SEATTLE -- Most bike riders know that freeways in metropolitan areas are off limits to cyclists. But today, we got a glimpse of a repeat offender, and police say he's managed to elude capture for years.
WSDOT first caught sight of him Tuesday around noon on their traffic cameras. A rogue cyclist traveling southbound on Interstate 5 in Seattle, riding on a dangerously narrow shoulder next to the carpool lane.
WSDOT alerted Washington State Patrol, while trying to track him with their cameras. Troopers say it may be the same ghost rider who has appeared in that area over the years. But when they try to arrest him, he disappears.
The cyclist can be seen making his way through downtown, squeezing by cars going a freeway speed. He suddenly stops near the Pike Street overpass, jumps the jersey barrier, and disappears. Seconds later, a trooper goes by but misses him.
Where the cyclist goes from there is a mystery. Below that area are the express lanes, where troopers have even found bikes stashed away between pillars in years gone by.
"Obviously it's someone who has a really good understanding of where the roads stop and end. Not a lot of people have been on foot in that area," says trooper Julie Startup.
Biking on the freeway where it's illegal is a jail-able offense, but troopers say the main concern is safety, not only for the cyclist, but for all the drivers near him.
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