no motor?

Can you get a friend to ride with you? No longer being alone may scare them into leaving you alone, and give you more credibility if they do continue to harass you. .

Any weapon you carry could be used against you was stressed when I was taking martial arts, especially if you're not familiar with using them. If you're brave enough to resume riding, you're probable brave enough to ride without one.

MoAlpha

rachel120

I checked with work, I just have to lock pepper spray up when I'm there.

@no motor? I don't ride for fun, I commute to and from work. No one wants to ride a bike home with me at darn near midnight, no matter what bribe I offer.

@mtb_addict First I love your name, I love my mountain bike, despite its flaws. Yes, I am in an urban area - but around a mile of my commute is undeveloped. I get past CVS or Walgreens or whatever it is, and there's nothing but the road, the bike path paralleling it, and trees. There's not much open in the commercial area at one end late at night, since I usually close. Needless to say I like it when I get to the residential area at the other end because the houses are easily in scream range.

rachel120

Thanks for the tip, I'll look for those.

jimincalif

flangehead

You should consider documenting the incidents at the Close Call Database https://closecalldatabase.com/.

rachel120

Thank you for the link.

CB HI

Several points:
The mace gun I linked to is a gel and is pretty accurate and longer range than pepper spray. Holster makes it easy to get to. Scares bad guys because they think it is a gun, It has prevented me from having to fight at least 4 dumb motorist.

These guys likely live within 3/4 of a mile of you, even more likely they are within 1/4 mile. When you see them, especially if they do not see you, watch were they came from and go; I have figured out where bad motorist live that way.

Too bad we do not live nearby, Hawaii or Colorado, I love night riding, it is so peaceful and I would love shutting down some jerks.

Knowing the escape routes mentioned above is a great idea.

Best wishes putting these jerks in their place. It will happen if they continue.

rachel120

@CB HI Thanks. :-) I've been bouncing between phone and PC, I'll scroll back to see the link to the gel I missed. Maybe a stun gun too, Cheaper than Dirt had a couple that fit around your fingers so I could wear it while riding and wouldn't have to fumble for it if knocked off my bike.

BobbyG

I had a further thought. Even if you could get a still photo or two take the story to a local tv station. Ask them to preserve your anonymity. I hear these kinds of stories from time to time, "A local woman cyclist needs your help in identifying a car and its passengers who have been harrassing and endangering her for months..."

no motor?

Same. I ride home from my GFs house in the dark a lot, and it's usually more peaceful than the ride over due to there being fewer people around.

Another thing that hasn't been mentioned is a bright helmet light. That can deter some when it's shined in their eyes.

f4rrest

Read the reviews on the cheap ones. The failure rate does not inspire confidence. I don't own one, but I'm not in your situation either.

Police report seems like a good idea.

WGB 

Rachel

Your situation is really disturbing. I read it when you first posted it and it filled me with dread.

To me this is not a biking issue. This is a woman who is the victim of repeated harassment/stalking. these men are targeting you.

This is an ugly situation and it seems you are dealing with men who behaviour is escalating. They may act out when carried away by the moment or they may be building the courage to act. Cowards will act bolder in a group than they are alone and they will often try to impress each other with their actions. Your description that “They sped off when a police car passed the other way, waited for me farther on, paced me again, and only took off when someone with a bigger vehicle got behind them and laid into his horn” shows they know that this is wrong and that they have something to hide.Following youhome and hanging around suggests more than just anger at a cyclist.

Please strongly consider speaking with experienced Police Officers. I think you will be surprised the response that a couple of experienced detectives would give to your complaint.

I live in Canada. I have no idea where you live and so no ideas of your laws. In Canada we have a single national Criminal Code and so the law in the east is the law in the west. We have a section in the Criminal Code that deals with this kind of conduct. Please Google your local laws. There may well be something similar where you live.

