Natron

I was just out riding around for fun since the weather is so beautiful today. I got 1/2 block from Rittenhouse Square on Locust street when a taxi driver flew around the corner behind me and got within inches of my rear wheel. I turned around and gave him the stink-eye. He kept revving his engine and staying right on me for the next block and all I could do was keep looking back and giving him an angry look since the road had cars parked everywhere and was down to one lane.. Light turned red and I waited through it instead of going through. Traffic on the other side of the intersection was at a stop even after it turned green. I pulled up to the rear of the car in front of me that was stopped and the taxi driver laid on the horn, came around to my left and swerved over to run me off the road while screaming "GET THAT BIKE THE F*** OFF THE ROAD!!!"

I yelled "Hey!" and pulled up between parked cars to his driver window (where his impatient idiot self was stuck in stopped traffic already) and asked him what his problem was. He said I was "trying to block him from passing me" the entire time he was behind me (even though traffic was barely moving and I was easily keeping up with the car in front of me... wtf). Traffic started rolling and I stayed next to him. I told him "I can't go any faster than the car in front of me you moron!" and he leaned out the window and said "Yeah you just keep trying to call me names," swerved at me again and then sped off weaving through traffic ahead to try and lose me now that it was back up to two lanes.

Idiot underestimated how fast I can pedal and I was able to not only catch up to him but keep up with him and read the taxi ID number. And was then going fast enough I decided to pull into the right lane and pass him while grinning at him. My legs were pretty much just a huge blur at that point so maybe I looked more stupid than anything..

SO, Philly folk, if you see a red and white taxi from Capital Dispatch with ID number P-1071 endangering other people's lives as well, please call 215-235-2200 and ask to file a complaint. I did. Get this antisocial imbecile off the streets before he sends one of your friends to the hospital.

(DISCLAIMER: if you take 20 seconds to call and file made-up complaints about that driver in order to get him fired so he's off the road, I can't be held responsible ..)

kyselad

It takes a lot to piss me off on the road these days, but that would send me right over the edge. Crazy cool that you got his info. Why not lodge a complaint with the cops? I realize they probably won't actually do anything, but at least it might get something on file, and they might even have a talk with the jackass. Lots of people have bad experiences where the cops don't act, but I've actually had good luck with 'em up here in New Haven. Swerving at you with the cab is obviously pretty serious *****.

Either way, I'd find out from the company what they plan to do about this guy. A cab driver like that is a serious liability, and it would be a shame if your complaint just got buried by some clueless customer service rep.

exfreewheeler

Damn jerk! I am going to note that number and keep it handy. I ride throught area on my way to the Y. I'll look out for the creep.

I had a run-in with a driver about a month ago. Some people are just bullies. They are so blinded by ego that they fail to realize that they are behind the controls of a very dangerous weapon... MALICE!

We should start a city "back-up" network for situations like this. We can program a distress call message on our cell phones to whoever becomes a "back-up buddy" and when something happens, whoever is in the vicinity can shoot down to the location. We can confront these jerks in numbers. I would definitely show up if I'm in the area.

What do you think, suggest?

blickblocks

Call the police.

HelluvaStella

F*uck the po-leece

nocoins

Hug the Po-leece?

Natron

I believe you'd get maced for that.

samuelalberts

some dick head tried to spit on me and almost smashed his truck . that's all i got.

Natron

I tried to spit on him and almost crashed my bike. I left that part out because I missed completely, he didn't notice, it didn't affect the story, and almost crashing doesn't sound so cool. Now my secret is out though.

Natron

Thanks for the support. The idea to get his ID didn't occur to me until he was over a block away from me and I rushed to catch up. I have to keep that in mind from now on. I just kept saying the phone number and ID# outloud over and over to remember it until I got my phone out and dialed it. I'm afraid of someone with that much pent-up anger having a gun under the seat...

As for your suggestion, I don't know how we'd pull together others to help out if someone endangers our lives out there. It'd be cool to have a button you'd push that would alert all bikers in a 10 block radius that you'd like help but there's no way I can think of. I know I'd like to help if I saw someone on a bike on the receiving end of road rage.

