E-Biker Bashes British Tourist on 3rd Ave., Stirs More Outrage over Lawless Bikers

A couple from Britain were heading toward a restaurant on the Upper East Side when one of them was sucker punched by a maniac on a motorized bike, according to a video posted on an Upper East Side blog.

A witness to the incident said a motor bike driver was running a red light on Third Ave. and E. 69th St. and bearing down on the couple crossing with a walk sign. When the male British tourist held out his folded umbrella to prevent the biker from running into the couple, that apparently enraged the biker.

A video of the attack posted on r/uppereastside on Feb,. 28 by u/mulmer96 said this of his friends: “They had the pedestrian light to cross the street and this guy was speeding at them about to hit them. My friend put his unopened umbrella out as a way to stop him and put distance between them. He said the guys bike came to a halt and the umbrella barely grazed him.”

But that was apparently enough to send the biker into a frenzy.

”They continued walking and he rode up on the sidewalk and started shouting profanities at them and said, ‘what would you do if I hit you?’”

Then the biker punched the British man in the face, video on the site showed. After throwing the sucker punch, the video showed the biker making his getaway, riding the wrong way down a one way street.

”Thankfully, his glasses did not break, but he has a nasty gash on the side of his nose from the glasses hitting into him from the punch,” said the poster.

The incident comes as a controversial e-bike “speedway” has recently opened up by the Department of Transportation (DOT) along a two mile stretch of Third Ave, after the DOT rejiggered traffic lights to coincide with the average speed of an e-bike of 15 MPH. Previously the traffic lights were made to coincide with the speed limit for cars, 25 MPH.

The change has apparently worried pedestrians who fear the unimpeded thru fare will increase the potential for bike vs. pedestrian crashes while drivers along Third Ave. have complained that the traffic lights have now forced vehicular traffic to a crawl. UES council member Julie Menin has complained to DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez that the community was not given any advance notice before the e-bike speedway stretching from E. 60th Street to E. 96th Street, a distance of over two miles, was unveiled.

After the note about the biker’s sucker punch of the British tourist was posted on the Reddit ite, it elicited complaints about motorized bikes,, sympathy for the British tourists and reports of more clashes between motorized bikes and pedestrians on the UES.

”Sucker-punches and run for it,” posted Smart_Freedom_8155. “What a gem of a human being. Glad your friend is mostly OK.”

”Those bikes have gotten dangerous to pedestrians in Manhattan. It wasn’t so bad before 2021,” posted xyz_abc_789_123. “But now when I’m in the city I get close calls all the time.”

”This is why we need e-bike regulations in NYC,” wrote antler of the Reddit posters.

“I don’t understand why they are allowed to drive on the sidewalk. You don’t see Citibike riders on the sidewalk. It’s so dangerous! They are basically in car on a sidewalk since all of them are electric and go extremely fast,” added Foreign_touritst3982.

Added another poster, identified as indigomild posters: “My sister got hit by an ebike going full speed on the sidewalk yesterday.” He said the biker on the sidewalk and fell of the bike after he knocked down his sister. He said his sister is OK, but banged up on arm, neck and. shoulders.

Some were calling for more enforcement of existing laws. “There’s already laws against riding on the sidewalks, going through red lights, speeding in bike lanes, etc. But they’re not enforced.”

He added car drivers also ignore traffic laws. “Same things for cars blowing through red lights which happens at every single intersection on 1st and 2nd Ave. on the UES during the day. Every single one, every day.”

The British couple made their way to the restaurant Donna Margherita at 1304 Second Ave. between 68th and 69th Streets after the attack. “The nice staff gave him ice for his nose and he’s doing fine, but just wanted to share the story for awareness,” said their friend.

But asked by other Reddit users on the site if they had reported the incident to the police, the friend said they had not. “They’re just in town for a visit and there wasn’t a plate on the bike.” And he added, “I think they’re aware reporting it wouldn’t go anywhere.”