NYMXer

I meant to say "thank you" before, but got side tracked with something else. Thanks to all who offered support and to the others, I hope you never face this situation.

I am still daunted by the (moderator) removed comments of one member here (a notorious troublemaker) as to what motivates people to post with hatred and ignorance, as that is going to help matters. It's almost as if they have no life other than drama they create and that is their only purpose to society, as in "bottom feeder".

jefnvk

Congrats on the success. You definitely got farther than I expected.

And welcome to the world of internet trolls. Best to just not engage them, unless you are really bored and have very thick skin.

wphamilton

I'll ditto the "well done". Every time a cyclist achieves something like this, I believe that it's a small nudge making conditions better for the rest of us.

I don't think it's really important whether the incident literally involved his trying to "run down" OP. It was aggressive, deliberate and dangerous, and the assault that followed was an outgrowth of it. It's probably all part of the charges against the driver.

dynodonn 

I also congratulate the OP on getting a lot accomplished. The most that I have done is just report a motorist to law enforcement by phone, with a license number and vehicle description, since my incidents have not involved any physical contact.



I do keep a record of license numbers of vehicles that I report, and fortunately or unfortunately on how you look at it, with no repeat offenders, at least in their using the same vehicle.

gregf83 

Yes, not really an option here unless you follow the better to ask for forgiveness rather than permission route. Around here the only reason would be for wildlife protection when hiking.

kevindsingleton 

Do you have to be hiking? I've seen reports of cyclists being attacked by bears and cougars. We might be a little faster than hikers, but we're just as tasty!

Without meaning to derail the thread, can you point me towards some definitive information about concealed carry in Canada? I'd like to read up on it.

kevindsingleton 

How do the police typically respond when you call them about these incidents? Hopefully, better than what the OP had to contend with.

gregf83 

i was kidding about carrying when hiking. I'm fairly certain there isn't a provision for concealed carry. You can transport a handgun to a gun range but it needs to be in a locked container.

Unless, of course, you're a drug dealer. Then you can do what you like as long as you just kill other drug dealers

dynodonn 

It depends on the dispatcher on duty, some will be some what sympathetic, others will be more chastising in my delayed response, due to my having to go to my workplace or home, download, and review my videos in order to get detailed information.
Most of the time, a delayed response is better in my giving a more calmer and detailed report of the incident.

kevindsingleton 

That's the sort of thing that should be codified into law!

kevindsingleton 

10-4. Thanks.

NYMXer

I got lucky on several accounts. I had pictures and very specific details about the incident and no matter how many times the officer had me repeat the details, the chain of events never changed. Then I got my Assemblywoman involved, best move ever! Here is the kicker, when they brought the guy in and asked him some questions, he not only stated that I did nothing wrong other than being there, but he was actually bragging about what he did to get "them" off the road. The arrested told me (as opposed to suggesting) that I should be riding on the sidewalk, as in the village, there are sidewalks.

He sort of had the opinion that he was doing a public service getting cyclists off the road where "they" don't belong. The police saw a level of arrogance that demanded correction but we never would have gotten there if I didn't have clear pictures and my Assemblywoman backing me up. He basically admitted to everything, inc stating he was a police chief but they didn't charge him with that, or reckless endangerment, attempted assault or other charges that might not stick. They charged him with "criminal harassment" because they figured that would hold up best in court.

I went back and took pictures, showed distances between a road patch (visible in my first pics) and the curb, 16 inches... and wrote my own detailed timeline notes as to what happened. I am ready for my day in court!

winston63 

Fantastic and well done! I like to believe you've done all of us a service by bringing attention to this and not letting it go. Great thinking getting your Assemblywoman involved.

kevindsingleton 

Well done, NYMXer. It's a shame that you have to go to so much trouble to get the police to do the job they're paid to do. Of course, you may have made an enemy out of the "chief", so you'll have to be extra careful when riding within his range.

Why can't people just be honest and upstanding? He probably took an oath to do just that!

NYMXer

That suggestion came from a friend on FB (also a member here) who is a strong riding buddy and excellent bicycle mechanic. Seems to be a pretty smart guy with good advice too.

shipwreck

That would be the only reason anything happened. Super genius not STFU'ing when brought in. If he had maintained a conflicting story painting you as an aggressor little would have happened. Luckily, people with these tendency's don't place high in the scale of critical thought. Still, you got lucky that this guy seems particularly dumb.

