, it makes me behave. They might have a camera too! Someone is probably filming me as I type this while on the clock….
Instead of yelling at people, I mutter, under my breath, what I would yell. I still feel just as smug! Also, I give friendly waves and smiles, even if their behavior is rage-worthy.
if someone was dropping bricks off a bridge into traffic would you smile and wave in a friendly manner at them?
I personally never smile, or wave at someone who casually or maliciously threatens another human being. I seek to engage that person and express my dismay. Sometimes I even do this with a single digit.
You’re good at really ridiculous comparisons.
But I guess spitting on cars boosts one’s levels of self-righteousness to new highs. One can never be smug enough!
you have a point. dropping brick off a bridge may be less risky than intentionally dooring a human being.
How does being angry about being put in danger make a person “smug” or “self-righteous”? Sure, people could be more constructive in their reactions, but it’s only natural to be upset about someone’s casual disregard for the harm they might do.
Speaking of being constructive, I don’t see how your comments are helpful at all. You’re judging people and ascribing self-righteous intent, but you weren’t there. What gives you the right to come in here and throw pejoratives around? Is this irony?
I’ll never understand why people feel the need to derail the real issues of danger on the street to chastise people for their less-than-perfect reactions in dangerous/stressful situations.
Yeah, you need to not do that.
not sure this qualifies as a “heinous crime”. what stupid things did you do as a kid? these idiots will get what they deserve in time.
were the police notified?
not to speculate on the events that didn’t happen too much, but had the cyclist hit their head on the curb, heinous would be the result.
If you’re not into reading, why bother half-assing it? He clearly said it was NOT a heinous crime and that the police were notified.
I read it just fine, but thanks for being a dick nontheless!
I crashed into a chain link fence on a rural road after racing my buddy in the middle of the night and jumping some train tracks. Difference is, my stupidity wasn’t aimed at hurting anyone. Things like this don’t qualify as a prank in my book, they qualify as assault (or battery depending on the state and interpretation).
Ok that wasn’t clear the first time I read through…not so much getting doored as a moving assault. They drove up alongside him and while moving past opened a door to knock him over. Very scary indeed. I guess at 1 am if I was feeling super weird about a car too close I’d zip onto the sidewalk toot sweet. But it probably all happened very quickly.
Washington Plates! I think the best thing we can do to improve road safety is to get toll booths on both bridges across the Columbia ( even if there is not a Columbia Crossing to Pay for) and charge tolls equal to the GW bridge in Manhattan ($15) . Set it up to give residents on both sides 2 free crossings per month for leisure travel. My personal experience is that whenever I see a washington plate I give them a wide berth as they are more likely than most to drive crazy.
They’re bringing teens, they’re bringing aggressive drivers, they’re hoodlums… some of them, I assume, are good people…
A lot of folks run WA plates to avoid registering their hoopties. Especially if they’re just hooning around.
They’re also almost twice as likely to not have insurance. Oregon drivers is 9% uninsured, Washington is 16%.
http://www.iii.org/fact-statistic/uninsured-motorists
Note to police: If you’re going to enforce the law, first know the law. That was 4th Degree Assault.
http://www.oregonlaws.org/ors/163.160
Could also count as Vehicular Assault if injury resulted.
I mean, I know the lives of bicyclists are a low priority, but are there any other attempted violent crimes where Law Enforcement takes such a “no harm, no foul” attitude? I hate to keep making the comparison, but if I called to report that someone had fired a gun and grazed me with a bullet, would “harassment” be the worst thing police could think of? Would they care more/try harder to find the shooter?
I’m confused about the police quote. I’m wondering why the possible charge is limited to harrassment, instead of aggravated assault + hit-and-run + reckless driving?
Not a prank. Even if the victim thinks it was, I’m not sure why you’re describing it as such in the article. That’s assault.
I should have put prank in quotes. I’ve done that now. Sorry for the confusion.
And whoever the responding police officer was should be reported for refusing to do their job.
Jonathan and all, I’d love to see some more talk and perhaps a post about the aggressive responses of some cyclists to poor behavior from folks in cars. I’ll admit to having yelled at folks (ahem), but hearing about people slapping cars and spitting is a concern — because I do think this kind of response can put all of us in danger.
