i just got pulled over...on my BIKE

[mark414]

i was on my way home from class for a lunch break

who the fuck gets pulled over on their bike? me, apparently.

allegedly i committed "several ticketable offenses" including failure to yield to pedestrians, failure to stop at a red light, and failure to stop at a stop sign.

"the university is encouraging us to crack down on bicycle violations."

he let me off with a warning...

on my BIKE!

i need to take a nap

:wtf:

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. Yes on your bike

Most folks do not realize that the same rules of the road that apply to you in a car, apply to you in a bike. You HAVE to stop at a red light, yuo HAVE to yield to Pedestrians... yep you are bound by the same laws.

[Mutley]

5. i wish someone would tell that to the mavericks around here...

I can't tell you all the times i've almost had an accident because of them doing stupid things like running red lights.

[hfojvt]

49. only a fascist police state would enforce that

I have run tens of thousands of stop signs on my bike. red lights are another story. Most of the time that is too dangerous to attempt. Why would anyone think that is a crime? The law and the state are supposed to serve the people, not oppress them. Enforcing a law like that is just oppression and harrasment.

[LiberallyInclined]

79. not in an area with a lot of pedestrians-

people can be hurt if they get hit by some oaf on a bike who refuses to yield.
you notice that the cop said that The University asked them to crack down.

[mark414]

87. damn you all take yourselves too seriously

i'm not an idiot, i don't blow through red lights and completely disregard everyone around me. there was one kid in the crosswalk, 15 feet away from me, i was turning right on just-turned red light, and the only car in the intersection wasn't going straight.

i would appreciate it if everyone on here would quit accusing me of being a selfish, arrogant, thinks he's the center of the universe college kid; if you all have the arrogance to talk to a complete stranger like this then i don't want to imagine how much of a dick you all must be in person.

[Yupster]

88. I'm picturing Eric Cartman

on his tricycle stopping someone yelling ...

"You must respect my authoritie"

[Liberal Veteran]

111. It's "RESPECT MY AUTHORITAH!"

:D

[Pert_UK]

94. Absolute and utter nonsense.........

What, the law doesn't apply just because you have broken it tens of thousands of times?

Running stop signs and red lights, even on a bike, is HUGELY dangerous both to you and to drivers who may have to swerve to avoid you.

I'm a big fan of cycling and enjoy riding myself, but to assume that no laws apply to it or that policemen enforcing those laws are "fascist" is just plain nuts.

[hfojvt]

113. Consider the scientific method

You claim that something I, and doubtless many other cyclists do, on a regular basis is dangerous, not only that, but "HUGELY" dangerous. Well, Robbie, this is Will Robinson, untouched and alive, providing a counter-example to your claim. I have endangered no one, I have harmed no one, except in some hypothetical fantasy realm where something theoretically might have happened. In the real world, it did not happen. Take the blue pill and "welcome, to the real world."

As I have said elsewhere, a car driver never has to swerve to avoid a cyclist. Unless the driver can see a clear collision avoidance route swerving is a wrong decision (if an understandable one).

By the way, in my experience as well, most auto drivers are speeding most of the time. I wonder if all my letter of the law critics apply their same criteria to their lead feet. Also, I feel that alot of the accidents that take place in the real world are caused by excessive speed. Cars also regularly roll past stop signs (before stopping with half their car past the stop sign), instead of stopping behind them as the law requires. Either I am hearing from a lot of perfect drivers, or people are alot more complacent about their own minor violations of the law. Perhaps they should start with the "man in the mirror" before they shake their fist at some bicyclist.

As far as "no laws" applying to bicyclists. The laws of natural selection clearly apply, as Calvin said: "be careful or be roadkill". Since I am not a young man, I have clearly obeyed that law.

[Scout]

103. have you ever been run down by a bicyclist?

I have, and it hurts!

There is nothing oppressive about enforcing traffic laws for bicyclists.

I live in a college town, and it's a pain in the ass driving around when the students are here. There are far too many of them either jaywalking, ignoring traffic signals, or just not paying attention whether they are walking or riding their bikes.

