Via WashCycle and Greater Greater Washington comes some discouraging news about MPD’s priorities when it comes to bicyclists. Nat Wilson says he was biking in Georgetown when the driver of a commercial van decided he didn’t like traveling behind slower traffic and not only ran Nat off the road but nearly struck another cyclist who happened to be riding nearby. The driver got stuck at the next light, though, and when Nat caught up he was able to snap some shots of the driver, his van and its license plate. You can see the originals and read Nat’s account over at his site.

As you can see, I’ve anonymized the photo above. Speaking as a bicyclist it’s easy to believe Nat’s story, but of course it wouldn’t be fair to assume the driver’s guilt without hearing his side of the story. These things can get murky.

What is clear, though, is that the matter is worth looking into. But so far MPD has been troublingly uninterested in investigating the incident. Upon getting home Nat reported what had happened, but MPD didn’t take Nat’s name or give him an incident number. They said they’d keep an eye out for the driver in order to check his ID, but that’s it. Despite Nat having a license plate, business name, photo of the driver and there existing a (admittedly still-unnamed) witness, a motorist deliberately endangering cyclists just didn’t rate MPD’s attention. We’re not calling for a citywide manhunt, of course, but as Nat points out, a chance to establish or add to the paper trail surrounding the driver doesn’t seem like too much to ask.

It’s pretty discouraging, particularly given the department’s recent enthusiasm for ticketing bikers for behavior that is slated to soon become legal. It’s also difficult to understand given the department’s co-sponsorship of the Smooth Operator Program, an area initiative aimed at stopping aggressive driving. But for now all we can say is to be careful out there — and, if you feel inspired to do so, let MPD know how you feel.