A few months ago, I saw an altercation that started out as the fault of the driver (ran a stop sign and nearly hit a cyclist). I don’t recall the order of events, but the cyclist used his U-lock to bash the car. The driver also got out of his car and pushed over the cyclist.
So many people are on edge, but when we’re on bikes, we’re the vulnerable users. I’m concerned that violent, aggressive behavior by other cyclists might somehow blow back on me and kids and other folks on bikes.
What do the rest of you think? Does violence breed violence?
“Does violence breed violence?”
I think you just stated that it does… we’ve been the brunt of the violence for so long that now we’re starting to see vulnerable people further put their safety aside in order to fight back…
that we haven’t had a majority of cyclists spitting and throwing u-locks for years now kind of amazes me… we are capable of putting up with a lot of violence directed at us…
standing up to bullies has become a big issue lately, and we’re seeing it in every aspect of life…
we’ve had enough…
we’ll no longer be bullied and remain silent…
Or maybe some people are violence-prone whether in a car or on a bike.
Do you truly believe that smashing windows with a U-lock is the appropriate response if a car cuts you off but you suffer no injury? What if that means that car hassles the next cyclist they see, a kid?
“Appropriate” is more easily determined with distance and a cool head. When you’ve almost just become a statistic and are pretty sure the perpetrator would have gotten off with a slap on the wrist . . . sometimes reactions can be emotional.
I myself have responded aggressively, and sometimes you might even say violently (sorry about that rear view mirror 13 years ago, Tri-Met). I can’t say that I’m glad that I reacted that way, but when your life is threatened by the deliberate action of someone operating a multiple thousand pound vehicle, some serious fight/flight instincts and adrenaline kick in, and sometimes fight wins out over flight.
If there’s an initiator of violence we should focus on, it’s the operators of motor vehicles – these days to the tune of about 33,000 dead a year. From 1899-2014, that’s a total of over 3.6 million dead in the US.
But yeah, people spitting on cars.
the question was posed around appropriateness of physical responses by VRUs to cars, with the example of a lock being used to smash a car…and out comes the stagnant ‘cars are the real killer” w/ the 30k number thrown down…mike dropped…game/set/match
I drive…but i’ve learned alot (and changed some of my habits) from obsessively following this blog since moving here from NYC 10yrs ago. it just feels like the conversation has stagnated with the inevitable “cars are the killers” and the wistful “lets get rid of all cars!!”, (which to a degree do get called out as inaccurate and conversation killers by other posters).
I do not think PDX residents respond particularly well to confrontation…the fight/flight that tony t mentions seems to kick into full gear here, even in oddly small situations…so whereas in nyc i think its way more acceptable to blow your stack, i think that in pdx, you really have to downplay the confrontational aspect when any road user makes a poor decision.
have you ever tried? in portland the vast majority of my interactions with misbehaving drivers have been neutral or positive.
thats a good thing? right? cool.
i admittedly made an impossibly vague statement based on my own experiences with other road users about social interaction in portland. I think majority of my interactions have been generally positive but i find myself trying to diffuse situation first, whereas in nyc or even chicago volume attracts better focus. another vagueism, but i think there is some truth to it.
sometimes people who are not victims think they are.
Hyperbole much?
I ride 5000 miles a year in this city and enjoy almost every minute of it.
You sound scared and miserable, try a new hobby….
The question, of course, has to be rhetorical. The answer is obvious (yes, violence begets violence).
Whenever a car begins to inch its way into my bike lane (or sometimes swerve violently), I have no problem reminding the driver with a loud shout of “hey, I’m ridin’ here!” I have no problem reminding drivers that the bike lane is my lane. But I would leave it at that. Anytime a driver wants to get in a shouting match, I simply move on. I’m becoming more and more interested in a bike air horn (the biologic Blast or the Airzound). It makes sense that a loud blast from a horn should be less violence inducing than shouting epithets that could escalate into fisticuffs – or worse.
