vol

How should one deal with someone who stands in the middle of the lane hailing a taxi and blocking your way without the intention to give room to let you pass? I have actually encountered such a number of times, but usually after I rang bell people realize and back some steps to let me pass. Today it got physical .

My otherwise very pleasant ride today was spoiled at the end. I was riding on a one-way avenue in early evening (with my lights on). In distance there was a guy standing before me, where my bike was going to pass, very far from the left sidewalk into the vehicle lane. There's no doubt he saw me, but he seemed not to want to even back an inch to let me pass. There were cars passing on my right, so not good for me to abruptly turn onto the right lane. He just stood there like fixed on the ground, facing me, arm lifted high. As I got very close and was going to pass him very close, he suddenly gave me a ferocious push. I nearly fell but was able to quickly dismount without being hit by oncoming cars. He: "Are you crazy?! What the f*** are you doing?!" "Why do you block the road?" "Block the road? Are you crazy?! What the f*** are you doing?! Are you crazy?!" Anyone else there could see we were both standing in the middle of the vehicle lane, so he was obviously standing where he shouldn't have and blocking the way. A cab arrived waiting for him and his girlfriend. After more repeating of the swear words, he got on the cab. I heard his girlfriend laughing.

If I were a 6'7" and 350 lbs. guy I might be able to give him an oral lesson, but then I'm sure he would not even have blocked my way.

mtbikerinpa

If there's one thing I've learned its that some types of people cannot be reasoned with. Couples are sometimes the hardest when they take the 2 on 1 stance, whether or not it is remotely justifiable. Whenever I come up on a pedestrian situation I honk/ding(whichever I have) at a distance and speak when close, but keep ready for them to respond in any way since some are clearly hostile but most are just plain inattentive.

teufelhunden222

I am afraid I would have gotten in some trouble for that one. Your whole bike is a weapon of opportunity. Beating him with a front wheel is an option. I am not a small guy so I probably would have just decked him in the face. But if you really wanted to be an ass and have a lasting impression, you would have placed him under citizens arrest for assault, zip tie him and call the cops. If he had any alky at all he would be either paying huge lawyer bills, or be in jail where he should be. then his woman would be getting railed by some other guy(prolly in the butt), would end up with a STD. and all would be fair in the world. -David
P.S. I may be slightly vindictive.

UnsafeAlpine

I may be misunderstanding this but why wasn't stopping an option? I see a lot of the same excuse when a motorist hits a cyclist. Somehow, hitting the brakes is never an option.

B. Carfree

We had a motorist kill a cyclist locally last Fall. During the police investigation, it became known that the killer had several prior wrecks. In at least one of those, when asked why he didn't take any evasive action, he told the cops that he knew he had the right-of-way so he refused to give way. Legally he was right in those cases, but only because Oregon had changed the law and no longer requires people to take action to avoid a collision.

There seemed to be general agreement that this guy is mentally ill. In fact, his attorney made just that claim to the court for him in the case of his killing of the cyclist.

I hope you see the connection.

Whiteknight

If you did not in any way touch him nor threaten him his act of pushing you would be considered to be a form of assault here in the state of Pennsylvania. But in such incidents you must watch what you say. If after you saved yourself from falling and the one who pushed opens their mouth to curse you or threaten you a proper response would be a face full of pepper spray and a call to the police. Here in this state any unwanted touch by another person may result in an assault charge. Could be simple assault or assault. That the push could have caused you to fall off the bike an injure you would most likely result in an assault charge rather than simple assault.

A few years ago we had youths in this neighborhood who played in the street. Sometimes they would try to knock people off their bikes as if it were a sport. As one poplice officer told me. "Hose them down with pepper spray and give us a call."

david58

vol

Stopping could be an option, but, for one, there were cars behind me (this was just after the light turned green, on Lexington avenue near 86th street in Manhattan, very busy intersection); two, I could pass him closely without touching him--in fact , I was passing him without touching him at all, when he surprised me by the sudden push; third, and that's why I'm asking how we should deal with such scenarios. For him to back up a few inches toward the sidewalk would make everyone safer, including himself, for me to turn to the right lane or stop abruptly endangers me and other people (not him). So why didn't he move? Now if you are in this situation and stop, would you just walk past him and continue, or talk to him? It's obvious people who did so would not respond to your talking nicely. Like mtbikerinpa said, they cannot be reasoned with.

UnsafeAlpine

Wouldn't the cars behind you have hit him? I'm just not seeing a scenario whereby a person standing in the street, not moving, and far enough for me to verify that he was not moving, would, in any way be a threat.

