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Bicyclists sought for attacking motorist in the South End
By adamg on Wed, 08/17/2022 - 1:04pm
Surveillance photo via BPD.
The Boston Police Department reports it is looking for a group of bicyclists it says attacked a motorist on Tremont Street near Union Park Street - one with a fist to the driver's face - shortly before 3:40 p.m. on Tuesday.
Police say that a man driving down Tremont found himself "surrounded by several people on bicycles and that a brief physical altercation ensued which resulted in him being struck in the face with a clenched fist by one of the riders."
A co-worker drove the man to a nearby hospital for observation.
Anybody with information about the attack - or who happens to have taken photos or videos, can contact detectives at 617-343-4683 or the anonymous tip line by calling 800-494-TIPS or by texting TIP to CRIME (27463).
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Comments
I heard on the local news last night
that this was a sizeable group of cyclists, numbering in the dozens. Any confirmation?
If so, seems like there should be some deets on social media. Do large and quasi-coordinated rides like this just spring to life without smart phones and a public paper trail?
Not surprised loud mouthed little
wack-a-doodle is completely silent (for the first time ever) on a bike issue.
more to this story?
Not getting behind the mob justice, but I'm not assuming anything either way about whether the driver provoked this.
Right vs. wrong
I think when it’s a many-on-one beat down, those doing the beating are pretty much always in wrong.
But maybe you’re just speculating about causality and not looking to blame?
That Poor Kid Who Was Just Using His Arms To Signal A Turn
That driver put his face right in front of it. How dare he interrupt this youth exercising his right to use the full lane!
These punks need to pay their fair share
Bicycles in Boston should be registered vehicles.
Whats a good rate for a teenager to pay in your mind?
Are we tying this to their parents taxes/insurance?
What about enforcement? This is gonna require a bit of additional police resources in order to enforce as sadly, its clear that current police numbers can't keep up with motor vehicle and bike violations of road laws. That or they don't care, so what good is registering bikes gonna do about this issue?
How about traffic camera enforcement for red lights and speeding violations? Think its some you'd support? We can use it to ticket cyclists too theoretically.
Yes!
Yes, 1000%. Add speeding and red light cameras and use them to fine unregistered bicycles. Use facial recognition so the fine will go right to their home and they’ll finally pay their fair share.
Just to be clear
You also mean for this technology to be used for finding speeding, red light running and unregistered motorists too?
You didn't answer my other questions, whats a good rate for a teenager to pay in your mind? Are we tying this to their parents taxes/insurance?
Yes, not sure how that wasn’t clear
I dunno. Sounds like a decision above my pay grade.
Just making sure
And a very good point about things above your pay grade.
I do wonder about the legal implications of creating a vast network of surveillance based around facial recognition. Gotta be some civil liberties concerns no?
You'd basically be asking for a registry of faces, in order to combat the clear and present danger to society of unregistered cyclists breaking the law.
And even further, wouldn't that be an issue for underage bike riders getting scanned by these cameras? Just seems really weird.
Also another question Rob
You said that if a cyclist got a ticket and had to pay the fine, they'd be paying their fair share right?
Whats that like, $50-100? (Sorry wouldn't know, last time I was pulled over for failure to stop at a stop sign was like 2002)
Thats enough to square "fair share" away with you? Seems like there would be easier, less invasive ways to get there.
No, that’s punishment for being stupid.
Registration is paying for the convenience of using bike lanes and other publicly provided bike infrastructure that certainly isn’t free. I do find it really weird there’s always so much push back on a very reasonable registration fee for bikes.
Very reasonable?
How much? You already said its over your pay grade but you have to have some rough idea. I find it weird that you can't provide some insight there.
And again, its not the registration that I'm questioning, its the details. How is this being enforced in a reasonable and realistic way without violating civil liberties?
And how much is being raised to offset the needed police enforcement to make reasonable impact here? After all, your point was in response to rogue scofflaw cyclists and a need to have them face consequences.
Its easy to say you want cyclists to pay more (remember, we pay taxes and some are car owners themselves) We need $6.5 billion more than its budgeted revenue over the next 10 years to maintain roads, bridges, and tunnels. Much of that infrastructure isn't used by cyclists but our taxes along with motorists pays for it and it doesn't seem like its close to enough.
https://commonwealthmagazine.org/transportation/report-transportation-fu...
And again, what good does it do when the police don't feel like enforcing the law? You've created an invasive bureaucracy costing the state untolds amount of money to setup and maintain and there is no guarantee that they'll increase the already poor enforcement.
