Regular readers of MorristownGreen.com know blogger Kendra Arnold as a passionate advocate for bicycling; she supports a town bicycle master plan that aims to promote sharing of congested roadways by cyclists and motorists.
On June 10, she will be in Morristown municipal court to press her case against a motorist who she says practically blasted her off her saddle with his car horn.
“The blaring of the horn for a really really really really long time really scared me; I am not sure drivers know how loud their horns are when you are not surrounded by a car,” Kendra said via email.
The motorist, John Farquhar of Morristown, has filed a counter-complaint accusing Kendra of weaving between lanes and even suggesting she was impaired–which Kendra calls laughable.
“It’s unfortunate that this lady was out in the middle of the road. The only thing I can say is, I’m glad nobody got hurt and everything’s fine,” John said in a brief interview, declining further comment.
The incident occurred around noontime on April 20. Kendra told police she had just turned left from Twombley Court and was pedaling east on Madison Avenue, in the left turn lane approaching Normandy Parkway. A silver Mercedes came up behind her and the driver started blowing his horn, crossing a double yellow line to pass on her left. When the vehicle stopped for a traffic light, Kendra knocked on the passenger window and asked why he blew his horn and passed her.
The driver responded that she belonged on the sidewalk, not on a busy road, and that she was crazy, according to Kendra’s account to police.
John’s version, in the same police report , contends Kendra was weaving between lanes and holding up traffic.
His complaint says Kendra was “banging and smashing” on his passenger window. “I lowered down the window and said you are going to get killed driving in the middle of the road. She was yelling at me about bikers rights and I closed (the) window and drove off when the light changed.”
Kendra’s complaint accuses John of careless driving, harassment and illegal passing. John’s complaint accuses Kendra of failure to keep right, delaying traffic, improper turning and careless driving.
Morristown lawyer Karl Fenske, an avid cyclist, is representing Kendra.
We asked Kendra to elaborate on why she decided to press this case.
MorristownGreen.com: What is the point you hope to make with this case?
Kendra Arnold: I really just wanted the driver to understand why I was riding in the middle of the lane in this particular section of roadway; I was making a left turn onto Normandy, and bikes, like cars have to make left turns from the left turn lane. It is also true that in a lane that is not very wide, like the left turn lane on Madison onto Normandy, it is much safer for a cyclist to position themselves where drivers can see them and they won’t be forced into the other lane. This bit of roadway has a long cement median of about 80 or so feet at the end, and you definitely don’t want drivers to have to suddenly swerve over to avoid it. It is much safer for everyone in this particular instance if everyone just acknowledges each other and tries to get through the intersection with care.
The blaring of the horn for a really really really really long time really scared me; I am not sure drivers know how loud their horns are when you are not surrounded by a car. A horn can be 90 to 120 decibels and is made to be heard at a long distance to another driver who is surrounded by a car that muffles the sound. Laying on your horn directly behind someone trying to ride their bike is really frightening and startling to cyclists, and not really the best idea safety-wise.
It would be great if the driver and I were able to have a sensible calm discussion; at the time though, that wasn’t really how the conversation went.
MG: The defendant’s counter-claim says you were cycling erratically and maybe were impaired. How do you respond to that?
Kendra: The idea that I was impaired and/or drunk at noon and riding my bike to all my jobs made me laugh; I think anyone who knows me at all would find that very unlikely. You would have to ask the driver to elaborate on his statement; I would not want to speculate on what he meant by his statement in his affidavit.
MG: Have you sought to enlist support from any cycling organizations?
Kendra: I don’t think very many people on bikes (or even pedestrians) have filed complaints against drivers. I did make some contact with some cycling organizations, but for the most part, I just did normal things that I thought were sensible.
When I felt like the situation needed to be reported, I made a police report. After that, I thought it over and reflected on what to do, and after reading the police report and still feeling like the driver didn’t understand why a cyclist might be in the road, I decide to pursue it. I met with a police officer who reviewed my side, and then suggested what laws I might list in the complaint.