The scary part was that this happened as I was on my way to 10th and Pine to pick up some Bell's Oberon at The Foodery and then had to ride back in that direction again. I kept seeing other red+white taxis coming up behind me and thinking "oh god here comes round 2..."

maxknee

www.phillyfixed.com

sp00ki

it's so crazy how split i am on cabbies' attitudes... half the time, you get drivers so awesome they do really nice things like move their cars out of the way while you're splitting traffic to let you go through easier or slow down if you're getting out of the way of a stopped car into their lane; the other half has them doing dumb **** like intentionally pinching you into busses or speeding up to cut you off as they turn. It's crazy, i wonder why some are so awesome while others suck such a large breed of cock.

kyselad

Watch out with the spitting -- that's actually assault, and it could land you in jail instead of the dumbass. I didn't realize it counted as a physical assault until a driver spat on my wife and the cops hauled his ass in and booked him. Good times.

sp00ki

not spitting, splitting. like, riding between two lanes of cars.

Natron

No I spit at the guy (and missed) after he already tried to use his car as a deadly weapon against me.

slopvehicle

I used to drive cab. everyone needs to chill the **** out. that includes bicyclists too.

You're all too eager to throw that aggression back at the drivers, but that's not gonna solve anything.

NNNN

a few days ago i was riding north on 13th (way north, past girard) to get home. some guys in a car yelled something that I wasn't sure was directed at me that sounded something like "mumble mumble bike lane" or something. there was no bike lane there, I was to the right, out of the way of traffic. 30 seconds later they threw some kind of fast food ketchup dixie cup thing at me...missed by a lot, and there wasn't enough traffic to catch up to them and say something. they probably would have beaten the snot out of me if they did see me again too. there's nothing to do in return, no "wtf?" no spitting, no tire slashing, no vomiting in the window, no roman candles or flair gun......I just keep assuming (at least that far north) they'll have a weapon or follow me home or remember what my bike looks like...

can I call the cops with a license plate # for throwing stuff at me? it was ketchup this week, a bottle last week....who knows next week.

sp00ki

you can call, but your chances of ANYTHING being done are probably close to 0.000000001%.
Personally, i'm kinda dying to try the following recipe:

1) pepper spray into car
2) make next right

Natron

Man I've already had to ride against traffic the wrong way up a one-way downtown in center city just to escape some lunatic who was chasing me in his car. That crap's scary. He cut into my lane. Didn't like my attitude I guess. I would NOT mess around in north Philly when someone does something like throw ketchup at you though. Most of the time people yell, cut me off, ride my tail, come into my lane without signaling or checking, I just let it go. It happens. Up there, it's not worth saying/doing anything about it. That taxi driver's actions were over the line though.

Natron

I'd be too freaked out that, in a blind rage (see what I did there?), they would run me down. Car vs bike, car always wins.

kyselad

I think you're right there. You could probably engineer your own escape without too much difficulty, but worst case scenario the dude goes into said blind rage and mows down a pedestrian. I guarantee you'd be held accountable. That's the stuff to watch out for and also my point with the spitting -- I agree the jackass put you in danger and deserved to get spit on and then some, but be aware that the law could come down once the spit, pepper spray, fists, etc start flying. If the driver doesn't hit you, it's your word vs his, but he can show the cops a loogie on his shoulder and you're suddenly the bad guy. We had a dude up here arrested b/c he caught a guy breaking into his car and smacked him with an axe handle; seems to me he exercised restraint. Anyway, if you get physical and you can't absolutely prove it's self-defense, make sure to get outta there anonymously.

andypants

You need some assault to go with that pepper. ZING!

marlborough

smash off his side mirror and bike up a side street

ryand

because that accomplishes something.

and by accomplishes something i mean the driver is going to try and take out more cyclists because we are all the same person.

bryanp

They can't catch people that murder people with guns in this city, You really think they will catch you on a bike for pepper spraying a car? You would be so gone before anyone knew what the hell happened.