Bicyclist, driver confrontation on Seattle street goes viral

SEATTLE -- A confrontation in Seattle between a driver and bicyclist is going viral on the Internet.

The cyclist was wearing a camera on his helmet and recorded the confrontation with a woman who parked in a bike lane along Dexter Avenue.

"This is a through lane, you're blocking traffic," said the cyclist.

"Oh, my God, kill me," replied the driver, to which the cyclist responds, "You do this again, I'm calling the cops."



The video shows the frustrations drivers and cyclists both have as they share the streets every day.

"I’ve had some pretty crazy drivers throughout my day," said Spencer Gravitt, a bicyclist. "I’ve had people intentionally cut me off, and scream at me."

Yvelyn Lincecum, a Seattle driver, admits all of the bikes on the road make her tense.

"Sometimes I’m driving and I look at one (cyclist), and another one comes from a different direction," said Lincecum. "They don’t realize I don’t have eyes all around my head."

Cyclists say part of the problem with Dexter Avenue, where the viral video was shot, is the new design of the street. When the Seattle Department of Transportation redesigned the road, they created parking on the outside of the bike lane. Several warning signs were posted, but clearly not everyone got the message.

The Seattle Department of Transportation said it has seen the video and will now ask police for more patrols in the area. The department is also considering creating larger signs warning drivers about parking in a bike lane, and how much the fines are. They can be nearly $200.

The cyclist who posted this video said he has used his helmet cam to show how other drivers have also parked in bike lanes around the area, and his YouTube page shows him confronting those drivers.

Of the video that went viral, he said, "She didn't know or care that she parked in the bike lane, and her first reaction was to be defensive. All I'd really like from her is to not park there again.

"The vast majority of drivers are very courteous to cyclists. I just think the small minority that aren't are very noticeable."

Below is the complete video as posted on YouTube.  Warning it contains very graphic language some will find offensive