There is a disturbing report about an Ottawa cyclist who was repeatedly harassed by a motorist, sideswiped by the motorist, cut-off by the motorist, and then physically attacked by the motorist. When the Ottawa Police finally showed up, they acted in an aggressive manner towards the cyclist, treated him as if he was the one to blame, and implied that he was lucky they weren't laying charges against him. No charges were laid against the motorist.
According to the report posted by the cyclist, here's what happened. The harassment started when the motorist came to a skidding stop immediately behind the cyclist at a stop sign. The stop was so abrupt that the car almost rear-ended the cyclist. As they continued on, the motorist harassed the cyclist by revving his engine.
A short time later the motorist decided to pass the cyclist. Before completing the pass, the motorist pulled into the cyclist, sideswiping him. In other words, the motorist hit the cyclist with his two ton car. In the process, the car's folding mirror was pushed back. The cyclist, realizing that he was not injured and there was no damage, continued on his way in to order avoid a confrontation with the motorist.
Although the report does not state this explicitly, it appears that the motorist followed the cyclist as he turned onto a side street. He then cut off the cyclist to force him to stop. At this point, the motorist got out of his car and physically attacked the cyclist. During this attack, the motorist destroyed the bicycle's rear wheel.
The cyclist didn't have a cell phone so he could not call the police. When the cyclist saw Ottawa snow removal trucks, he asked them to phone the police. However, it appears that the motorist had already phoned the police, claiming that it was the cyclist who had hit his car.
The police arrived 10 to 15 minutes later. They first talked to the motorist (a bad sign for the cyclist) . Afterwards, the cyclist finally got a chance to tell the police what happened. The end result was that the police repeatedly and aggressively accused the cyclist of failing to stop after a "collision". After discussing the matter, the police decided not to lay charges against the cyclist.
Despite all that happened, no charges were laid against the motorist.
From the report, it appears that the cyclist kept his cool, made every effort to avoid a confrontation with the motorist, and cooperated with the police. He has his Can-Bike II certification (bicycle safety courses). He is also a well known cycling advocate, and he and his family have been featured in several media reports about their car-free lifestyle.
Click here to read the cyclist's report that was posted on the "Citizens for Safe Cycling" website.