Harassing Bicyclists In LA Is Now A Crime

The streets of LA may have gotten a bit safer for bicyclists–thanks in no small part to the Los Angeles council. The LA Times reports that this last Wednesday the council passed an ordinance that would make harassing bicyclists a crime. Not only are motorists prohibited from verbally and physically threatening bicyclists, the ordinance would also allow bicyclists who were victims of harassment to sue in civil court without formal charges.

Thanks, no doubt, to a small but vocal band of bicyclist-activists, Los Angeles seems to finally be taking the rights of bicyclists seriously. This ordinance–about which you can read more in the Los Angeles Times article here–is the toughest in the country. Hopefully it will help motorists think twice before threatening the life of bicyclists, the road is enough of a challenge without driver hostility!