Posted on 07/02/2005 10:24:39 AM PDT by lowbridge
It began as a shouting match on a busy Capitol Hill street corner during the frenetic morning commute, a bike-vs.-car incident not uncommon in a big city.
But then the silver-haired, retired Navy lieutenant got out of his car, approached the red-headed ballet dancer riding a bike and allegedly shoved her to the ground, authorities said. He got back into his car and, as bystanders followed him, drove down the block to his nearby office, the bicyclist said.
The man was identified as Ted E. Schelenski, 64, vice president for finance and operations at the Heritage Foundation, a think tank that promotes conservative policies. He pleaded not guilty this week to a charge of simple assault.
The bicyclist, Kristin Hall, 23, said the trouble began about 8:30 a.m. June 14. She was riding on the sidewalk, about to turn onto the 300 block of Massachusetts Avenue NE, when a car stopped in front of her, blocking her path, she said. She stopped her bike and asked the man to move his silver Acura, she said.
But Schelenski wouldn't move, and the two yelled at one another, she said in an interview yesterday.
"It was some kind of road-rage nonsense," Hall said. "When he got out of the car, I told him: 'You're crazy! Get back in the car!' "
But Schelenski came at the 105-pound, communications assistant at the Academy for Educational Development and shoved her to the ground while she was still straddled on her bicycle, she said.
"I was pretty scraped up and bruised," Hall said. "And he just got back into his car and floored it. He took off."
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
He should try decaf.
Stupid ass bikers. They want to be pedestrians (ride on the sidewalk) when it is convenient, and want to be cars (ride on the road) when it is convenient. And I doubt she "asked" him to move his car. I think it should be legal to push over obnoxious bikers. Better yet, you should get a reward.
Seppuku is the only solution to the shame, leastwise if Heritage Foundation is to be spared serious embarrassment.
If I were conspiracy minded, I'd say she targeted him intentionally.
BTW, it's usually unlawful to BLOCK A SIDEWALK. Should be the death penalty for it anyway. You know that.
No bikers just think that they are gods for not polluting while they commute. In reality most of them just can't afford cars.
---He should try decaf.---
During his stay in jail.
Hey, I've got plenty of red-hair left, and I'll tell you what I'd do if that old coot got in front of my bicycle on a public sidewalk in an area where BICYCLES are generally required to be ridden on the sidewalks ~ he'd be meat ~ just meat ~ little pices too ~ all over the place.
What happened to just getting along? :^)
What makes you think drove his car on a sidewalk?
But it was a ballet dancer.
Really doesn't matter how at fault the bicyclist was--the fact remains that this 64 year old former Navy man took the punk's way out and pushed over a 101 pound woman who was still strapped into her bike. What a coward.
Who does this guy think he is; Ted Kennedy?
He blocked the sidewalk at the crosswalk.
Guy was STANDING in a prohibited zone.
This is DC, not out in the country somewhere.
Working where he does he knew better.
Be very careful, make sure the car you pick contains a very small, old and non weapon carrying individual. In some states you would be making a big mistake.
In Washington traffic this fellow might have been hung up by traffic or a light in a cross walk and the the biker might have been yelling profanities at him, who knows.
Wonderful press for the conservative cause.
Because they are in a rural area they think the road belongs to them and don't care about the residents and the need to get to work, school or whatever and they are, for the most part, very obnoxious. I can certainly sympathize with this guy if he did push her down, but I have my doubts he did.
I stopped riding bikes when I saw a long time resident of this county run over by a logging truck after he fell over in front of it, if this doesn't cure you of the urge to ride bikes on the highway, nothing will.
I don't what the situation was in this case - you can't trust the MSM to print anything accurately anymore.
However, I often wonder what the problem is with some bicyclists...
As an example, around the corner from my office is part of the old Erie Canal. The road that runs along it has essentially zero berm, and one lane in either direction. Its a tight fit for large cars and trucks. Nevertheless, its pretty heavily travelled in rush hour and at lunchtime.
Directly on the other side of the canal, is a paved towpath, with two lanes in either direction, restricted to pedestrians and bicycles (and rollerbladers). There are parking lots for those who wish to use the towpath. All in all, its a very convenient asset for bicyclists - or so you would think.
Guess where the bicyclists ride? Yep - on the road. Piling up traffic because most cars can't get around them with oncoming traffic and the bicyclists can't ride in the soft berm on the side of the road.
We spent a fortune building them bike paths, and they refuse to use them, preferring to be a PITA in traffic.
Sure, I can understand them using the roads when there's no bike path, but when the bike path parallels the road they're on, and they still refuse to use it??
Is it some sort of bicyclist power trip to hold up traffic? I don't get it.
Newspapers never cover the important stuff.
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