Criminal harassment

• 264 (1) No person shall, without lawful authority and knowing that another person is harassed or recklessly as to whether the other person is harassed, engage in conduct referred to in subsection (2) that causes that other person reasonably, in all the circumstances, to fear for their safety or the safety of anyone known to them.
• Marginal note: Prohibited conduct

(2) The conduct mentioned in subsection (1) consists of

o (a) repeatedly following from place to place the other person or anyone known to them;

o (b) repeatedly communicating with, either directly or indirectly, the other person or anyone known to them;

o (c) besetting or watching the dwelling-house, or place where the other person, or anyone known to them, resides, works, carries on business or happens to be; or

o (d) engaging in threatening conduct directed at the other person or any member of their family.

• Marginal note: Punishment

(3) Every person who contravenes this section is guilty of

o (a) an indictable offence and is liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding ten years; or

o (b) an offence punishable on summary conviction.

• Marginal note: Factors to be considered

(4) Where a person is convicted of an offence under this section, the court imposing the sentence on the person shall consider as an aggravating factor that, at the time the offence was committed, the person contravened

o (a) the terms or conditions of an order made pursuant to section 161 or a recognizance entered into pursuant to section 810, 810.1 or 810.2; or

o (b) the terms or conditions of any other order or recognizance made or entered into under the common law or a provision of this or any other Act of Parliament or of a province that is similar in effect to an order or recognizance referred to in paragraph (a).

o

• Marginal note:Reasons

(5) Where the court is satisfied of the existence of an aggravating factor referred to in subsection (4), but decides not to give effect to it for sentencing purposes, the court shall give reasons for its decision.

• R.S., 1985, c. C-46, s. 264;
• R.S., 1985, c. 27 (1st Supp.), s. 37;
• 1993, c. 45, s. 2;
• 1997, c. 16, s. 4, c. 17, s. 9;
• 2002, c. 13, s. 10.

As pointed out by others, in most cases police responses are complaint driven. This means that the individual officers are rarely the person who witnesses the offence and reports it. Officers regularly take reports to offences where the only witness is the complainant and there is little or no evidence to support the allegation. Therefore the individual officers must assess credibility on a case by case basis. I believe most responding police officers will recognize you are in a very bad situation that may well be getting a lot worse. Most experienced police officers have seen this type of behaviour after a domestic separation and will immediately recognize it as a precursor to violence. Again - Please strongly consider speaking with experienced Police Officers. I think you will be surprised the response that a couple of experienced detectives would give to your complaint.



Lack of response by the officer receiving the report



I don't know the laws where you live but here if the responding officer brushed me off when I reported what you describe I would very calmly drive with a friend /witness/support person to the Station/Division/Detachment/Office where the responding officer worked and ask to speak to the Officer in Charge. I would first apologize for doing it but I would politely state that I was frightened for my safety and now the lack of interest by the responding officer had me so worried that I was recording the meeting in case I was killed or seriously assaulted there would be proof I had reported this. I would ask for a copy of the report and if necessary I would make a Freedom of Information (FOI) request for a copy/confirmation that the report was made. I would point out that a death investigation (especially in a rural area) is far more expensive than my complaint could ever be and that my next stop was the media. If you provide a believable statement to a responding officer (especially with anything at all to support it) and he/she won’t pursue it, most Police supervisors will ensure that it gets pursued and at minimum educate the involved officer on his/her duties. After all why should that supervisor take responsibility for lack of response by a subordinate? Would you want to be challenged by reporters or at a civil trial and asked just why you failed to act when your own subordinate was negligent but you refused to correct that behaviour? Police Supervision is no different than many other forms of management. Supervisors may support their subordinates, but not the lazy or the stupid ones and not if it costs them personally.

Are you a good witness? The Gopro, camera for plate/vehicle/ occupants, notes (the more detailed the better) private and public surveillance cameras and any other potential witnesses you can identify will greatly strength your complaint. Do not endanger your safety for evidence.

