Chad Taniguchi, executive director of the Hawaii Bicycling League (on the left in the photo above), was among the victims in an alleged assault on Sunday. 

The alleged fight took place at the Haleiwa Metric Century Ride, a race held each year along Oahu’s North Shore. The Huffington Post Hawaii has this report: 

Five people were injured, including the Executive Director of the Hawaii Bicycling League, who was sent to a hospital with an ankle injury. Taniguchi told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that the driver of the car, 22-year old Chevis Santiago, was “very aggressive and threatening” when Taniguchi passed by on a support vehicle.

Hawaii is 12th in the nation in commuters who bike (2.3%). Portland is first (6.1%), but bikers, car drivers, and officials across the nation are still seemingly perplexed about how to get everyone to share the road.

Although cars generally win the fights they get into with bicycles, Santiago and a passenger in his car were both arrested on suspicion of third-degree assault; Santiago was charged.

Taniguchi was one of two guests at Civil Beat’s Civil Cafe event last week at Fresh Cafe in Kakaako. He joined city transportation services Director Mike Formby for a discussion on Honolulu’s bicycling renaissance.

Photo: Hawaii Bicycling League Executive Director Chad Taniguchi, left, and Mike Formby, director of the city Department of Transportation Services, discuss bicycling issues with Civil Beat reporter Sophie Cocke, April 22, at Fresh Cafe in Kakaako. (PF Bentley/Civil Beat)

— Gene Park