If you are interested in a horn for your bike, The Loud Bicycle horn is a great option. It works really well.
My last bad bicycle wipeout was about 20 years ago when someone in the passenger seat blasted an air horn inches from head as they drove past me. Sound can be a weapon and violent too.
are you similarly concerned that violent aggressive behavior by pedestrians might blow back on you or your kids when you walk?
what is it about cycling that causes people to believe that the actions of a single individual reflect negatively on the group as a whole?
same thing about drivers. people will see what they want to see to support a notion they want to believe.
i agree.
Most car drivers are considerate and safe around bicycles, but you seem to have disdain for all of them……
I think there’s a decent percentage of people who are aggressive, selfish, ignorant, or incompetent when they travel, regardless of mode.
It worries me that it is awfully easy to get permission to drive (or to drive without permission) in the US, and it is awfully hard to take away that permission to drive. That is where the general disdain comes from, I think; there are many humans who are currently incapable of operating any vehicle safely, but we let them drive cars.
This is bad policy for everyone. It’s bad for other drivers and other more vulnerable road users, it’s bad for buildings and other things that these bad drivers crash into, and frankly, it’s bad for those terrible drivers too. Thousands of people kill themselves every year in the US by their inability to drive safely.
A very small percentage and they should be taken off the road for excessive violations.
Does anyone who posts here enjoy riding bicycles?
If anyone casually reads the comments here, they would never ride a bike in Portland. It seems the readership here is miserable riding around town.
Not me, I love it. I especially love making it home to my family.
I enjoy the efficiency and utility of using my bike to get to point B. I also enjoy the efficiency and utility of using a vacuum cleaner to hoover up dust, fur, and detritus.
Should I identify as a vacuumer? Should vacuuming be fun? Should we have naked vacuuming events?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/16nine/8738269414/
http://bikeportland.org/2009/10/30/want-to-be-like-copenhagen-think-about-vacuum-cleaners-and-raging-bulls-25361
I completely agree. Seems to me articles like this; recounting somebody’s terror is very counter productive. I’ve got plenty of bad cycling experiences of my own to forget. I don’t need bikeportland’s real or imagined.
I ride for fun and training purposes and I limit city riding to an absolute minimum because it ain’t fun.
Seems to me the commenters want a merit badge for doing something they supposedly enjoy, while they bash cars and drivers, and infrastructure and city officials and every damned thing else they can think of except the neophyte cyclist (which many of you appear to be).
Want a great conversation on the bike blog bring up parking for some damn reason. From people who claim to have no car to park. Unbelievable!
It’s nearly May, get off that stupid computer and go ride, preferably where there are no god damn stop lights. That’s what I intend to do at least, as far away from Portland as I can get.
I think it’s great that cycling is your hobby and/or source of entertainment. Have fun!
However, based on your demeaning comments (cycling neophytes) I wonder whether you realize that many people in Portland cycle for transportation.
How long are my arms? I just measured – they are less than 3 feet. If I can hit your car when I throw my arms up in frustration due to someone driving too closely then I have to say – not my problem. That is a real life example. Totally didn’t mean to smack the ladies car, but she was driving weird and revvy behind me then passed WAY TOO CLOSE, so much so that I threw up my arm in frustration an yelled about sefe passing distance, I smacked her SUV hard enough to make my hand sting. I initially felt a little bad, then I realized my arm length is actually pretty close to my “SAFE SPACE” so… if you’re driving close enough for me to hit you – you’re too close – isn’t even being aggressive by the cyclist, just existing within the law.
It is tempting to smack a car but probably best to look who is driving first. A woman would probably be OK, but a healthy male might do something to you. Lots of stories from cyclists who got into fights after smacking a car.
I doubt the law gives you the right to smack the car even if they are within 3 feet – and if you damage it then you’ll get stuck with fixing it.
Best to just get out of the way and let them pass. You can’t teach every ahole out there how to drive – there are just too many of them.
is it “probably” ok to smack a car with a woman in it because she is more likely to understand your intention, see that she was logically wrong, and apologize and smile at you in response?
or is it probably ok to smack a car with a woman in it b/c u aren’t afraid she’s going to physically threaten you?…meaning you have a better shot of intimidating her with your manly rage?
this is a really potentially disturbing attitude which has to make people reconsider why exactly they are engaging other roadusers in the first place.
