What would you have done?

While riding home last night (about 10:30) on the Lakefront path, I saw a pedestrian ahead of me and I called out "on your left". The woman turned around and started cussing me, after I passed she threw a bottle at me and hit me in the back.

I got off of my bike, confronted her, asked her why she hit me with a bottle. At that point I realized that she had mental health issues and let her be.

But my shoulder really was hurting. I started to call the police, but I thought of the long wait involved waiting for them to arrive. I really was tempted to retaliate, but the woman cried out " I have issues!" and that really defused my anger.

Now I considering purchasing pepper (bear deterrent strength) for similar situations , it's legal in Chicago and Illinois.

Now I ask "WHAT WOULD YOU DO?"

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by V W on May 3, 2015 at 1:22pm

There's no easy answer for dealing with the mentally ill. Some of them can get real sane real quick when confronted with possible repercussions. But overall I feel very bad for people suffering like that (and for their families) and try to bite my tongue and have some compassion...but easier said than done.

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Permalink Reply by Tom A.K. on May 3, 2015 at 2:46pm

Waymond, this is a tough call. You may have just come upon a bad luck situation like we all occasionally do. How do you know ahead of time how the person in front of you is going to react, despite their issues. You almost would hope to have a 'sense' for how to handle any situation.

Sometimes, when approaching people on the path, I may slow down, make limited 'noise' to see if they hear me and how they react. Maybe ring my bell instead of a "ON YOUR LEFT!" seems less upsetting to some. It's hard to judge.

Getting hit with a bottle is never a good feeling and possibly retaliating with pepper spray on a person would only be recommended if you were concerned for your own personal safety. You did the right thing given the difficult situation.

Here's hoping that these types of situations don't happen again for you.

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Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on May 4, 2015 at 2:57am

I often do likewise. I find that using a bell rarely provokes the angry responses that "on your left" sometimes gets.

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Permalink Reply by Maurice on May 4, 2015 at 4:12am

Food for thought: It's possible to call 911 anonymously and not wait around for officers to respond.

For example, "I'm calling to report a distressed person on the bike path throwing bottles at cyclists."

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Permalink Reply by Joe Guzzardo on May 5, 2015 at 1:43pm

Agreed, doing nothing is not the best solution. That woman is a danger to the public and needs to be dealt with accordingly. Throwing bottles at people is a very serious offense and whether the woman was mentally ill or not is really irrelevant.

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Permalink Reply by Tricolor on May 4, 2015 at 4:42am

I generally leave a lot of space and don't say anything or make any noise. It can just confuse and alarm people. If they look unsteady (drunks and many of tourists on Divvys) I'll slow down and give them an even wider berth.

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Permalink Reply by Waymond Smith on May 4, 2015 at 5:34am

The law states that when passing a pedestrian you MUST give an warning; besides, it's being considerate.

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Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on May 4, 2015 at 7:01am

Yes!!!

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Permalink Reply by Tricolor on May 5, 2015 at 6:21am

On the lakefront trail you'd hear such a din you'd never decipher the warning meant for you. That's one law I'll say sucks and should not be observed.

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Permalink Reply by Mark on May 4, 2015 at 7:13am

Since most pedestrians can't hear my On Your Lefts, I save them for critical areas where they may turn left. I do try and give OYL's to cyclists, as they tend to be less hearing-impaired.