SEATTLE (AP) – A mob of bicyclists riding in Seattle with the monthly Critical Mass demonstration injured a motorist after an altercation. Seattle Police spokesman Mark Jamieson says that on Friday between 100 and 300 bicyclists were riding down a street in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, blocking traffic on both lanes, when a man and a woman in a Subaru station wagon tried to pull out of a parking spot. But some of the bicyclists blocked them, sat on the car and began banging on the vehicle. Words were exchanged between the male driver and the bicyclists.
The driver feared being assaulted and backed up, but bumped a biker and enraged the group. In response, some of the bikers smashed the windshield and rear window. He tried to drive away but hit another bicyclist. The car stopped a block down and the bicyclists surrounded the car. One biker punched the driver through an open window and another used a knife to slash the tires. When the driver got out of the car a male suspect struck him with an unknown object in the back of the head. The driver was later taken to the hospital. His female companion was not injured. Jamieson says two men were arrested and police are looking for the suspect who struck the driver in the back of the head. He added police know the man’s identity.
According to the Critical Mass web site, every month, bicyclists ride to promote bicycle use and assert cyclists’ right to the road among many reasons.
Bikers make me Cranky. Hundreds at a time will jam the highways where I live. While I respect what they do, I wish they would stick to the back roads and stay off the highways. Maybe it’s time to implement “spandex free” zones.
One of these days a scared motorist in a SUV is going to run over dozens of these urban guerrillas in his attempt to escape their wrath for the crime of driving a motor vehicle. I don’t think there will much public sympathy for the dead and the injured.
The guy in the car was an idiot. He should of just hit the accelerator as soon as his car was attacked.
funny the same story with a different location keeps on coming out. People will just have to learn to share the road. BOTH motorist and cyclist have morons in their ranks. And statements like #1 make me sad. Remember, more then one side to every story. And rejoicing in the misfortune and injuries of others is a sign of some serious social problems.
#1 I agree
#0 “bicyclists surrounded the car”
That’s when you hit the gas!
I love to cycle, but a little common sense goes a long way.
As an avid bike rider last week I observed a bunch of bees swarming across the highway, taking up both lanes. I stopped and let them pass.
In a car, observing the same phenomenon of bikers swarming across the highway, taking up both lanes, I would again stop and let them pass==for the same reasons.
Sounds to me like these bicyclists were spoiling for a fight.
Clearly, Regenal Denny was picked out because he had no nut huggers on. This sounds more like a parade than a communal ride.
I say crush the fu**ers; tree hugging, plant eating, bicicle riders feel like they’re entitled to everything just because they “do the right thing for the planet and the animals” and forget that you have to suck it up and respect others with a diferent lifestyle.
And you Republicans thought that only your ranks were filled with self righteous pricks.
@#3: “Remember, more then one side to every story.” Unfortunately with the Critical Mass riders there is only one side. Everywhere they do organize the whole point is obstruction and intimidation, typically followed by violence. It is a mob and the authorities should start classifying them as such and arresting on the spot. Worst of all they make a bad image in the public for the normal cycling people like myself who just want to enjoy roads safely, according to very sane existing traffic laws…
The lycra Nazis have their own road lanes, next to the empty bus lanes, and the lonely foot paths, leaving me and 20,000 other motorists to just squeeze down the centre of what used to be a road wide enough to take three cars each way. Then I see one riding on the car lane, holding up traffic. Well, I am a model of self restraint, but there are other motorists, who aren’t.
#9. We (motorcyclists) suffered from the same negative image during the 60’s and 70’s. Now that we’re all old, nobody is afraid of us anymore.
Don’t bring a bike to a car fight.
Another example of the tolerance and compassion of the Left. I’m sure all these people are drooling, mouth breathing Obama voters. I’ll bet they all felt really good in their Brown Shirts about giving those God forsaken Jews, oh, wait… I’m sorry, wrong group of genocidal Leftists. They’re so hard to tell apart.
So a bunch of vehicles were going by but this car decided it couldn’t wait and backed out any way. Then it hit one of the vehicles and it is the other vehicles fault?
You’re forgetting that cyclists and cars are supposed to _share_ the road. In the absence of bike paths or lanes (both of which are rare in many cities), cyclists are supposed to ride on the street, and never on sidewalks. I used to bicycle a lot years ago when bike paths and lanes didn’t exist. Automobile drivers tried to run me off the road for no good reason. Rednecks…
By the way, cyclists are Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians, and Independents. They all vote and pay taxes. They’re bicycling because it costs less money; the halo is a freebie.
The egotistical self reverential non-think of the human being is well on display here.
Whatever I like is good, whatever I dislike is bad and equal to one another.
I am a car driver/bicyclist so bicyclist/car drivers are liberal/conservative and therefore idiots.
Nicely done dolts.
Heck’s Angels?
Floyd, I hope your last name isn’t Landis.