And you still haven't addressed what this means for children, you've said in other posts here that any licensed cyclist must have registration. What about kids? Or people without a drivers license?
Its an easy thing for you to ask for and trash cycling advocates on for pushing back. But you're awfully silent on the details.
It’s an idea, I didn’t run it through the wringer
And every time it’s the same - what about the details. Do the details matter? It’s not your or my job to make sure all bikes have paid their registration so why do you care so much?
I’ll ask you - do you support the idea to help pay for bike lanes and bike infrastructure? Pretend like everything has been worked out and the registration fee is minimal. Let’s say $50 every two years similar to vehicle registration.
The argument that bikers pay taxes too is a cop out. Everyone benefits from roads whether you have a car or not. That’s why everyone pays into them. Where are you groceries, or clothing, or medicine, or packages coming from regardless of your vehicle status? Roads. Only bikers benefit from bike lanes and infrastructure. Why am I paying for your bike lanes. I don’t bike and never will.
Then the argument against the above will be about schools, or parks, etc. Everyone benefits from those things so as a society it’s good that we all pay into them. Bike lanes, again, serve no one but bikers.
Ah so maybe the State Legislature?
Curious why they haven't made moves for something like this. Maybe it's the massive budget shortfall we have in the billions for our current road infrastructure that's more of a concern.
If $50 means there's robust connected networks of bike lanes throughout major commuting corridors, you might have me. But again your really hoping and wishing that this isn't a huge financial burden on state and local officials. And that it translates to better bike infra, which is doubtful. It's a very simple idea to conjure up, it's a other to actual prove it's benefit.
The idea that our current police forces, who are already ignoring traffic violations, would shift gears and focus on some kind of increased enforcement is laughable. They have zero incentive now, what's a bike registration gonna do?
Ah I guess you're right, bike lanes don't do anything like providing alternative modes of safe transit. Everyone should drive or ride the very reliable T. Plenty of studies about the economic benefits of bike lanes but I'm afraid you'll just dismiss that, if we're playing the predicting game. Something something we live in a society right?
And you still haven't addressed what we do about the kids.
Kids are free. Only licensed adults
No license, no registration, but are you even allowed to ride a bike in MA unlicensed? What do the cops do if an unlicensed rider gets pulled over for running a red? I’ve always wondered this.
Alternative modes of transportation for those that use them. That will never be me. Bike lanes provided economic benefits for whom? Society? I’m actually interested in that study because I’m having a hard time understanding how that’s possible.
I appreciate the constructive dialog, btw.
lol
I rode my bicycle yesterday.
I do not have a bicycle license.
Don't dime me out, robo!
Norwottuck Trail
Doesn't Count.
Try harder
Every time you try for one of these geographic insults, you prove you couldn't find your own ass with both hands and a flashlight.
You were on the Appalachian trail
Clutch your western MA pearls as you drive through tolls on the pike going into boston for a fun family trip. MA thanks you for the contributions
Few things quickly
It doesn't seem like you do need a license to bike
https://www.massbike.org/laws
And some studies
https://www.bicycling.com/news/a32306169/bike-lanes-benefit-local-busine....
https://www.cambridgebikesafety.org/2021/09/22/bike-lanes-and-local-busi...
https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2021/10/29/dot-study-shows-that-bike-lanes-c...
https://usa.streetsblog.org/2022/01/27/study-covid-era-pop-up-bike-lanes...
There are also public health benefits to note. You might not bike, which is fine. Much like might. Ot drive. We have options.
I'll have to ask my family LEOs how you ticket someone on a bike without a license but maybe one of resident UHub officers is aware.
Who is this "they" you keep
Who is this "they" you keep referring to and what are "they" supposed to be paying for?
Are you saying that bike riders cause damage to the roads? Does this mean you're on board with the gas and excise tax being raised?
I'll happily register my bike and pay the same pathetic excise tax as my car when *SAFE* bike infrastructure is implemented. So that will be never because of people like yourself.
Typical biker response
You guys are more predictable than greedy, which is saying a lot.
Anyone licensed and using their bike in the city should need to register.
No, bikes don’t cause any road damage, but they require a lot of money for their precious bike lanes throughout the city.
Yes, raise the gas tax. I’m not greedy and should be paying more into roads and upkeep.
People like myself? What the fuck does that mean?
He's not a biker. He's a
He's not a biker. He's a bicyclist. Bikers wear leather jackets.
