Rude Driver Winds Up Walking

For police officers who are also biking enthusiasts, bicycle patrols are more than a boon to law enforcement. They can also win new appreciation--and respect--for cycling.

Shortly after bike patrols began in Dayton, Ohio, some people in a passing car threw a beer can at bicycle Officer Allan Howard and shouted, “Get on the sidewalk where you belong!”

“After they finally became parallel with me, they realized I was a police officer,” Howard said. “So consequently they ran the red light and sped down the street.”

Howard radioed ahead to a motorcycle officer, who pulled the car over a few blocks away. Once Howard caught up to them, he issued the driver tickets for expired plates, an invalid driver’s license and failing to have insurance.

In what Howard considered a victory for mistreated cyclists everywhere, he had the man’s car towed--then got the last word.

“I looked at him from the same seat of the bicycle and said, ‘Now you get up on the sidewalk where you belong, friend.’ ”