BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — A recent experience during a Slow Roll Buffalo event is catching some attention. Some are calling it "traffic violence" that was caught on camera.
Video captured during Monday's slow roll through North Buffalo shows a man trying to drive through a group of bikers at an intersection.
In the video, you can see Simon Husted, a long-time volunteer with Slow Roll, trying to block the driver.
"He was just gonna speed right through and blast through it," Husted said.
He said he was standing at the intersection of Amherst and Starin -- stopping cars - while bikers rode through.
"I'm working one intersection and telling motorists that, 'Hey, give it about five minutes.' Everyone was really fine, and those who weren't turned around and went a different way, just like how people normally do," Husted explained. "We had one motorist who, with his Dodge Durango said, 'Not acceptable. I'm gonna plow I'm gonna go through. I'm gonna plow through when it's a green light, because that's my right.'"
Husted said he was trying to de-escalate the situation all while nearly 600 bikers rode by.
"I stood there, stood in his way, and unfortunately, he gave multiple tries of doing it, which really upset a lot of people," he said.
Husted said he filed a police report with the Buffalo Police Department and said the irony of this situation is that this slow roll event theme was the "Safer Streets for People Ride."
"And it's really a reflection across the country because we do not take traffic violence seriously," he said.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 6,000 pedestrians and 850 bicyclists die in roadway crashes each year. Together, this makes up about 19 percent of all traffic fatalities.
Husted asks that you be mindful when you see Slow Roll bikers enjoying their ride on the street.
"If you're not in well enough space to just wait for a couple minutes, then I would say, please turn around and leave," he said.