You were obviously close enough to him when you passed that he could reach out and push you which is pretty close to someone not paying attention. How fast were you going? Did you slow down at all or pass him closer than an arms reach at speed?

gcottay

I am unfamiliar with traffic lanes so narrow a stationary pedestrian could block the whole thing but would likely slow down and be prepared to stop. In my experience pedestrians in an unexpected place are also prone to sudden unexpected actions so I use extra caution to avoid incidents.

vol

I am a very slow rider, about the speed of a not-so-fast jogger. He clearly saw me. Absolutely not "not paying attention". I wish you were there to see for yourself.

P.S. UnsafeAlpine, what would you do if you were in that case and stop and get off your bike? Would you just pass by or would you tell him he should step back a little?

In this particular instance, the guy was clearly in a provoking mood. I'm sure if it were UnsafeAlpine he would have moved back to let him pass without incident.

rebel1916

Just like a car can't buzz you when you are "blocking" his way, a bike can't buzz a pedestrian when the pedestrian is blocking the bikes way. I can't imagine how that is not obvious.

FBinNY 

Roads are shared by pedestrians, cyclists, cars, trucks and so on. I don't know where you live, but here in NY the general rule is that, right, wrong or otherwise, whoever is there first has the right of way.

As you describe the situation, it's your unwillingness to stop or pass with decent clearance (with the intention obvious) that intimidated the pedestrian who was standing there. Just as you expect cars to pass you at a safe distance or wait for an opportunity to do so, A pedestrian has the right to expect the same of you (even if he's standing in the middle of the road).

Doohickie

Ummmm... ride around him? I mean a lane is what? 14 feet wide? You couldn't avoid him? P.S.: Pedestrians have the right of way; stop acting like a doosh.

UnsafeAlpine

I was riding a bike path today when a group of people and a dog stopped to talk with one another and took up the entire path. I slowed, got their attention, and even though they didn't move, I still managed to ride past carefully and slowly and not get into a shoving and yelling match with anyone.

You were wrong. Your excuses are just lame. Unless the cars behind you hit him as they passed, you had enough space to stop, get off your bike if you needed to, walk around him, wait until cars pass and ride around him, do anything other than buzz a pedestrian. You were in the wrong, plain and simple. How you deal with these situations is to use your brakes and your head. Clearly, you did neither and are pissed because you didn't get away with it.

vol

So when you hail a cab you should go in to the middle of the lane blocking cyclists and maybe cars and not move even when they come close to just show that "Dare you hit me" attitude? Pedestrians have the right of way universally? They can walk and stand in the middle of a street and stay there? And it was right for him to push me off the bike? Wow, thanks for your comments.

UnsafeAlpine

You don't have the right to buzz a pedestrian any more than a motorist has the right to buzz you. What do you not understand about that? His perceived attitude has nothing to do with anything. His pushing you came about directly because of your actions. Own some responsibility here. You were in the wrong. Next time, wait for traffic to clear and ride around him.

rebel1916

IDK if he was right, but you were definitely wrong. Imagine if you were taking the lane. Going 12 MPH in a 35. Blocking faster cyclists and all cars. Would you be daring a motorist to hit you?

FBinNY 

I can't speak for the others, but that's not what I said. However the pedestrian doesn't have to be in the right for you to have the responsibility to give him space. It might be different if he were a moving target, or ran out between parked cars, but as you describe it, he was standing still and you had plenty of time to make an adjustment.

Did that give him the right to push you? Of course not. But we have a situation these days of everyone feeling a sense of entitlement and blaming others for being in our space. You think he's in your space, and he thinks you passed dangerously close (arms reach is too close).

Stuff like this happens, and if there's a pedestrian or cab hailer's forum, he'd be posting with the same sense of outrage I hear from you.

Chill and repeat 10 times "it's a shared road" and play nicer next time.

vol

Unsafealpine, I see, so you think he was right in hailing a cab in the middle of vehicle's lane, he was right in pushing me. Thanks. Maybe you would hail the cab the same way and do what he did?

rebel1916

Dude you passed him, close enough for him to reach out an touch you. Give a pedestrian the courtesy of 3 feet, just as you would want a motorist to do the same for you.

FBinNY 

When you were a child, didn't your mother ever tell you that two wrongs don't make aright?

It doesn't matter whether the pedestrian was right or wrong. As the approaching vehicle, the onus for making the adjustment falls on you.

vol

It is different, because I was riding very slow.

Thanks for a more balanced comment. The thing is, you say, "he thinks you passed dangerously close (arms reach is too close)". What does it take for him to move back one step? He made this completely unnecessary situation.

rebel1916

You were going a lot faster than he was. I think we are officially thru the looking glass.

UnsafeAlpine

I never said he was in the right, only that you were wrong. You can actually both being doing something wrong at the same time. You were just more wrong for clearly having the opportunity to change your behavior and failing to do so.
You made the situation completely unnecessary by passing him too closely.