And no, everyone doesn't do that ... when I was a student, I did my best to be polite and sensible when walking and riding my bike.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but traffic laws do apply to bike riders as well as to cars.

[LostinVA]

105. I work at a university, and this happens constantly

And every day I see kids riding there bikes on the sidewalks here, which is a violation. They are always knocking people out of the way, including me. Many of them NEVER stop at the zebra crossings when people are going across.

I've been fighting for 30 years to get cyclists taken seriously, and this doesn't help. It is a VEHICLE. Most states consider bikes the same as cars re: driving laws. I think in all states you can get a DUI on a bike. Good!

[hfojvt]

114. we are talking about different types of laws

I live in small, non college towns, with little traffic and almost no pedestrians. Obviously, different laws apply in different settings. I have never claimed, nor will I ever, that a cyclist can disregard the law, regardless of the impact it has on other people. I am only saying that you can if it clearly will have no impact on other people (stop sign on an empty street for example). If you are not from a small town, perhaps you cannot imagine an empty street, but as a semi-native Dakotan, I cannot imagine living without them.
You are talking about violations of the law which produce victims. I, and the OP, are talking about violations of the law which produced no victims until the violator was hassled by the folice and made a victim of the state. Different scenarios entirely.

[LostinVA]

104. Here in Virginia, a bike is considered the "same" as a car

People is cars should treat people on bikes as if they were the "same" as a car. Yes, not everyone does that, but we have a great bike community here, but I bet that at least 70% of the riders I see every day are breaking laws left and right. And, not just little ones, either. And yes, I ride a bike, wear a helmet, and obey all of the laws. And do the same when I'm the one in the car.

So yeah, on your bike.

[leftofthedial]

2. you're probably one of those bike path rage types

[ohio_liberal]

3. I got pulled over once by a cop on a bike

Does that count? :)

[Davis_X_Machina]

I got a moving violation...

...twenty-five years ago, in Chapel Hill, and it turned up the next time I bought auto insurance, two years later in Georgia.

[TlalocW]

4. There's only one thing to do

Learn to ride a unicycle. Chances are that the rules/laws were written with the word bicycle.

When I was in high school in Kansas, Wichita had a juggling group that was allowed to meet in some old half-empty mall, and some of us would bring unicycles, and the mall-walkers, already pissed we were there, would tell us that the posted rules said no bicycle riding, and I would point out that we didn't have bicycles but unicycles, which just made them angry.

TlalocW

[FreedomAngel82]

18. LOL

Smart. Loophole. ;)

[CottonBear]

25. I can ride a unicycle too!

I haven't done it in about 10 years. The last time I rode, I was featured (speaking part no less!) in a student film at UGA!

My line was "Hey! Watch out!"

My unicycle's pedal got stripped and fell off. I need to get it repaired. I've had the unicycle since 1973!

[TlalocW]

80. I started when I was in 8th grade

I also juggle (started in 6th) and coming from a small farming community in Kansas, you can just bet I was Mr. Popular. :)

I've ridden unis off and on since then. When I moved to Tulsa, I learned of a production of the musical, "Barnum," and went to talk to the director putting it on. It was too late for a singing/talking role (which was fine by me), but I was in it as a juggler and unicyclist as well as ran the juggling boot camp for the other actors.

My big scene was during the song about building Barnum's museum, everyone was tossing orange-paper-covered cigar boxes (bricks) around, and I come crashing out of a door onto the stage on the uni, holding a stack of them - all connected with a rope through holes drilled in the centers so I could make it look like they were all about to fall.

Ah, memories.

TlalocW

[CottonBear]

85. What a great performance!

That must have been a blast!

I started in 4th grade but it took me about a yearto learn becuase I was too short for my uni! I was in a high school talent show and I had a good friend who rode with me. It is a cool skill to have. If I tried to ride today I would have really sore quadriceps tommorow!

I used to be able to get on and ride for almost a mile up and down hills!
Ah, the memories of youthful fitness!

