Los Angeles cyclists get anti-harassment laws

Just as residents of Chester and Hereford are theoretically permitted to shoot Geraint Thomas, Tom Jones, or any other Welshman with a bow and arrow at certain times of day, in Los Angeles a legal quirk has meant there was no effective civil or criminal law against harassing a cyclist.

But while Britain’s cycling fans and menopausal women would have little fear of their heroes been taken down by a deranged exponent of medieval archery, the chances of cyclists being on the receiving end of verbal and physical abuse in a city where the car is king, are somewhat greater.

But now an LA city councillor (or councilman as they are known there) has introduced a local law, specifically designed to protect cyclists from any kind of harassment, reports the LA Times.

Councilman Bill Rosendahl took the action after meeting a young cyclist who had suffered facial injuries in a hit-and-run accident in the city.

"It's about time cyclists had rights; about time they had laws to protect them," Rosendahl said.

The new law makes it an offence to:

• Physically assault or attempt to physically assault a Bicyclist because of,
in whole or in part, the Bicyclist's status as a Bicyclist.
• . Threaten to physically injure a Bicyclist because of, in whole or in part, the
Bicyclist's status as a Bicyclist.
• Intentionally injure, attempt to injure, or threaten to physically injure, either
by words, vehicle, or other object, a Bicyclist because of, in whole or in part, the
Bicyclist's status as a Bicyclist.
• Intentionally distract or attempt to distract a Bicyclist because of, in whole
or in part, the Bicyclist's status as a Bicyclist.
• Intentionally force or attempt to force a Bicyclist off a street for purposes
unrelated to public safety.

According to the new law, the penalty for transgressors will be :
"Treble the actual damages with regard to each and every such violation, or $1,000,
whichever is greater, and [they] shall be liable for reasonable attorneys' fees and costs of litigation. In addition, a jury or a court may award punitive damages where warranted."

Cycling is on the rise in Los Angeles where chronic traffic jams, relatively high fuel prices (for America) and poor public transport have combined to make pedal power a more attractive option than ever before.

The recent Carmageddon weekend also gave cycling a boost when a team of riders from Wolfpack Hustle easily outpaced a temporarily scheduled airline flight designed to beat the widely predicted traffic chaos.