…as for air horns…this is what I have hose clamped to my Oma Fiets handlebars: $25 horn from West Marine is the best bang for the buck…though your ears will ring too…
http://www.westmarine.com/buy/west-marine–push-button-portable-signal-horn–3731577?green=9609467B-CD70-5FA8-9097-D01DFDDD2EBB&cm_sp=Onsite-Recs-_-MB-_-PDP
FYI: Teal was a popular civic color. Hissing Go-cart engine also leans toward civic. 4 doors models in teal started in 1992. Not sure if this helps.
“I’m riding to work tonight,” he wrote, “I’m not letting the bastards stop me.”
The sad part is, for everybody like Reed who perseveres and doesn’t let the harassment and terrible behavior deter them, there are ten other people who have bikes in their garages collecting years of dust because they just didn’t want to deal with it anymore.
I also feel like that’s something that’s going through the minds of people who harass/threaten people on bikes… and they actually enjoy knowing their actions might be getting people off their bikes.
“… those teens probably thought it was hilarious that the lame biker yelled and cursed as they drove off…”
Exactly correct. This is a terrible experience and it is hard to avoid reacting in the moment. However, it’s much better to show little or no response if possible and call the cops.
The whole reason people do this is to provoke — they want to make you jump out of your skin and/or piss you off. While your reaction is totally natural and understandable, it also gave them exactly what they wanted –which encourages them and their ilk to do more of the same.
If they don’t get the reaction they hoped for but they do get hassled/fined by the cops, it provides a bit more disincentive for this dangerous behavior.
One thing I also do is memorize all vehicles that harass me. People are creatures of habit — meaning they tend to appear in about the same places at the same time. That might not apply here since the driver was from WA, but it is often true.
I keep an eye out for them and when I spot them in my mirror, I give them a friendly 5 finger wave every single time a couple seconds before they pass me. I find if you strip people of their anonymity and show they didn’t get in your head, they act totally differently. My method turns some hostiles into people who give me more space than other drivers.
Is there any reason to call the cops in a situation, other than to waste your time and to have a frustrating conversation?
in this situation, I mean.
Arguably, yeah. I mean, if someone threatens you/harasses you in a way that goes beyond, say, a middle finger, or calling you a ‘Bi%tch’ as they ride by you and flash you the peace sign (which happened to me the other day), they (hopefully) would at least note the lic. number and have some form of record so that if that person escalates down the road, or does the exact same thing, there’d be some tangible paper trail.
In reality, we all know what the results are gonna be with PPB and road harassment that doesn’t involve actual direct physical assault… but it’s at least nice to think something is moving on the justice dial.
I have had cops cite the number of complaints about bicycles when they were harassing me. We should flood them with complaints about motorists. Maybe just on Fridays or something to make a point
If there are any businesses nearby with surveillance cameras, bring a usb stick and ask them for the footage. It helps if you can be as precise with the time frame as possible.
So far, my footage has helped catch 2 drive-by shootings….
With the description you got of the car, and a partial license plate number, the police should be able to find it. Not that many of those old teal Civics or Accords with WA plates still on the road.
If it had been me, I probably wouldn’t in this particular case because the driver isn’t from here and the cops won’t do anything.
But if there’s any reason to believe the driver is local, it’s a good idea because it helps document a pattern when others complain so the cops can do something. The OP did call so he already did everything he reasonably could.
absent a trip to the emergency room, there is no documentation. in general, the portland police could not care less about this kind of harassment.
When I get any friction from drivers I just get away as safely and quickly as possible.
My plan for if they actually try to harm me is to get the car’s information then call 911 and report a drunk driver. With luck, they actually will be drunk, and then they’ll lose their license for a while. If they aren’t drunk they’ll at least be detained and maybe cited for trying to kill me.
Don’t spit on cars. It will only escalate the situation and isn’t guaranteed to bring the assaulters to any kind of justice!