Nothing would have been done where I live unless I had a GoPro or witnesses. I've let much worse go unreported simply because I never figured anyone would be stupid enough to not just look the police in the eye and say "I don't know WTF he's talking about. That never happened" whereupon they would be promptly let go, and I would be labeled by the local PD as a trouble maker.

phoebeisis

Is this over-meaning he paid a fine and it is done with-or is he fighting it??
If it is a firing offense-he will fight it-and of course deny EVERYTHING-and deny what he told the cops-saying it was mis-understood
and of course claim you "HIT" his car and that is what provoked the confrontation-
So is it done-fine paid-story over?
Was it a criminal charge-felony misdemeanor or something else-like a "ticket offense"
Thanks
Charlie
PS and this was all because he wanted you to ride on the sidewalk-not the street road-and he was annoyed when you "hit" his car

NYMXer

Basically, that was it. He cut me off the first time to force me onto the sidewalk but there was a high curb in the way (8") and he told the cops that he was doing "their" job by making me ride on the sidewalk where I belonged.

When he squeezed me into the curb, I hit it and bounced towards his car and literally placed my left hand on the car to maintain my balance. Apparently, he heard the contact and thought I deliberately hit his car, rather than the other way around, so he followed me and did it again. The second time he cut me off, there was no curb, just grass and his right front tire was on grass, not pavement. I stopped on grass as well and in the pic you can see his car is at an angle to the sidewalk across the street.

Whether he admitted to anything or not, my pictures, accurate and consistent account of the chain of events let the police see that I was the victim and certainly not the aggressor. I'm 58 and he is about 66 but looks older, so being aggressive back would only have made him look like the victim.

He was "processed" and will have to appear with an attorney (assuming) before a judge. At that time I will be given a chance to speak my side of the story. The state mandated fine is $375 plus court fees.

I have and wear my GoPro Mtb riding but am wearing it on road rides too from now on. It does me no good sitting at home so I will be using it more.

phoebeisis

NYMXer
Thanks for the reply
Wow a 66 yo guy getting all worked up about a bicycle rider
intentionally squeezing you into a high curb
and he is some sort of law enforcement
you are probably lucky he wasn't armed-
with any kind of luck they will fire him-
66 yo jerk with a badge-they -the village-don't need him-
maybe they will push him out the door to retirement
Thanks
Charlie

jefnvk

Maybe it is just a regional thing, but what exactly is a "fire police"? I've never heard the term before. Are they some sort of fire detective agency, that investigates the causes of fires and such?

NYMXer

Fire police are firemen who do traffic control so real police officers can attend to other public safety concerns

Spoonrobot 

Whoa this thread really delivered. Good job OP! Interested to see what the final outcome is.

CB HI

In many locations, a victim is asked to hand write a statement on the side of the road. I learned from my first report of a guy running me off the road, it is better to go home and type up the report on a computer, print it and turn it in. The reason; many police departments will not let you look at or copy YOUR statement once they have it. That is a big disadvantage when testifying, because the defense has your statement in hand and is looking for anything they can claim is an inconsistency. Always read your statement at least 3 times just before testifying.

I also had a dispatcher start telling me that I was the one breaking the law, while she tried to get me to cancel the call. I was confused as to why a dispatcher would do such a thing, I sort of assumed she was a cyclist hater. I reported her and followed up on the report on the road raging motorist. I learned the motorist was an off duty cop in her unmarked police vehicle and the dispatcher tried to protect the bad cop, when internal affairs told me I had to submit a notarized copy of my report if I wanted it followed up on. Internal affairs was more concerned about the cop using her siren when not authorized than her road raging against a cyclist at 40 mph in a 35 mph zone (downhill with 10 foot lane with no shoulder). I thought the siren and fog horn were a CB load speaker.

Dchiefransom

How will voting more people friendly to the Constitution into another branch of a government help in this situation?

Up North

You no watch/read the news this week? That is what Donald Duck said this week when he was suggesting the 2nd amendment people could fix Hillary - by shooting her!! So the OP could get one of them 2nd amendment folks to take care of his ******* driver problem - a joke - you missed it, no pun intended.