The Bicycle Activist v. Tri-Met

Let me get this straight. The cycler didn't want to ride on the bike path that taxpayers so generously paved for his ilk, because it had too much gravel on it. So he rode in the car lane, on the Hawthorne bridge.

Then, when the Tri-Met bus had to squeeze by him, it came within (in his own words) 18" of his handlebars. Well, duh! What does he expect? He was in the car lane!

In a childlike tantrum, he catches up the the bus as it stops in traffic and blocks it by parking his bike on the street in front of the bus. Reminds me of Tiannanmen Square, when the guy (whose name, as I recall, was Sum Dom Fock) stood in front of the tanks.

Except this bicycle activist, far from becoming a symbol of brave resistance to totalitarian force, is just a childish and entitlement-minded wing nut.

So, we have a stand-off between a bicycle and the bus, crowded with people. One of whom takes matters into his own hands, gets off the bus and basically manhandles the idiot off the street and onto the sidewalk.

Which of course is just what the wing nut wanted, because now he can sue Tri-Met and become a big celebrity in his bike nazi community. He's claiming medical bills, lost work, plus $48K in other damages.

What does he expect? That he can act like that and have no consequence whatever? That he is owed an apology by the bus driver for driving near him when he is not on the bike path?

I saw the video of the whole thing. From what I saw the man who left the bus to take care of the situation didn't really hurt him - he just kind of forced him over to the side of the road where he belonged. It didn't look like he swung at him or anything like that. The last frame that I saw, the bike nazi was still standing over his bike.

No way this guy should get any money, nor even an apology from Tri-Met. HE should be the one apologizing. (If indeed the man did swing at him, push him down or otherwise try to hurt him, I don't condone it. But I have no problem at all if what he did is what I saw on the video - forcibly move him off the road.)

Imagine! He thinks he should be able to throw a tantrum in the middle of the street, holding up an entire busload of people, and NOT be moved forcibly out of the way? What if you were walking down the sidewalk and some idiot blocked your way, and would not let you pass? Would you have the right to forcibly move him? How is this any different?

If you ask me, he got what he deserves. Hurrah for the unidentified man who had the guts to treat this bike nazi like the child he is.

One last thing . . . what do you want to bet that when the man re-boarded he bus, he was met by cheers from everyone on it?