[DrDebug]

44. It applies to any vehicle

Unicycle, Bicycle, Tricycle. The only difference is that sometimes there is a distinction between vehicle and motor-vehicle.
--- --- --- --- --- --- ---
From responses to the e-mail survey, all states give bicycles the rights and responsibilities (or rights and obligations) of vehicles. Most (19) states appear to classify bicycles as vehicles under their state law - that is, bicycles are not excluded. These were: AK, CO, DE, GA, IA, KY, MA, MN, MO, MT, NC, NE, OH, OR, PA, TX, VA, WA (in 1991), WI (in 1996).

Six states -- AZ, CA, IA, IL, IN, MI, NY -- give bicycles the rights and responsibilities (or rights and obligations) of vehicles, but exclude bicycles as vehicles in the code. (This may be a first - the Three I League corn belt lined up with the guys from, or near, the coasts.)

Three - ME, MI, UT - don't seem to fit neatly in either category. Under Maine law on motor vehicles, i.e., passenger cars, are defined as vehicles. Every other type of vehicle is defined as itself. For example, trucks are defined as trucks, motorcycles are defined as motorcycles and bicycles are defined as bicycles. In Michigan, bicycles are defined separately from motor vehicles, and the bulk of the code relates to motor vehicles. In Utah, "Vehicle" and "bicycle" are both defined as "devices," and neither definition refers to the other term.

http://www.massbike.org/bikelaw/vehicle.htm

[WI_DEM]

6. Good

I walk to work every day (practically) downtown Madison and I see bikers going thru red lights, not stopping for pedestrians, and basically doing many things which if they were driving a car would be worthy of tickets. Bikers are not above the rules of the road. That said I wish more people used bikes or public transportation. Good for you.

[seemunkee]

7. What if you have no ID

Don't give your drivers license number, hell don't give them any ID.

[nadinbrzezinski]

10. Ok before anybody gets in real troble

you don't have to have ID, but yuo have to give your real name. Lying to a cop is NOT a good idea and could land you in jail.

Some places have considered over the years licencing bike riders, but that will fly when cows fly. That said, if they think you are a danger to yourself and others they can detain you for a reasonable time. Oh and if you are drunk or on drugs they can also ticket you for DUI.

[pstans]

8. Duh

The University should be encouraging students to ride bikes around campus. It would ease parking problems, encourage wellness, and help the environment.

[mark414]

9. that's what i'm saying

most of our students commute and the parking situation is horrible and always creates a lot of tension between students, residents, and the administration

but no one ever accused them of being logical

[nadinbrzezinski]

13. Just follow the rules of the road

is this that difficult? You can still ride, just remember stop at a red light and yield to pedestrians. This is done to avoid an accident

[donheld]

60. I'm on your side Mark

It's just a cop with not enough real work to do.

[havocmom]

11. If you failed to yield, failed to stop at a light and a stop sign,

you deserve citations. Why bitch about getting off with a warning? There could be injuries if a car or a pedestrian has to take quick evasive action due to a bicyclist's failure to follow the rules of the road. And some motorists use bicyclists' abuse of the laws to harass them. Don't give them fuel for their foolish disregard for your safety by disregarding it yourself.

If you did not make those errors, you should complain to officials about the cop.

I am have driven, ridden bikes and walked for a very long time. Everybody using the public roadways needs to abide by the laws governing them. Makes the world a little nicer when we behave in communal areas;)

[mark414]

19. i guess context is important

there was one kid in the crosswalk and i didn't come anywhere near him, but the cop was still stopped; the red light, i had slowed down to look for cars and seeing none, took a right on red; the stop sign, at the bottom of a steep hill, my brakes sucks, the intersection is a 4 way stop, clearly visible, and i can't afford new brakes. not an excuse, but it's still pretty ridiculous.

we get yelled at if we're on the sidewalk and we get yelled at if we're in the street. we're confused.

[nadinbrzezinski]

24. Hmm bad brakes

kid you need to fix them if you are gonna ride a bike... or just plain out walk... you are an accident waiting to happen.

[havocmom]

31. Having used a bike for years, I know you get yelled at. That is NOT an

excuse to behave badly. When you break the laws, and THEY ARE LAWS which apply to you, don't whine about getting busted. And you don't do any other bicyclists any favors by not observing the laws governing traffic.

