This footage, obtained by Gothamist, shows the shocking moment when a truck driver decided that the rules didn’t apply to him. The video was taken by a cyclist who filmed the scene.
The incident took place on Kent Avenue in Brooklyn, New York on June 23.
In the video, a semi truck is seen driving in the wrong direction in a bike lane among heavy traffic. The semi’s hazards are blinking, and the truck is driving so close to the sidewalk that its top hits nearby trees along the curb. The trucker is then seen shouting from his window as he takes an illegal left turn.
According to Gothamist, the driver turned onto Kent at North Sixth Street around 12:30 p.m., then drove four blocks to Metropolitan Avenue.
When the cyclist/videographer caught up to the trucker, he told the driver that the path is for bikes.
The cyclist explained:
“My dad is a trucker, so I have a certain amount of sympathy for truck drivers getting disoriented/pressured in urban environments.”
He continued:
“But the driver just said, ‘I want to f*** your mother’ twice.”
Reportedly, the non-biking portion of Kent Avenue is an official truck route—but it’s a one-way path. In order to travel south, as this trucker was attempting to, he would legally need to travel five blocks over to onto Roebling Street, or travel seven blocks onto Union Avenue.
In 2009, Kent was turned into a one-way street, and a two directional bike path was installed. When this happened, truck drivers were no longer able to travel in both directions.
The cyclist stated:
“I’m not sure how better designed the Kent Ave. lane could be. It’s painted; it has its own set of lights; it’s separated by a lane of parking—it is an ideal bike lane. Just nothing is enforced.”
He mentioned:
“I ride 10+ miles every day to and from work, and every day I face at least one situation with careless or aggressive [drivers] that could get me killed if I’m not paying attention.”
This area has been a significant problem for some time. Rouge vehicles are known to speed down bike lanes in this city as they fight for space.
Residents have brought up the issue of overwhelming truck traffic issues since the bike lane was installed and have suggested re-routing. But so far, nothing has been done.
