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Home · Articles · News · Rogue of the Week · Outlaw cyclists
July 23rd, 2008 WW Editorial Staff | Rogue of the Week
 

Outlaw cyclists

Road rage rides on two wheels.

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The Rogue Desk gladly credits the vast majority of cyclists for the good they do in our bike-happy city. They conserve resources and reduce pollution and traffic—and they’re usually more physically attractive than drivers.

But in the string of high-profile conflicts this month between bikers and motorists, we can’t help but notice in looking at police records that most of the fights featured outlaw cyclists as the ones Roguishly ramping up the conflict.

Here’s the scorecard:

Cyclist Steven McAtee, 31, allegedly throws his bike at driver Colin Yates, 47, in Southeast Portland after Yates yells at McAtee for blowing through a stoplight.

Driver James Millican, 21, allegedly tries to ram cyclist Jason Rehnberg, 37, in Southeast Portland after Rehnberg yells at Millican to slow down.

Biker Adam Leckie, 22, allegedly keys an SUV in North Portland after passenger Patrick Schrepping, 30, yells at Leckie for cutting off the vehicle.

An unidentified male cyclist allegedly smashes the window of a TriMet bus in Southeast Portland after the driver waves at the cyclist to move aside at a stoplight.

Notice a pattern? In three of these four incidents, the biker is accused of aggressively escalating the conflict.

Jonathan Maus, editor of the website bikeportland.org, says bikers are getting unfair treatment in the media. “The tone is to show that bikers are totally out of hand,” he says.

But Karl Rohde, spokesman for the Bicycle Transportation Alliance, says any rogue cyclists give all bikers a bad name. “You suddenly get all the cyclists lumped into one group,” he says. “It just fuels the fire.”

The Rogue desk agrees with Rohde: Chill out, cyclists.

 
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07.23.2008 at 04:59 Reply
Bob
It makes no difference whether the asshole has two wheels or four, an asshole is an asshole. Except that the one with two wheels is more readily available to become a hood ornament. Which to my thinking might be reason enough for the two wheeled asshole to think twice about blowing a stop sign.

 

07.23.2008 at 05:01 Reply
I live in SW PDX near Lewis and Clark.

I've witnessed cyclist running stop lights at Terwilliger and Taylors ferry Rd and Barbur and Terwilliger and various stop signs in between. I've sometimes said something or honked and pointed to the signal and have been given obscene gestures, cursed at and spit at. Even though there is a bike path some of the cyclists ride two and three abreast. When honked at to move out of the traffic lane I?ve seen them all move into the traffic lane ignoring the bike lane entirely. When an infraction occurs and it is pointed out I?ve had them yell ?So what, call the police!?

Not all cyclists are of this low caliber but there does seem to be a growing aggression with some cyclists.

 

07.23.2008 at 05:25 Reply
Since when is yelling at a speeder to slow down in a residential neighborhood worthy of rougishness? C'mon guys, you are hopping on the O's and Trib's bandwagon with this one.

 

07.23.2008 at 06:23 Reply
Car drivers simply need to follow traffic signals as often as cyclists do and Portland would simply be a better place with fewer accidents. Seriously there's jerks on both sides and the media is continuing to escalate this casrs vs. bikes.

 

07.23.2008 at 07:41 Reply
The article has got it right! Cyclists are out of control.

Take the critical mass bozo's, and the glee they obtain from their display of civil disobedience.

There are many bicyclists who have no respect for the law or motorists.

This attitude is furthered by this cities government policy of coddling the whole culture.

 

 
 

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