His kit must be on too tight
Biker sounds way better than bicyclist, but noted
Tell that...
...to the bikers. The ones who ride those two wheeled motorized things.
That bicyclist sounds dorky
They’d laugh and agree. What’s your point here?
bike lanes last longer and save money wasted on unneeded car
lanes. Many four lane roads with parking on both sides were artificially created by removing street cars.
Every bike lane I’ve seen in Boston disappears
On the first flake to hit the pavement. Like, never coming back unless rebuilt gone.
Pay your fair share and stop leaching on everyone else for your exclusive bike lanes.
bike lanes are cheaper than car lanes.
Stop pretending that bike lanes are being created from nothing. This is taking a public street that needs to be repaired every year and changing it to a bicycle lane which will last much longer. Tax wise cyclist more than pay their share. It is drivers that leach tax dollars from the general fund, not cyclists.
How hard is this to understand since I’ve mentioned
It to you five times now. Everyone benefits from car lanes. Only bicyclists benefit from bike lanes. Why am I paying for you to ride your bike in a private lane? Explain that to me.
everyone benefits from less car lanes.
It forces the cars to drive slower and closer to the speed limit. It makes the streets safer for pedestrians as well.
I have yet to see any bike lanes slowing anyone down
In fact, I’d say they speed up because there are less lanes now. Have you been on any Boston streets recently? Safer for pedestrians? Is that so? I’ve witnessed plenty of bikers blowing through red lights or stop signs and almost hitting a pedestrian.
no less then cars blowing through stop signs and red lights
bicyclist don't speed or kill like cars. I noticed you can't defend the way cars steal money from taxpayers.
Bikes do kill pedestrians. Not often, but they do
Cars steal money from taxpayers? Everyone benefits from roads, not just vehicle owners. That’s why all taxpayers pay into it regardless if they own a car or not. Only bicyclists use bike lanes. Start paying your fair share and stop leaching off the taxpayer to pay for your precious bike lanes.
Defend cars? I’m of the opinion that the gas tax should be raised so try again.
The savings of wear and tear,
The savings of wear and tear, and the safety improvements pay the bicyclists share. Commercial vehicles pay more taxes than private car owners. That pays your everystrawman tax. Each car owner needs to pay 2500 in tax more per year to pay for maintaining the roads they use. 2.75 cyclists are killed every day.
I give up
Bicyclists’ are so cheap that an extra $50/year is too much. Not surprised though with the attitude I usually see most bicyclist have.
They just don't owe $50 per
They just don't owe $50 per year. They are already paying 10x that for private cars they don't drive. Equal rights feels like oppression to the privileged.
Last response, but you probably won’t read this either
You’re reading comprehension needs work. I’ve already addressed everything you just posted numerous times here, but you apparently never read any of it.
you started it
and you lied about it.
And then what?
And how would that do anything to help this particular situation?
Look at cars
We required licensing and registration for them, and sometimes we go 3 or 4 consecutive days between drivers driving them into buildings
Shoes Too!
Crosswalk paint ain't free. Who is paying for those annoying walk signs and beg buttons?
There ought to be a $5 surcharge on all pairs of shoes to start covering those costs.
And a state registry to keep track of the shoes. And then a sur-surcharge to cover the cost of the registry.
Not surprised by this brilliant idea
Considering your name.
/s
And what's up with all that
And what's up with all that free air? Noses need to start paying their fair share.
Don't get me started on all those eyes freeloading photons off the sun.
Shoe registration
This is a genius idea for the ages. I mean, it's a genius bad idea, but still genius. And shoe plates! What's the point of registration without plates?
I hold the line at inspection, though. If I need inspection stickers for my shoes, I'm in big trouble.
This is such a nice
This is such a nice distraction from the multiple pedestrians that get hit by motor vehicles (and much more seriously hurt than a bloody lip) in the Boston area each day.
https://www.sweeneymerrigan.com/boston-pedestrian-accident-lawyer/walkin....
I got hit by a bicycle while
I got hit by a bicycle while on the sidewalk waiting for a bus to come on Morton Street outside of Walgreens. No injuries were sustained but I did get pushed back a couple of inches.
Heck, I didn't even sustain injuries when I got hit by a car on Huntington Avenue near Brigham Circle. I was knocked down and had this weird-ass tingly feeling throughout my whole body. When the ambulance came they kept me in Beth Israel Emergency for about seven hours under observation.