The Los Angeles Times recently ran a story about the two-wheeled travails of a local cycling advocate and enthusiast who is known on social media as “Entitled Cyclist,” or EC for short.
The man works in the entertainment industry as a TV and film producer. For the past eight years, he has cycled to work. A hit-and-run accident one night about a half-dozen years ago left him with a broken arm. The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) then grilled him, asking why he was out riding so late.
When your work commute becomes a near-death experience
Since his hit-and-run accident as a cyclist, he now wears a 360-degree camera affixed to his bicycle helmet, a radar system and a rear-view mirror. His social media accounts are full of nightmarish near misses with drivers. Some motorists blare their horns at him as they encroach onto the bike lane at high rates of speed.
EC also uses his videos to illustrate the callous disregard of residents and/or sanitation workers who leave rows of garbage cans blocking the bicycle lanes.
The message is still not clear that cyclists have rights, too
As we noted earlier this year, the passage of Assembly Bill No. 1909 was a positive development for California cyclists. But the law is only effective when motorists learn to respect the rights of cyclists with whom they share the roads every day. EC attempts to spread the news that cyclists have rights, too. Flouting California’s cycling laws can get drivers arrested if they get caught on camera.
These negligent drivers can also face civil penalties for the harm they inflict on cyclists. If you get injured in a bike wreck, understand that you may have the right to seek compensation.