Does not matter that you did not come anywhere near the kid in the crosswalk, he was there and you are obligated to yeild. I assume you expect cars to yeild and obey the laws around you and your bike? Well, it is a two way street you are on. The world has not been informed that any particular person on the road has special privlidges. Acting like you do could get someone hurt. The injuried party cold be you.

Be careful and polite out there. Chances are good there are people who would not want to see you hurt.

[hfojvt]

51. it is not a two way street

cars weigh 1-2 tons or more, they have hundreds of horsepower and they are about six feet wide. Plus they make alot of noise and spew noxious gasses.

There is no failure to yield unless the pedestrian has to stop or take other evasive action - duh. It is a huge inconvenience to stop a bike. No biker with any sense is going to do it for a trivial, anal-retentive reason like the letter of the law. The law is there for a reason, not to unreasonably inconvenience people.

As a biker with about 25,000 miles under his belt, I am obviously a very defensive driver. Any mistake means they will be scraping me off the pavement - even a bicycle-pedestrian collision is going to be very painful to the biker. Auto drivers are not taking the same risks.

[uppityperson]

56. You are not making much sense here.

The law is there to make people safe. It is a huge inconvenience to stop, whether in a car or on a bike. Not stopping due to the inconvenience does not outweight the need to be safe. I have had to take evasive action in my car to avoid hitting a biker who did not want to be inconvenienced by stopping. I'm glad you have never had a bike accident and hope you don't. I hope you don't cause a car accident either. And yes, I jaywalk and break the law in minor ways, but am respectful enough as a bike rider to stop at stopsigns. If you want to share the road with bigger badder cars, follow the rules.

[hfojvt]

62. there is no safety in Numbers

nor in Deuteronomy.

What, I have to make sense too? You cannot seriously compare the inconvenience of stopping a car and a bike, nor the amount of damage that can be done if the driver of either vehicle makes a mistake. yet you think a biker going fifteen miles an hour should lose all that momentum to stop for an empty street just because there is a stop sign there? Or I should stop for a speeding car which is half a block away? That is just insane, and I refuse to do it. I will take care of my own safety thank you very much.

[uppityperson]

68. Bet it takes more energy and time to stop and start a car

I think I should stop replying to you since you admit you are insane except your behavior imperils others. Kill yourself if you want, but don't cause harm to others.

[hfojvt]

92. I said stopping for a stop sign on a bike is insane

if the crossing street is empty. Running a stop sign on an empty street imperils no one.
I certainly never said I am insane, although supposedly only a lunatic never questions their sanity. I reserve the right to make jokes about books of the Bible (Numbers and Deuteronomy) even if nobody gets them. I reserve the right to not make sense or to be silly :silly: especially since this is the lounge.
"I can dance if I want to. I can leave your friends behind, 'cause your friends don't dance and if they don't dance, well, they're no friends of mine...I can act if I want to. If I don't nobody will. And I can act real rude and totally removed and I can act like an imbecile."

Everyone get up and join in the Safety Dance.

[Telly Savalas]

98. So you advocate cars running stop signs on empty streets too?

[LostinVA]

107. You HAVE to stop for a stop sign if you are in/on a vehicle

No matter what the vehicle is. You honestly have no right to do it. It's no different than someone in a car coming to a light, seeing it's clear, and going through the light. There's a reason we all should obey traffic laws; if we don't, it's chaos. Everyone can't do their own thing on the road, it's too damn dangerous. And yeah, that includes bikes.

[uppityperson]

122. You did /did not say something (and I, not you, are insane, sorry)

You said "You cannot seriously compare the inconvenience of stopping a car and a bike". That's what I responded to, that I bet it takes more energy and time to stop and start a car (energy and time = inconvenience). I still think it is more inconvenient to stop a car than a bike. How much energy does it take to restart the bike moving compared to how much energy to restart the car moving (or how much energy it takes to work to make enough money to buy the gas to start the car moving). Car>bike regarding inconvenience.

