An encounter on a dark road in East Montpelier in late July quickly became an example of the kinds of conflicts that can easily arise between motorists and cyclists in Vermont.
Carl Etnier biked in the center of the lane on U.S. 2 in the post-sunset hours of July 25. The road narrows at a certain point during his 10-mile ride from his job at Goddard College to his home in East Montpelier, and he later said the lane was too narrow for a car to pass him safely. He relied on his four-LED flashing red light and reflectors to make him visible.
Two men in a car came upon Etnier on the two-lane road, which has a speed limit of 50 mph, and began to follow Etnier closely, yelling at him and honking the horn. Etnier quickly turned on the camera he keeps attached to his bicycle helmet to capture any incidents that unfold, he told the Burlington Free Press.
"Get out of the road!" one man yelled at Etnier from the car, as shown in the video. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
Two cars went around Etnier and the car behind him, passing on the other side of the road.
Etnier eventually pulled to the side of the road. The car stopped next to him.
"Are you crazy?" the passenger in the car said while cursing. The man yelled that the vehicle almost "killed you," adding, he and the driver "should" have killed him.
Etnier responded, "What's your name?" as the situation escalated. He later fired back at the men: "You're on candid camera."
Etnier led the men to the nearby fire station, and he said he had the people on duty at the station call the Vermont State Police to settle the disagreement. The men willingly went along with him.
Etnier eventually received a ticket for failing to ride close enough to the right.
No other citations were given, and the state police did not respond to an email seeking the names of the drivers.