Weapons

The suspects are driving in a moving vehicle and a moving vehicle is a weapon. More people in the civilized world are killed by cars than guns. Common sense says that you would need your firearm/any other weapon you’d carry immediately available, and hope that these men don't use the vehicle to strike you or use it as a platform to strike from (such as hitting you with a bat or bar or throwing an object at you) as they pass and before you can react. Remember that in an attack, the attacker wants to dominate, not fight. To be really ready with a weapon you would have to live in a paranoid state, eyes in the back of your head and waiting for any threat and ready to respond with force at any sign of a threat. What if you lashed out at wrong person? Can you justify the level of force you would use, especially lethal force and god forbid force you used against an uninvolved stranger who simply tailgated and honked at you.

I agree you might respond with force if they exited the vehicle and that would be your decision and I hope your decision would be supported by your local laws.

To summarize, I believe this is a law enforcement matter. They are paid and presumably trained to deal with this type of offence.

Sorry if others disagree, just my two cents worth. I don’t know your laws, I don’t how your courts interpret those laws but I bet that you pay taxes and I believe you deserve protection.



WGB

WGB 

PS
Sorry for any grammar issues in my last post. I cracked it off and mustn't have checked spelling as well as I should.

WGB

rachel120

Oh, I'm definitely going to the police. The only reason I'm waiting is that it's a holiday weekend so they are likely working on a skeleton staff, if they are like police precincts everywhere else.

I think what these two jerks are trying to do is intimidate me into staying off the road. I'm a little afraid the police are going to tell me to stop riding to not poke the bear as the saying goes.

This definitely isn't like last year, during my paranoia issues, which I'm sure some people here remember. A lot of this happened last year, but I noticed the car, I noticed the yelling and the honking, it just wasn't until the other night when I suddenly realized that it's always that same stupid car with the same stupid loudmouth with his head out the window. And why yell "Get off the road f***ing b****!" at me when I'm on the bike path and not on the road?

rachel120

To me, $45 doesn't sound cheap. Unfortunately Cheaper than Dirt doesn't have a lot of reviews for any of the less lethal defense items on their website. If I wanted to buy an AR-15 from them and velcro it to my bike frame, I can get multiple reviews on the rifle....stun gun and pepper gel, not so much.

raria

Be sure to emphasize the sexist language in the report. Keep on repeating to the police officer that the language is sexist, harrasing and threatening. If possible, ask to speak to a female officer. Not be prepared for the officer to say to come back and file a report when you have more information, but say you'd still like to file a report now.

If that doesn't work, then talk to your mayor's office or some other civic entity in charge. If that doesn''t work, go to a woman's aid group.

Your in luck that even five years ago your complaint wouldn't have been taken half as seriously as it is today. But in today's environment you'll get someone to listen, but it may take a few tries.

I-Like-To-Bike

Are you sure?

rachel120

My medication has been reworked, my doctor has seen me repeatedly in the past few months (due to worrying physical side effects) and given me a clean bill of health, my husband is also quite sure my grip on reality is really, really firm, and I've had no extreme stress that would trigger a manic/depressive cycle (unlike last year when I had to decide to put down my 20 year old cat).

rachel120

It's a good point to know if there's other people dealing with jerks in cars looking for advice and are reading this thread. For me though, there's no issues with legalities, my legal woes have involved either driving too fast or backing into stuff (never both at the same time).

noglider 

Or maybe a very loud noisemaker.

no motor?

I haven't had to deal with this much beyond the typical anonymous heckler or the ninja dog walkers on the bike path, but I know it's something I could be dealing with later (as we all could be). I hope things work out in your favor and hope you'll keep us updated.

Milton Keynes

Gotta find out who it is, first. A judge isn't going to sign a RO against "Two dumbasses in a white car." The downside to a RO is that then the perps would have the victim's name.

KD5NRH

Cell phone, headset, local police on speed dial. If you can get the police looking for them right away, there's a fair chance of getting them stopped and ID'd. Make a habit of it and the cops will start looking for anything to make it more unpleasant for them to keep attracting attention. A motivated cop can find violations...if he has to; sounds like the sort of people who tend to get warrants out on them and then not have the sense to be inconspicuous.

whitecat

Those are some seriously fk** up people there. I think such types are dangerous in general, and not only to cyclists. You mention a husband, is he worried for your safety enough to track down those two and explain a thing or two to them?