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Wellington driver charged after punching cyclist

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Mon, 16 Jan 2012 7:35a.m.

Russ Roca was tackled off his bike and punched in the face

Russ Roca was tackled off his bike and punched in the face

A driver has been arrested over an alleged road rage attack on two American cyclists in Wellington.

US tourists Russ Roca and Laura Crawford were cycling on Riddiford Street in the suburb of Newtown on Tuesday afternoon when a man, driving a rental car, narrowly drove past them.

The driver then pulled over and ran at the pair, tackling Mr Roca off his bike and punching him in the face.

Wellington police Inspector Paris Razos says a 39-year-old man was arrested on Sunday night and charged with common assault.

He was due to appear in Wellington District Court on Wednesday.

Insp Razos thanked members of the public for their assistance in the investigation.

He said it was unfortunate the incident followed years of partnership between police and the Wellington City Council to develop safe cycle routes through the city.

"While these initiatives have generally made Wellington a safer and more enjoyable place to cycle, Wellington can still be a challenging environment for cyclists," he says.

"It is up to all road users to stay alert to the needs of other road users and show common courtesy."

NZN

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Comments

13 May 2012 02:43a.m.

Franc wrote:

I'm a cyclist in Europe and I have to say the culture of drivers is appalling, thus this report doesn't surprise me. Passing by centimeters away from me at speeds of over 100 kmh, while the opposite lane is free and then also being rude is becoming an increasingly bigger problem to the point I'm actually thinking of giving up cycling for my health (and isn't that irony...). On my 30km short regular route I have everytime over 30 cases of narrow passings. It's just unfortunate my country's police is too worried with revenue-production than actually doing something for our safety.