A Brooklyn cyclist says a local state senator drove behind him in a bike lane, tried to impersonate a police officer, demanded that he move out of the way, and then broke a host of traffic laws in an effort to escape without being identified.

The alleged actions of New York State Senator Martin Golden and his driver show that even elected officials often think they don’t need to respect the space of cyclists. They also raise a host of questions about Golden’s aggressive driving record.

In a series of tweets and media interviews, Brian Howald, a software engineer and Brooklyn community board member, said he was heading south in the Third Avenue bike lane on Monday when Golden’s car came up behind him, trying to bypass traffic. When Howald didn’t move out of the sedan’s way, Golden, a passenger in the vehicle, rolled down his window, waved a parking placard, and claimed to be a police officer.

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As the vehicle passed, Howald thought something was amiss and approached the car to ask a few questions, like what precinct it operated from. He said Golden then got dismissive and called him an “asshole,” which prompted Howald to reach for his camera phone.

Over the next few minutes, Howald said, Golden’s driver ran multiple red lights and drove against traffic, trying to escape from being photographed. But because of New York traffic, Howald was able to repeatedly catch up with the vehicle. Golden continued to refuse to identify himself and tried to shield his face from the camera until Howald was able to capture a clear shot.

“In terms of the verbal and physical confrontation, this [altercation] was pretty minor,” Howald later told the Village Voice. “What was most upsetting was that an elected official was committing a felony by claiming to be a police officer to excuse his driving in a bike lane.”

Golden, who worked as an NYPD officer more than 30 years ago, denied impersonating a cop and told NY1 News that his driver entered the bike lane to avoid blocking the box. (Howald refuted Golden’s claim on Twitter with photos of the vehicle in the bike lane before reaching the intersection.)

“I think he's got to move on,” Golden told NY1. “And if he's doing it to other drivers—other vehicles—he is leading toward a cyclist road rage.”

In response to Golden’s comments, many New Yorkers brought up the senator’s spotty driving record. Golden struck an elderly pedestrian with his SUV in 2005 on the same street where Monday’s incident took place. The 74-year-old pedestrian died a few months later. Golden never faced any charges.



In the years since, Golden has opposed many safe-streets initiatives that have come before the state senate. According to multiple sources, he also accrued nearly three dozen parking and speeding tickets in less than five years, including 10 camera violations for speeding in a school zone. Golden is a vocal opponent of speed cameras.

“Several other people filled me in on the litany of violations committed by the car [Golden] was in,” Howald told reporters. “I mean, this is somebody who is likely to commit multiple infractions, [who] drives aggressively. There were many people who commented on the Twitter thread that they had personally been almost hit by Senator Golden while walking the streets.”

Neither Howald nor Golden responded to Bicycling’s requests for comment.

Robert Annis After spending nearly a decade as a reporter for The Indianapolis Star, Robert Annis finally broke free of the shackles of gainful employment and now freelances full time, specializing in cycling and outdoor-travel journalism. Over the years, Robert's byline has appeared in numerous publications and websites, including Outside, National Geographic Traveler, Afar, Bicycling, Men's Journal, Popular Mechanics, Lonely Planet, the Chicago Tribune, and Adventure.com

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