MN State statute 169.222 is a model for most states/communities bicycling laws for most of the country. Bicyclists are allowed to use sidewalks (as long as not in no bikes posted business districts) and are allowed full use of a street lanes (although encouraged to use the far right as practicable and with added protection of the “3 foot rule”). If bicyclists are blocking highways, as the author of this article claims, then all that needs to be done is call authorities. Although many people don’t like to admit it, Critical Mass is a political/social protest that happens once a month (as opposed to the two times per day critical mass of rush hour traffic). It has become a mantra for motorists everywhere to use the being afraid of attack (while being encased in a 6,000+ lb piece of metal compared to bicyclists on 25 lb bikes) to justify harming people. Bicycles move, cars move, if we just take the time to stay out of each others way and follow state and local laws all problems can be avoided. And as a final aside, Critical Mass is not breaking laws as it is a political/social protest and afforded constitutional protection (Google is your friend you can friend court rulings supporting their efforts). You might not like it but this IS America. Now can we all just get along? I don’t want to die on the streets tomorrow.
Chariots are vehicles too!
I’m starting the ride for life called the Seattle Circus Circuit. Join me as we gallup are way through the streets of Seattle showing the scum who’s boss. Protuding spikes and the hooves of our steeds will decimate those who stand in our way! Join the glory! (555) 555-5555
BTW, Jeff’s Bike Blog is a great place to see how cyclists are often under attack. Jeff has two cameras (one facing front the other to the back) and he records the abuse he takes from motorists and gives the recordings to the authorities. Would you want your children or family to face the kind things he experiences while legally riding his bike??? Would you want to do the driver’s physical harm if they attacked your family/friends the way Jeff is? Are those motorists “afraid of attack”? (I am not posting the link as I am not sure whether it’s allowed but do a Google search for “Jeff’s Bike Blog” and it’s the first entry.) Bob Mionske also writes a great legal column for Bicycling Magazine. Good reading for both cyclists and motorists as he puts a lot of misconceptions to rest via the law. (Again use Google)
[No problem. Here’s the link –ed.
http://www.bikesafer.blogspot.com/ ]
#18 “And as a final aside, Critical Mass is not breaking laws as it is a political/social protest and afforded constitutional protection (Google is your friend you can friend court rulings supporting their efforts). You might not like it but this IS America.”
…or the right of the people peaceably to assemble…
Once it becomes non-peaceable (as in smashing cars & people) it is outside of constitutional protection… You might not like that but this IS America.
Paddy-O, people in a protest should not have the fear of being injured or killed. Once violence is started it’s hard to put the cap back on (if someone punches you are you allowed to punch back?). Anyone remember what happened during the civil rights civil disobedience era? That’s not meant as total justification, but what if you were there and it was your family member or friend that was injured by that guy? What if that guy had used a gun rather than his just as dangerous automobile? I admit there are a**hole cyclists and there isn’t a real excuse for them, let’s not criticize one groups a**holes while trying to defend another groups same subset. This was a case of two differing groups of a**holes interacting with each other. Please don’t run me over while follow MN 169.222 religiously just because you hate cyclists. Thanks in advance.
#22 Not sure what your point is.
“between 100 and 300 bicyclists were riding down a street in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, blocking traffic on both lanes,… “But some of the bicyclists blocked them, sat on the car and began banging on the vehicle.” … “The driver feared being assaulted and backed up, but bumped a biker and enraged the group. In response, some of the bikers smashed the windshield and rear window. He tried to drive away”
There is no issue of constitutional protection here. The guy was within his rights to use the car to defend his life. All I said was that he was stupid for not doing so…
Oh Paddy-O, you slay me. How is his life in danger when he is sitting in a 6,000lb piece of metal? If he really thought his life was in danger he would have called the cops or stayed in his car until they left (it’s a bike ride they will move along pretty quickly) or waited until they actually tried enter his vehicle before he ran over people (assuming he didn’t have a cell phone). I really hope you don’t live in my city.
#24 R.O.P. said, “How is his life in danger when he is sitting in a 6,000lb piece of metal?”
Are you dumber than dirt or just trolling?
“In response, some of the bikers smashed the windshield and rear window. He tried to drive away but hit another bicyclist.”
I won’t address your personal insults but the driver did the damage first. If you read the article correctly, the driver injured a cyclist first and then he his car was and person were attacked. If he had been attacked first and THEN injured one of those cyclists, I would be giving him kudos.
…too bad I can’t even read my own comments well enough to correct mistakes. Sorry.
R.O.P. said, “but the driver did the damage first.”
Wrong again ROP…
“when a man and a woman in a Subaru station wagon tried to pull out of a parking spot.
But some of the bicyclists blocked them, sat on the car and began banging on the vehicle.”
This happened BEFORE he backed up. So, he was attacked BEFORE he bumped into anyone.
So, we’re back to the question I asked you in #25…
This little dispute raises an interesting question. Was the car driver ever at physical risk until he physically hurt a bicyclist==or, is the invasion/assault on property justification for an assault on a person?
The law pretty much says property offenses do not justify bodily injury. I disagree but if anyone thinks the driver was in the wrong to attack with his vehicle until the safety of his intact windows was breached, I would not disagree too strongly.
IOW, the sanctity of personal safety in my mind does start with property rights.
Angel Wong said: “I say crush the fu**ers; tree hugging, plant eating, bicicle riders feel…”
It’s nice to see that we’ve all evolved beyond apes. This really has nothing to do with cars and bicycles – if it wasn’t this it would be something else. Left, right, tree hugger, oil driller. It doesn’t matter.
Rick Perlstein in NixonLand wrote: “Do Americans not hate each other enough to fantasize about killing one another, in cold blood, over political and cultural disagreements? It would be hard to argue they do not.”