You did not say you were insane, I am sorry, I read it wrong. You said "Or I should stop for a speeding car which is half a block away? That is just insane, and I refuse to do it." I guess that meant I am insane because I do,so there we are. :crazy:

[LostinVA]

106. But, that's the law in most states!

I don't understand why some of the riders on here think they are above safety, driving laws. Traffic laws are some of the few good, sensible laws in this country -- they are there for a reason. It doesn't matter if it's "inconvenient." You STOP. You click out of your pedal and put your foot down. No one coming? Then push off and click right in. I've been riding for 36 years, and riding clipless since they were invented, and clips before that. Bikes are vehicles. Cars are vehicles. Scooters are, etc. In some states horses are vehicles.

[hfojvt]

118. laws are made for people, not people for laws

That is the American ideal ..."in order to secure these rights, governments are instituted ... deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed."
I reject the right of the safety gestapo to order me around, no matter what laws are on the books. Laws, and law enforcement which rule people, which control people for the sake of control, are un-American, or should be. If the state cannot show harm to others, then it has no case. I respect the rights of others, usually too much, but the law is not the boss of me. The police are supposed to work for the people, when they become the folice trying to oppress the people, they need to be told "you're fired!"
I reserve the right to ignore a law when doing so harms no one. It is sad that so many people are willing to side with the oppressor on this one. If there is no harm, there is no foul. Show me the harm before you go crying foul because an "i" is not dotted on the letter of the law.

[uppityperson]

121. If you don't like the law, work to change it.Til then, you got to obey

If you want to change the law, there are legal ways. Until the law is changed, you must follow it or suffer the consequences.

Many of us are working to change the law, and are getting in trouble for breaking what seems like stupid laws . However, when we get in this trouble, most of us do not yell that "the law is not the boss of me" and "the police are oppressing me by making me stop by bike at a stop sign". There are ways to change the law and if you really want to effect real change, get working on changing it. Until then, if you get caught running a stop sign on your bike, take responsibility for it.

Some people have left this country because of the laws. That is also an option.

[hfojvt]

125. you can say the same thing about any oppressive law

Clearly, we disagree about the stupidity of this law, and about the purpose of laws, and about what democracy and freedom mean. A silly, unjust oppressive law is something I feel fully justified in breaking. That, too, is in the tradition of Jefferson. Nice that you close with the "love it or leave it" line. That is classic.

I certainly take responsibility for my driving, but that is not the same thing as feeling that I have done something wrong. It is the law and the folice that are wrong.

[uppityperson]

126. I have a couple sets of friends who have emigrated. I'm considering too

Pshaw. I am not saying "love it or leave it" but pointing out that the need to take responsibility for breaking the law, work towards changing the law or it is ok to leave this country for another. I have a couple sets for friends who have emigrated and I have given serious consideration to moving to a country who has laws I feel more in line with. This is an option for us all. If you care to take this comment as only a personal slam, I am sorry but that is your problem.

On a side note, is your referral to "folice" a typo or is this a word play I don't know about? And no, I'm not slamming you for having typos but curious as to if this is a word play I missed.

[hfojvt]

127. folice is a word I created

so I can say "puck the folice" perhaps without offending anyone. Then I decided that it is short for "fascist police", because I like police when they protect people, but not when they oppress people.

I went with the simplest interpretation of what you said, which may bave been mistaken. But are you now going to tell me that "I am sorry but that is your problem" was not meant as a slam? There must be something wrong with me if I see a slam everytime someone implies that there is something wrong with me. Of maybe I have a problem if I think someone who says I have a problem is implying that there is something wrong with me.

It is kinda ironic, but in my thirty some years of running stop signs I have only been hassled by the folice once, and I swear I stopped at that sign. The only thing the folice did was drive by and yell at me for not stopping and they kept going. The thing is, I always stopped for that sign, because it was one that my dad was responsible for putting up. He went to several city council meetings and was quoted in the paper arguing that there should be a sign there because it was so close to our grade school. Of course it is funny that he only did that when his fifth child was the only one going to that grade school. I passed that sign every day going to and from my paper route and I always stopped for it even if I did not need to. So there the folice were hassling me for running a stop sign that I always stopped at. Ironic, nicht wahr?

