Glens Falls Chronicle Serving the Glens Falls/Lake George region; Warren, Washington and northern Saratoga counties since 1980
By Cathy DeDe, Chronicle Managing Editor
We’re hearing again about aggressive groups of youths on bicycles disrupting traffic and assailing drivers, among other acts, similar to last summer — the uptick perhaps driven by the return of warm weather.
The alleged incidents occurred in Glens Falls and Queensbury.
A man who identified himself but asked that his name not be published contacted The Chronicle on Tuesday, April 9. He said he was headed from South Glens Falls north to the Glens Falls Roundabout when “I saw just a flock of them…it’s hard to count but it was well over a dozen, like up to 16 of them. People were honking their horns because they were literally riding next to them. And then they would just like cut out in front of a car. “There was one guy coming straight at me. He was riding down the middle and then he cut in front. I’m going up the hill, he’s going down the hill on the wrong side, and then stares at me the entire time. I stare at him like what the hell are you doing? I think he was 16 or 17. And then he flips me off and goes into Burger King.
“The worst thing I saw was a guy that was near him. A lady was crossing on the crosswalk with a baby in a stroller. And he literally, he was inches from her. She didn’t see him, but I mean, he almost T -boned a baby. That is insane.”
“This whole thing happened. right during prime time, it was like, 5, 5:20” at night.
He said he contacted the Glens Falls Police Department, “but they said there wasn’t much they could do.”
“I feel like this is a much bigger problem than just these kids,” the man said. As an electrician, he said, “What I’m seeing on a daily basis, because I’m on the road all day, every day, going from place to place, I’ve never seen it this bad. I’ve never seen the kinds of things that I’ve seen on the road, they are absolutely insane.”
Jane LaBombard of Queensburyposted in the Greater Glens Falls Community Chat Facebook group about an encounter on Monday evening, April 1, on Fire Road near the Glens Falls YMCA.
She tells The Chronicle, “It was about two dozen or so kids and young people on bikes, riding in the middle of the road.
“It looked like the younger kids, as they saw me, some of them moved to the side. But then a couple of them, looked like young adults, they went full head on.
“One in particular was coming right at me where I’m sitting, on the driver’s side. They forced me to come to a complete stop. One of them popped a wheelie and I just waited for him to run into me. I was thinking, ‘this is gonna hurt.’ Then, at the last second, he veered off.”
She says, “I wasn’t rattled so much. I was just thinking this person is being, just dumb. I feel like he had an inflated sense of bravado. I don’t understand the point.”
She said many riders wore ski masks that covered their faces. She said she figured their ages by body type.
There were 234 comments in response to Ms. LaBombard’s Facebook post. Here’s a sampling.
“We saw these idiots on Broad St. at like 4:30 too. Complete fools.”
“I believe that we were behind you on Fire Rd. We were the 3rd car back. I wanted to jump out of the vehicle and do some ‘parenting!’ Our truck is brand new…less than 200 miles…as they dragged their hands down the side of it and we had to sit and watch them go by doing wheelies inches away.
“A bigger concern is the safety risk, primarily to young drivers and the elderly. It is a scary sight when they all rush your car.”
“I had my first encounter with them last evening in the circle in GF. They literally rode straight through the circle, you had no choice but to stop for them. The car behind almost hit me when I was forced to stop on a dime while in the circle.”
“They also are by the hospital and the go to the top of the parking garage and throw stuff down as people walk by. Do these kids have nothing better to do.”
“There were about 15 of these people some not teenagers riding in the intersection in South Glens Falls Wed 27th March. We watched from inside the Peppermill as they rode in front of vehicles stopping them and causing traffic to back up and hitting the vehicles’ front bumpers. They were making gestures but there were no expressions on there faces!”
“As I was approaching the circle near the Cool Insuring Arena, traffic was backed up due to this “bike gang” just going around the circle multiple times pulling wheelies holding up traffic.
“It was my turn to get into the circle and as I did so carefully, they were all around my truck cursing and being obnoxious yelling ‘we have rights to the road too’ as they thought I cut them off.
“A few of them continued to follow me until I got stopped at the red light in front of Stewart’s on Sherman ave/ glen.
There was a guy probably about 25-30 in that ‘bike gang’ who went in front of my truck with his bike , turned to me and said ‘what the f–k you gonna do about it’ while the others were at my driver side door.”
“I had the same experience Sunday on Lawrence Street. As I approached an intersection I decided I’d drive in whichever direction they didn’t! Right on their heels was a GF police car who announced to them to clear the roadway — and all riders did except for the one with earbuds in who couldn’t hear the announcement.
“Another police car awaited them at the next corner as well. When there was police presence the group was behaving overall.”
“I work at the Aviation Mall. There has been a group of kids riding through the mall the last few weekends on bikes cursing and flipping off workers and customers. Apparently they did the same thing at the Rt 9 Walmart as well, something really needs to be done about this. It’s definitely getting out of hand.”
“I work at Hannaford on Broad St and they decided to bike through our doors and vestibule. They were going extremely fast, and popped wheelies the whole way through. Almost hit me, a couple of my co-workers and customers. Managed to stop the one straggler and tell him to knock his s–t off and not to do that again him or his friends, it was ridiculous ngl!”
We contacted officials
About the alleged bicycle incidents in Glens Falls, Mayor Bill Collins and Police Chief Jarred Smith had not responded by press-time to Chronicle requests for data or comment.
The Glens Falls Board of Public Safety is next due to meet on Wednesday, May 8, 10 a.m. at City Hall.
About alleged incidents in Queensbury, The Chronicle reached out to Warren County Sheriff Jim LaFarr and had not heard back by press time.
— Cathy DeDe
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