I recently started thinking that cyclists should start reporting incidents that they feel are threatening in some way. I feel like the police keep track of things fairly well in Morristown and respond to problems in a helpful way. If people who are riding bikes start letting them know about problems before there is an accident, I think that can only help make the town a more bike friendly place.
MG: Morristown is close to completing a bicycling master plan that aims to promote better sharing of roadways by cyclists and motorists. Are you aware of anything in that plan that would prevent situations like the one you experienced in this case?Kendra: I cannot wait to see some of this stuff in the plan put into place! I definitely think things like sharrows [lane sharing markers] and indicators in roads that are narrow to let drivers know that cyclists may take the lane to be safe are a huge help. I really think if these parts of this plan started getting implemented it will be awesome for people who want to ride their bikes places but are intimidated. Morristown is so small in size – only 3 miles end to end – that it only makes sense that if you need to run to the grocery story, which is probably less than a mile away, you should be able to ride your bike or walk easily.
In this case, I really just think having the driver understand why I was taking the lane, and why it is legal and safe to do so, would have been a huge win for everyone.
Another semi-crazed bike nazi. Let’s get a few facts on the table: 1) Bicycle owners pay no taxes to support roads; 2) Bikes almost never, never have any easily identifying tags or plates, making a motorist report of their frequent obnoxious behavior almost impossible; 3) Bike riders quite often deliberately act in an offensive and ugly manner – such as banging on cars as the bike psycho’s do in Europe – yet let a car owner *touch* a bicycle and it is a major news article to our so-called ‘news’ media; 4) Arrogant bike riding is often not about getting from one place to another, but rather deliberately interfering with traffic so as to display their ‘rights’; 5) When bike riders whine about ignorance of the so-called ‘rules of the road’, they show their own obliviousness to the law (almost everywhere) that requires them to keep to the right unless turning – and turning requires display of hand/arm signals – almost never used.
Weaving around in traffic and banging on windows should result in jail time.
I do know that intersection, and as a motorist I would much prefer all bicyclists out in front so I can see them there, as done by the bicyclist in the story.
Perhaps all of the commentators that were quick to leap to personal commentary (nazi? friend, you need a history lesson) will benefit from re-reading the article. I think her point is that it’s not personal, a complaint is a mechanism for enforcing a traffic law when an officer wasn’t there to issue a ticket.
Good for her, I wish more people would have the cajones to stick up for the rights of cyclists.
I think they were both in the wrong and need to get over it. I am a cyclist commuting to work 5 days a week 23 miles each way. I have inconvenieced and have been inconvenienced and it is both a part of cycling and driving. To waste a judge’s time for horn blowing and window knocking is absurd. The fact that she is a cycling advocate shouldnt help in this case. The judge knows the laws and needs no help. Just because something is legal does not make it safe. And just because you are in danger doesnt mean its not your fault.
Unfortunately our culture is so car-centric that an advocate for biking rights can get passed off as an ‘obsessed bicycle nazi.’ She was obeying the law and asserting her right, while the driver had no patience and was clearly disobeying the law. I’ve been “buzzed” plenty of times while preforming entirely legal maneuvers by motorists who are clearly selfish and willingly ignorant of the law.
Based on the photo, comments, and gut intuition, I think Kendra comes off as an annoying/obsessed/contrarian/bicycle Nazi. I lived in Madison, Wisconsin, so I know the type. I hope the court gives the motorist a fair hearing.
Unfortunately for the automobile driver, the rider in question is a well known advocate of safe cycling in Morristown . It’s all too clear that while most cyclists follow the rules of the road,, a necessity for survival, many automobile drivers are not as aware of the rules of the road when cyclists are sharing it. At the very least, respect for human life should supercede all else.
Drivers in this town (and others) often fail to yield to pedestrians, wildlife and cyclists – it’s time that attention is called to this issue. Kendra is right – reporting road incidents is important not only to resolve driver-cyclist conflicts, but to make authorities aware that there is a problem that needs to be addressed.