[havocmom]

57. As I witnessed a wreck in which 2 people were killed when a driver tried

to avoid hitting a bike running a light and swerving into oncoming traffic, I would argue that bikes can cause a hell of a lot of damage if used recklessly on public roads.

Congratulations for your safe record. I have managed a simliar one. And I still maintain that guys on bikes thinking they are special and don't have to obey the laws are dangerous to all of us no matter what our mode of transportation! Hell, I was in a city bus that was involved in a crash due to some idiot thinking he didn't have to play by the rules!

Anybody using the roads has the responsibility for doing so lawfully and safely. Just cuz a biker makes a smaller dent than an SUV is no excuse to whine about the laws. A biker can cause a pretty big mess if somebody else has to do their thinking for them.

[hfojvt]

58. it was still the driver that caused the damage

taking evasive action to avoid a bike is stupid. Of course, the original stupidity was the one where the biker got into a situation where a driver felt the need to take evasive action. I am not saying that bikers can disregard other traffic because they are bikes. I am only saying that bikers can disregard stop signs on empty streets because they are bikes. I am not whining about law, but I do not think they should be enforced by control-freaks without any common sense.

[Rabrrrrrr]

67. No,the only stupid here is a biker who forced the driver into the position

of having to decide what to hit. Taking evasive action is not stupid. The driver's hands were tied, and his fate was forced by one idiot selfish asshole who felt he/she didn't need to follow the law.

[hfojvt]

90. what kind of decision is that?

Seems like a no-brainer to me. Hit the bike or swerve into oncoming traffic? Hit the bike or swerve into oncoming traffic?
Duh. Hit the bike you idiot. That way the "idiot selfish a$$hole" is the one who pays the price. I accept that. You pays your money - you takes your chances. I the biker, made a stupid decision which resulted in one person getting hurt - me. That is how it should have been. The reason it wasn't - because the car driver made a stupid decision. A stupid decision that was precipitated by my first stupid decision, but the 2nd stupid decision is no less stupid just because it was preceded by an earlier stupid decision. The driver's hands were not tied - an unexpected decision was thrust upon him/her and he/she chose poorly.

[Telly Savalas]

99. I'm sure the drive was able to soberly assess the moral calculus...

of who to hit in the third of a second the bicyclist provided.

[havocmom]

71. No the guy who ran the red on bike CAUSED the damage and DEATHS .

The guy in the vechicle was caring enough to try an avoid him. If the biker had not been violating the law, none of it would have happened. He CAUSED the 'damage' which included ending the life of a mother and child.

As far as common sense, it would seem there has been a problem with that at the college the OP attends or the admin would not have to have a crack down on scofflaws on bikes.

College is a good time to learn that one is not the center of the universe. Would be even better if incoming freshmen had that lesson down already, but :shrug:

[Rabrrrrrr]

66. Oh my - "but officer, it's A HUGE INCONVENIENCE to stop"

"But officer, it's A HUGE INCONVENIENCE to let him continue to live"

"But officer, it's A HUGE INCONVENIENCE to earn the money to pay for that car"

In all my years of biking, one thing that never crossed my mind was how INCONVENIENT it is to stop. My God, just think of the suffering that I've failed embrace by failing to consider the HUGE INCONVENIENCE of stopping.

[dean_dem]

70. Damn right.

As a cyclist, I'm driving an 18 pound piece of steel. If I make a mistake, the only person who gets hurt is me. Compare that to the driver of a 2,000 pound piece of steel, who's mistake may cause a cyclist or a pedetrian their life with no absolutely no harm to the inattentive driver.

Cars have to follow those rules because they are much heavier and move at a higher rate of speed. No cyclist is going to just tear through a red light unless they have a death wish, but if you come to a stop sign and see no other traffic, what is the harm in just going through it, as opposed to stopping, dismounting, looking both ways, getting back on, and accelerating again?

People should be paying much more attention to the dangerous situations auto drivers create trying to fly past cyclists, pulling out in front of them at intersections, and just generally having no regard for how much damage they can cause someone.

