General Cycling Discussion - cyclist strikes back

I found this at another site and couldn't resist.
This story is lifted directly out of the Athens Banner-Herald police blotter page:

Street confrontation ends with punch

Athens-Clarke police investigated an assault Sunday afternoon
that stemmed from a car-bicycle confrontation on Chatham Drive.
A 21-year-old Athens man told police he confronted a 19-year-old
Athens man shortly after 2 p.m. after the younger man pulled in
front of his car on a bicycle. The bicyclist punched the driver in the
face, blacking his eye and bloodying his nose, police said.

The 19-year-old told police the driver was speeding and almost
hit him. The bicyclist told police the motorist approached in a
threatening manner, so he punched the driver in self-defense.

yeah bud

My guess since they are 21 and 19 is that both are a little at fault here, and all this really does is make the cyclist out to be violent, while the driver was not.

From what I've heard about Athenian traffic, this sounds like business as usual.

Well I lived in Athens, GA for a number of years and I did not think the drivers were that reckless. They did have a decided fondness to dauddle when the light down the road was green. It used to make a friend of mine apoplectic. He accused Athens drivers of trying to "turn green lights red".

Of course, I made it my practice to schedule my trips for taking field samples on the days when the dawgs played between the hedges. Translated below
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The "Dawgs" are the bulldogs - it refers to the football team playing at home in Sanford Stadium which has hedges bordering the playing field. The population of town more than doubled on "football saturdays" which was sufficient reason to get out of town.
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From what I've heard about Athenian traffic
Allister, thats Athens Georgia, USA.
I personally think it'd be nuts to ride in Athens Greece

Marty

If the Cyclist strikes back good for him, as I was saying as a cyclist we should really stand up and be counted.....

Well, I think we can all understand how the cyclist felt- plenty of times I feel like punching some motorists in the nose. Yesterday, some shmuck yelled verbal abuse at me- gesturing at me to get on the bike path (I wasn't on it because I was going ot trurn up the next street, and to do so from the bike path means having to cut across traffic at rush hour where there is no stop sign). I just flipped him the bird, making sure he saw it in his rear view mirror.

I have always wanted to do that to some of the drivers around here, if giving the chance.;)

I would have also done the same

Originally posted by lotek

Allister, thats Athens Georgia, USA.
I personally think it'd be nuts to ride in Athens Greece


D'oh. Thanks for the clarification.

Flawed paradigm Fofa, you can't presume either of them to be at fault because one is 21 and one is 19; I know 20-year-olds that I would trust my life too over any number of 46-year-olds. And weren't you that age once? :rolleyes:

Uni of Ga is in my backyard. Sorry to see such confrontations.

Check these out:

www.serve.com/bike/georgia/

(page to bottom!)

www.chainguard.org

Cyclists should indeed strike back, but probably not with his fists but his words. The cabs in Singapore are really horrible, rushing for time to make money which in turn the drivers do not care for the safety of cyclists and pedestrians. The other time, my father witnessed a cab driver knocking a child and the mother just slightly. On several occassions, the cab driver don't even bother to look and almost hit me. It really gets me mad but I can't be bothered to ruin my own ride.