Aggressive Uber Driver

On the morning commute today, I was southbound on Milwaukee near Wood. I had passed a police officer talking to a cyclist that looked a little shaken up, probably from an accident. I was thinking about how lucky I've been without an accident in a few years. Approaching the intersection, there was a car turning left(east to Wood), blocking the main lane for cars on Milwaukee. The car directly behind the turning car was stopped, but swerved into the bike lane, causing me to slam on the brakes to narrowly avoid running into it. I threw up my arms signaling a WTF moment...The driver stepped on the brakes, also threw his arms up, and since I had his attention at that point, I decided I would flip him off. He swerved over to the parking lane in front of Walgreens, put his window down and waited for me to get closer. As I approached, he was yelling at me telling me I had to watch out for cars, various obscenities and such. Though I didn't stop, I slowed enough just to let him know to F*ck off and watch for cyclists. 

That was the pleasant part. He didn't like what I said, so he sped up to my right side, then proceeded to ram me with his car as I rode alongside him. He pushed me a few times and I was lucky enough not to be tossed from my bike or injured at all. I turned around to my GF that I commute with, told her I'd see her later, and tried to catch up to the guy so I could get a photo of his car. He sped off quick behind Jewel and I didn't get a chance to get the photo. I looked around for a few minutes trying to see if I could spot his car, but wasn't able to find him. 

I used to ride with my GoPro on my bike, but haven't done it in a while. I really regretted it this morning, not having it mounted.

Be careful out there, weather changes, people forget how to drive, and holidays can make people anxious. I don't think there's a good excuse for purposely running your car into someone though.

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Permalink Reply by Douglas Price on December 21, 2017 at 7:30am

I won't ride without camera coverage. I leave a case attached to the bike so I can just pop in a camera and go.

Permalink Reply by Cheryl on December 22, 2017 at 9:05am

Ugh, sorry you had this experience. How can drivers believe crap like "you need to watch for cars" when they swerve into the bike lane without even looking. :-(  There's a serious deficiency in knowing/following the rules of the road. 

I also won't ride without camera coverage anymore. It's sad that we, as cyclists, have to avoid being hit and be prepared to have an unbiased record if the worst comes to pass.

Permalink Reply by David Altenburg on December 22, 2017 at 9:08am

Sorry this happened to you. These Uber drivers are a menace. I've been a bike commuter for 5 years - potholes, polar vortices, heavy construction trucks haven't phased me, but the proliferation of Uber has had me questioning my mode of transportation a lot lately. 

(One things that keeps me going is the hope that their passengers will see how much faster I'm going than they are and reconsider their mode of transport). 

Permalink Reply by djm on December 22, 2017 at 9:53am

Glad youre ok.  Is it worth trying to pursue this with Uber?  Per their website, Uber trips are GPS tracked.

I was waiting at a red light when the car that was stopped behind me pulled out into opposing traffic, drove through the red light, cutting off cross traffic and nearly causing a collision, and then stopped in the road just past the intersection.  I was dumbfounded until I saw it was an Uber picking up a rider.

Permalink Reply by Juan 2-3 or more mi. on December 22, 2017 at 10:12am

Uber drivers make medallion taxi drivers look like angels :P

Permalink Reply by Alex Z on December 28, 2017 at 4:10am

I used to think taxi drivers were among the worst offenders on the road, but I tend to agree with you.

It could just be that taxis are easier to "spot," so I'm more ready for an unexpected move by a taxi driver (like swerving to the curb).

Permalink Reply by Mike Zumwalt on December 26, 2017 at 6:18am

I don't understand the thinking of anyone doing it but somehow saying "I'm UBER" is like some sort of imaginary perk that allows them to drive reckless or ignore laws. 

I used to be confrontational,and still am with the flipping off,but in the long run taking the plate number and reporting on the UBER website is more effective.

Permalink Reply by Alex Z on December 28, 2017 at 4:11am

Is it easy enough to figure out where on the Uber website to report violations? I thought it was nigh-impossible to report something that didn't happen to you as an Uber passenger.

Permalink Reply by Mike Zumwalt on December 28, 2017 at 7:29am

i worked for me, I clicked the options then in the area meant for comments I left a note.

I got a phone call with a message but never called back.

Their image is taking a huge hit after the CEO leaves and the hush money after a data breach. 

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