[havocmom]

72. Wrong. The guy on the bike is not the only victim, even if he is the only

one to go for a ride in an ambulance. And sometimes other people get hurt, as I pointed out in another reply.

Not too many car drivers want to live with knowing they clobbered somebody on a bike, even if there was nothing they could do to avoid it. Not too many people want to live knowing someone got hurt or killed under their car, even if it was not their fault. That damamges the driver too! A little empathy would go a long way all around.

As far as running reds, I have seen it too often in traffic where I used to live.

[dean_dem]

76. Far too many times...

I've seen the majority of bike/auto accidents end up the fault of the driver's inattentiveness. Maybe we bike in very different traffic conditions.
Everyone should stop for redlights, I never meant to imply otherwise. Not to do so is reckless on the part of a driver, and suicidal on the part of a cyclist. But when I come to a stop sign, I may slow down and put my hands on the brakes, but if there is clearly no other oncoming traffic, I go through.

Sorry if I don't have much sympathy for an equally unsympathetic driving public. I've been yelled at, cut off, and run into the curb way too many times by drivers that either don't notice me or don't care. And I'm the one who is going to get hurt by their inconsideration. Those people should be the target of the police (though unfortunately some of them have been the police), not some cyclist who cruises through a stop sign at 10 mph.

[mark414]

89. that's what i'm saying

the intersection was totally clear and at the bottom of a hill; i was rollin

and the red light i went through? i was taking a right on red, and the only car in the intersection was taking a left turn.

i pretty much come *this* close to getting hit every single day; today some dude threw open his door right in front of me, i barely missed it

[Telly Savalas]

100. If you run into me, a pedestrian, with your bike, it's gonna do damage.

Obviously not as severe as a car, but concussions and broken bones can still result.

The rules of the road are there for everybody. In every place I've lived 99.9% of the cyclists rode in a safe and careful fashion, but the remaining screwballs have actually posed more of a threat to my safety than cars do, since cars are much better about staying off the damn sidewalk.

[dean_dem]

112. Well, it's illegal for bikes to ride on the sidewalk anyway.

A bike is to a pedestrian what a car is to a bike.

[Telly Savalas]

97. Huh?

Around these parts, pedestrian crosswalks require not only bikes to yield, but cars too. I guess we must have some pretty bizarre laws.

[curlyred]

45. Would you use those excuses if you were in your car?

Come on, you broke the rules and you deserved a ticket.

[uppityperson]

46. Exactly.

I'm a bike and motorcyle and scooter and car driver and the laws are for everyone. Not just those who think they apply to them. Even if the laws are really for guidance, you can be ticketed if you break them and you did. Would you use those excuses in a car? No pity here.

[Telly Savalas]

96. And if I was driving a car and blew threw a red light...

but I missed you by 15 feet, that would make it OK?

[hfojvt]

119. you might as well compare grenades and tennis balls

missing someone by ten feet with a bike or a tennis ball is qualitatively different than missing someone with a WMD such as an automobile or a cannonball. Show me where bicycle accidents kill 40,000+ Americans every year and we might have a valid comparison. Cars do it, every year.

[purr]

12. My neighbor got a DUI on her bike

along with her bike being confiscated.. she was the talk/laugh of the town for a while.

[ohio_liberal]

14. Should've been PUI

"Peddling under the influence" :D

[phusion]

91. Around here..

She would have been applauded. We can't seem to keep people out of their cars when they are drunk. This would have been a welcome alternative. :)

[FreedomAngel82]

15. Where do you live??

Weird. My Dad rides his bike to work a lot during warm days and stuff and he's never had that happen. First time I've heard of that.

[HereSince1628]

16. Safety and revenue, are likely issues but where are you from?

Don't you know that blowing stop signs and red lights are damned good way to end up as a hood ornament?

M414...Milwaukee isn't Chicago; here we prefer our democratic voters to be ALIVE.

[CBGLuthier]

17. You say allegedly you committed these infractions

Yielding to pedestrians is one thing, but you should know if you blew through stop signs and red lights. So fess up. Did you?

