Talk about road rage: A 27 year old motorist attacks a 48 year old cyclist because the cyclist was legally stopped at a red light in
the bike lane.
http://velochicnyc.blogspot.com/2009...en-island.html
"A heated rush-hour confrontation on Capodanno Boulevard ended with an assault arrest and has put a fine point on the question of whether bicyclists and motorists can get along on
the busy Staten Island thoroughfare.
Authorities say Michael Graziuso, 27, of Oban Street in Eltingville, yanked cyclist Gregory DeRespino off his bike at the corner of Capodanno and Seaview Avenue in Ocean Breeze on July 8, at about 9 a.m., then kicked him when he was down on the ground.
The confrontation started after DeRespino, who was riding in the bicycle-only lane, stopped at a red light, preventing several cars lined up behind him from making a right turn.
[...]
When traffic is backed up at the light, motorists commonly move into the bike lane to make the right turn on red. A sign at the intersection permits a right turn after stopping at the red light, but
traffic law prohibits cars from using or obstructing the bike lane.
As DeRespino tells it, he was stopped at the light, and that enraged a number of rush-hour drivers.
"The motorists who wanted to use my bike lane as a turning lane were very upset," the 48-year-old New Brighton resident told the Advance yesterday. Some honked their horns and yelled at him, and he yelled back.
[...]
And instead of going when the light turned green, "I stayed there an extra turn of the light because I was frustrated and fuming... I was trying to calm myself and have a drink on a hot day."
Graziuso drove away, he said, only to return, on foot.
"A couple of minutes later, he comes back, walking on the street," DeRespino said. Graziuso grabbed the back of the bicycle, DeRespino said, and pulled it up, with him still sitting on it.
"He dragged me from that position," he said, then pushed him off the bike. "He gave me a kick for good measure, then walked away."
A witness saw the entire exchange, DeRespino said, and police arrested Graziuso a few minutes later. He was charged with third-degree assault and second-degree harassment, and was released without bail until his next court appearance on Aug. 31.
Graziuso denies laying a hand on the cyclist.
[...]
DeRespino, meanwhile, says he wasn't trying to provoke a response by sitting in the bike lane through an extra cycle of the traffic light, though he maintains he had the right to wait. He simply wanted to take a moment to cool down before starting again, he said.
"In hindsight, it was my mistake to stay as long as I did," he said. "It never crossed my mind that someone would come back to me. Now, it's the paramount thought.""
http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf...s_struggl.html
I deal with motorists using the bike lane as their personal express lanes, turning lanes, parking spots, standing zones, loading zones, etc. on a daily basis. It's really bad here...
Do any of you have to deal with similar? Would you have done what the cyclist did?