The Allentown-Upper Freehold Township area has become a popular destination for cyclists to enjoy the quiet and scenic country roads the area has to offer. Just for that reason, many organizations choose the area for their charity cycling events.
I am quite concerned though as some motorists/ residents in the area do not appreciate that they should have to “share the road” with other users. I am writing to bring awareness to an incident that occurred while a friend and I were out riding on Hill Road on July 23.
There are not too many so-called “hills” in the area, so many local cyclists use Hill Road to train their legs for riding such terrain. My friend and I were riding single file and staying as close to the edge of the road as possible, knowing the road has no specific bike lane or shoulder.
We are always considerate of others when riding and stay single file the majority of the time we are out. We were in an open stretch of the road with no vehicles coming in the opposite direction.
From behind, we could hear a vehicle approaching so we were as close to the edge of the road as possible. The driver of the vehicle purposely forced us off the side of the road as he went by, nearly hitting us with his vehicle. As he drove by, he then gestured with his middle finger.
Luckily neither of us were hurt, but it could have ended much worse. I will be filing a police report about the incident.
On July 24, I decided to do some investigative work of my own and I eventually located the vehicle that I believe caused the incident. The driver needs to be accountable for his actions before an innocent citizen gets seriously hurt, or worse, dies. Bob Pepper Bordentown