Bike to Work Week is over! 'Get the F@%& off the road!'
Photo by Stephen Box/LAist
The Bike to Work Week celebration came to an abrupt end as Enci rode north on Western, turned left onto Hollywood Boulevard and then had a bus accelerate from behind, crossing her line and pulling to the right, forcing her to the curb as he pulled in to his last scheduled stop of the day.
He then opened the door and screamed "Get the F@%& off the road!" and then called her an idiot as his passengers looked at her and tried to exit as there was a cyclist between the bus and the curb.
The LAPD upheld their "Serve & Protect" mandate by promptly arriving and passing the incident off to the Sheriff's Department.
The LA County Sheriff's Department promptly showed up, took the baton from the LAPD and then declared that this was best handled by the Metro.
The Metro's Supervisor let the Bus Operator go, did not interview the cyclist, and did not have business cards or ID with him.
"Marvin" of the Metro was kind enough to leave Enci with a "Claim Instruction Card" that was completely non-responsive to Enci's request for a report.
Enci's husband, demonstrating a lack of conviction of the efficacy of relying on the LAPD, the LASD and the Metro for accountability, crossed the street and went to City Council Eric Garcetti's office where he was able to get Deputy district Director Mitch O'Farrell to come down and speak objectively to all involved.
Mitch made it to the scene in time to watch the LAPD officers (2 cars) drive away. Mitch spoke to the Sheriff's Deputy and the Metro Supervisor and tried his best to impress on both that it was important that peds and cyclists were safe on the streets and that there was accountability and that Enci has the opportunity to file a report and follow up on the evidence.
The Metro Supervisor spoke to Mitch, interrupting just long enough to explain to Enci that he wasn't talking to her.
Through it all, Enci's husband was on hold with Metro's Customer Relations! When the dust had settled and everyone was gone, they answered the phone. Phew!
At the end of the day, the Operator went home, the LAPD, the LASD and the Metro Supervisor all refused to take a report and the Customer Relations department closed at 4:15 pm.
Have a great weekend and remember..."Get the F@%& off the road!"