Driver-cyclist clash dings Portland’s image
PORTLAND – Portland’s reputation as a bike-friendly city fell flat this week when a confrontation between a cyclist and motorist turned to blows.
It turns out the motorist who yelled at the man on the bike was a longtime cyclist, trying to lecture on bike ethics.
And the cyclist, police say, turned out to be drunk. Reports from the scene say he blew through a red light and then used his bike to assault the driver.
The clash is underscoring the uneasy relationship between folks on two wheels and those on four in a town that regularly wins national recognition for alternate transportation and bike access.
The relationship has suffered, too, after a number of deadly accidents involving motorists who turned right at intersections and crushed cyclists trying to go straight through the crossings. Young adults fond of riding kiddie bikes through Portland’s posh West Hills at breakneck speeds have also caused consternation.
This time, however, motorist Colin Yates and bicyclist Steven McAtee are at the center of the debate.
Yates, a cycling advocate who has been involved in the bike industry for more than 30 years, was driving his Subaru in southeastern Portland on Sunday when he saw a bicyclist pass him on the left and run a stoplight.
The 47-year-old Yates told police he caught up with McAtee, honking his horn and telling him that he shouldn’t run stoplights because it gives cycling a bad name.
McAtee became irate and challenged Yates to get out of the car, asking him “if he wanted some,” said police Sgt. Brian Schmautz.
McAtee picked up his bike and used it to strike Yates’ car, and when Yates got out of the Subaru, McAtee used his two-wheeler to strike Yates, Schmautz said.
A crowd gathered, and someone punched McAtee, knocking him to the ground. Another person called 911, reporting that a car had hit a bicycle.
Schmautz said a “pretty aggressive crowd” was standing around, accusing the motorist of hitting the cyclist.
One witness, who apparently feared the crowd would turn on him, told police he didn’t want to be seen talking to them but later corroborated Yates’ story.
Yates said cyclists who rode by the scene yelled profanities at him and his family, who were also in the Subaru. “I’m sad and just really disappointed the cycling community immediately decided that someone driving a car was a bad guy,” he said.
Yates said he’s been “attacked by motorists before” and now knows how it feels to be on both sides.
McAtee, 31, was charged with assault, criminal mischief, driving under the influence of intoxicants and disorderly conduct.