Road rage on Monroe

[Chris Olin]

Not everyone here is on Facebook or actively checking it, so I'm sending out an email regarding a video that was making rounds on the internet earlier today before it was deleted, showing a rather enraged mother-to-be out of her car, threatening two cyclists for riding in the road and (supposedly) assaulting one of them. I saw the video briefly before it was deleted and didn't see anyone assaulted, possibly due to buffering issues at time. I later heard through the grapevine that the victim declined to press charges, but I think I can get in touch with them and convince them to reconsider.

I'm less concerned about what transpired from a legal point of view and more about the effects this is likely to have on people who are generally new to cycling and not part of the informal "bike community" downtown, petty feuds and drama aside. When aggressive/violent drivers go unpunished, it sends a disturbing signal about the priority of cyclists on the road. It means that nothing will be done until someone is dead or seriously injured (and I have my own anecdotal stories/video that I'm willing to discuss offline).

It'd be great if RCA could help get the attention of elected officials on this, if only to condemn road rage against cyclists for riding in the road and ask/order the appropriate agency to investigate possible charges against the driver to at least look like they're taking it seriously. At the risk of ruffling a few feathers by writing this, I think RCA could do something more than what often seems like advocating for not much else beyond infrastructure projects and outreach. As far as I can tell, we're not exactly attracting new "members", maybe a new face every couple meetings that doesn't come back a second time. There are many people new to cycling in this city that need some guidance/support for which there are very few resources, and none have any real clout.

[Brian Stiehler]

The victim should press charges. The victim should view the gender of this perpetrator as a reason to decline pressing charges. The violence toward pedestrians and cyclists will only end when those who threaten them stand up and protect their rights.

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[Brian Stiehler]

Women threaten people walking and on bikes all the time so this guy on a bike should not feel bad for pressing harrassment charges toward this woman. Woman use their gender to get out of convictions all the time and this needs to end here and now. She can spend 10 days in jail. 

On Wed, Aug 8, 2018, 11:08 PM Chris Olin <ch...@chrisolin.com> wrote:

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[Brian Stiehler]

Also remember that a pregnant woman could be a drug addict going thru drug withdrawal. That is one reason for anger and hostility and not the hormonal changes that are typically stated. Gender and pregnancy status are not grounds to allow accepting violence against any human being.

On Wed, Aug 8, 2018, 11:08 PM Chris Olin <ch...@chrisolin.com> wrote:

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[Andrew R Stewart]

When it comes to my safety I don’t care what gender is or who is behind the steering wheel. While I have not gotten into a fight with a woman driving (unlike a few men...) I have been endangered many times by a female driver. As a pedestrian I have confronted a female who blew a cross walk. She offered to hit me. I replied that she was a poor example for her children (who were in the car) to follow. After she left I was applauded by the bystanders. Drugs or hormones are no excuse for dangerous driving (just as male ego isn’t either). Andy

 

Andrew R Stewart
Rochester, New York
USA

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