Dundee cyclist assaulted by fellow rider he asked to get off pavement and ride on road

A man in Dundee who asked a fellow cyclist not to ride on the pavement has spoken of how he was pushed against a wall and then had his head banged against a set of railings.

It’s the second report of a cyclist assaulting another bike rider in the city in the past three months.

Wednesday evening’s alleged assault took place on the corner of Liff Road and Buttar’s Loan, reports the Evening Telegraph.

The victim, who lives in Longforgan and wishes to remain anonymous, said: “I was cycling home from work and it happened at about 5.20pm.

“I was riding on the road but I spotted a man cycling on the pavement and shouted over to him that he should be on the road.

“He was an adult and far too old to be on the pavement.

“But he was angry when I said it, and when he caught up with me he was riding along next to me for a while on Liff Road.

“Then he started questioning me and pushed me off my bike.

“He grabbed me and smashed me against a wall. Luckily I had my helmet on which protected my head but my face is still scratched.

“He slammed me up against some railings.

“It was scary because I just wasn’t expecting violence and I am not used to violent confrontation.”

The assailant made off after the victim said he would call the police, although it was not reported whether officers were in fact informed of the incident.

The victim added: “He was a grown man and he should have been on the road, there was no reason for him not to be — it was perfectly safe. He was confident enough to assault someone so he should be confident enough to ride on the road.

“There are people campaigning to make the city safer for cyclists, but they have to do their bit and keep the pavement for pedestrians where necessary.

“Cyclists shouldn’t be afraid of the road — they are entitled to be there, and that’s the message we should be sending.

“He was trying to claim he was on a cycle path but he was not.”

Reports of cyclists attacking other bike riders are fairly rare – but this is the second in Dundee in recent months.

In September, a 70-year-old deaf man suffered two broken eye sockets after an unprovoked attack on a cycle path in Seabraes.

The aggressor, believed to be in his fifties, had started shouting at the victim earlier as he rode through the Nethergate area and then followed him before punching him in the face.