A London man who has cycled 20 years on the same 9-kilometer route to his job in the Salvation Army says Thursday he was punched in the face by an angry driver.
Peter Riley, 55, was cycling north through Adelaide St., near Kipps Lane, when he noticed a vehicle was blocking the bike lane.
“I do my normal thing and yell something like,‘ Hey! You’re blocking the bike lane! ”Said Riley, who has a habit of reminding drivers to stay off the bike lane.
“At the next traffic light, he turns the corner, stops, gets out of his car, runs towards me, and punches me,” said Riley, who managed to take a picture of the man as he approached he.
“It was important. It made me fall off the bike. The edge of my glasses cut my cheek.”
Riley also obtained a photo of the vehicle and the man’s license plate number.
Updated image pic.twitter.com/wSvfdtRh9O
– @ AFynClass
I don’t regret telling the driver to stay out of the bike lane
Police said Friday they are investigating and have released a photo of the driver.
In a statement, they said they are looking for a suspect who is between 35 and 45 years old, of medium to heavy set, wearing a black baseball cap and a navy blue shirt.
London police have released this photo of a person who may have been involved in an incident with a London cyclist on June 23, 2022. (Provided by the London Police Service)
Police said their investigation involves looking at the vehicle’s license plate numbers.
While Riley had never been hit by a driver before, this is certainly not the first time he has exchanged words with someone behind the wheel.
“There are so few facilities dedicated to cyclists that I feel the need to own our space,” he said. “When drivers try to take up space for cyclists, I don’t hesitate to shout.”
“I will not change this behavior.”
Riley acknowledged that the city of London has made progress in installing more bike lanes. “London is moving in the right direction,” he said. “I think they’re all great and we just need a lot more.”
But with more bike lanes, comes the need for more application. The city of London heavily patrolled King Street and other downtown lanes when they first opened, but vehicles continue to park there.
The head of the city’s statute, Orest Katolyk, said on Friday that “numerous sanctions” are being imposed on bike lanes and the surrounding area. He could not say how many have been issued because they are coded along with other violations of parking regulations.
Riley will get back on his bike as soon as possible, he said. “It’s too important a part of my routine to give up.”
Peter Riley has been doing the same route for about 20 years to his job in the Salvation Army. (Submitted by Peter Riley)