This morning, I was biking to work and I hit the intersection at Columbia and Connecticut Ave NW. There are three lanes at this intersection. One is right turn only, one is to go straight or turn left, and the last is to turn left only. I came up alongside the second lane because I was turning left and got into the intersection right before the light turned red. As I was taking my turn, there was a white taxi cab coming up the right turn only lane who then took a left. He beeped at me for an extended period of time, because now after he made a completely illegal turn, I was in his way.

Traffic started moving down Connecticut and I kicked off down the street as well. The taxi driver came up along the left side of me and started screaming about how I was in the wrong and that I should move my bike off the road. I shouted back that he was in the right hand turn only lane and therefore should not have turned left. He then went my pace the entire time I was on Connecticut and called me a f-ing whore and trash the entire time. I shouted at him again that he was wrong and then started to ask for his taxi number. He ignored both responses and continued calling me names. I turned onto Florida Ave NW and he followed me again. Thankfully he stopped to pick someone up and he stopped following me. However he did shout trash at me one last time as I went by him.

I tried to remember the taxi information but I also did not want to stop on a busy street. The information I can remember is that it was an all white cab (both body and top) with simple black lettering across the side of the cab. The cab number was 577. The phone number (I think) started as 202-577…. and I can’t remember the last four digits. If you come across a cab with similar information and could post about it in the comments so that I could try to take some sort of action then I would greatly appreciate it. I already called the hotel at the intersection and unfortunately their cameras only hit the parking lot and not the street.

I was extremely shaken up by this event and it honestly ruined my entire day. It was supposed to be a good day, I got an awesome job offer today. Now, all I can focus on is the fact that my morning was started off by being called a whore and a piece of trash for a good part of my bike ride.

Submitted by Stacey

Location: Columbia Ave NW & Connecticut Ave NW

Time: Morning Rush Hour (5A-9:30A)

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