Because as some posters have pointed out, bicyclists must obey the same laws as autos.

[mark414]

20. context...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=105&topic_id=3093749&mesg_id=3093815&page=

[uppityperson]

47. Still, you broke the law.

Yes the laws are there for guidance. However, you can get ticketed when you break them and you did. Having poor brakes is no excuse. Would you use this excuse if you were in a car? Doesn't matter that it was a bike. It's still the law and you have no sympathy from me.

[MissB]

21. As a cyclist, I'd say you're just lucky

that you didn't get a ticket. Yes, you do have to obey the rules of the road, just like a car.

[VOX]

22. I've been pulled over on my FEET!

Good old jaywalking. Wasn't in a crosswalk, and I made a couple of cars stop for me. Motorcycle cop swooped in around me, and wrote me a ticket.

I think if you get enough jaywalking tickets, they revoke your shoes. :)

[DS1]

32. I had a cop follow me for about 4-5 blocks before stopping me

while I was walking. But then, I was stumbling home with a buddy after trying to catch a nap on the beach (it started raining), and I'm sure the cop was laughing too hard to stop us right away, as I was trying to figure out why it hurt so much to walk, until I found my socks buried in the toes of my shoes where I'd left them earlier.

Got a free ride home :D

[VOX]

95. Hah! Good story, DS1...

The socks-in-the-shoes bit cracked me up!

I had some of those sleep-on-the-beach days, too. Best of times, worst of times...

Cheers -- :)

[Rabrrrrrr]

23. Gosh, so you were breaking the law and completely disregarding others

and taking no consideration of people and vehicles and other bikers on the road and sidewalks while you are doing it, and yet you feel you were slighted because a cop had the audacity to stop some riding a bike, a frickin' BIKE for Christ's sakes? You that bikers should be immune to traffic laws, allowed to go willy nilly wherever the hell and however the hell you feel like it?

Personally, I'm glad the cops are helping ensure that bikers obey the rules of the road.

[mark414]

28. tell me how you really feel

christ...no need to get all self righteous

context duuuuude:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=105&topic_id=3093749&mesg_id=3093815&page=

relax a little bit, you might blow an artery if you get this outraged over something like this

[Rabrrrrrr]

30. Nah, I'm not outraged. Just slightly bemused at your sense of

having been slighted and the irony of it all.

Context is important - and the truth is, you broke the law. Part of playing the "blow through lights and stop signs" game is that sometimes you get caught. Sometimes someone gets killed. Most times, nothing happens.

But there's a reason that we have traffic laws, and breaking/flaunting them is a very selfish thing to do.

[havocmom]

43. Duuuuuuude: if your attitude is indicative of even 20% of the other kids

on bikes at your campus, I applaud the officials for cracking down!
Evidently there is more education needed at the institution than just what is listed in the catalog of classes.

Several posts have politely attempted to explain why there are laws to follow on the roads. Making excses to break them is not the responsible retort.

Or are you POTUS and it is just the usual M.O.?

[hfojvt]

52. these people seem to be anti-bike

even the ones who say they bike.

"Would you do the same thing in your car?" has been said too often. Is throwing a nerf football at somebody the same thing as throwing a grenade? How is a 200 pound bike the same as a 4000 pound car?

[havocmom]

54. Not anit-bike at all. Just anti-idiotic and reckless behavior

Also have trouble with people who give the impression their mommas call them 'sun' instead of 'son'.

Share the roads responsibly of stay off 'em. Someone in a 4000 pound car, taking evasive measures to avoid someone behaving badly on a 200 pound bike can result in a lot of people getting hurt. It is that simple. If one were alone in the world, or the center of the universe, it would not matter. Since one is NOT in either of those situations, it is a damned good idea to not act like they are.

[Rabrrrrrr]

64. No, we're anti- self-obsessed "the rules shouldn't apply to me" assholes

Enforcing the laws is a fascist behavior? What insanity.

Guess we better go straight to "me first, fuck you" anarchy, then, and do away with the government. I'm not sure who's going to continue to build the roads that we ride on, but why look to the future? Why care about anyone else?

It's the biker attitude that says "bikes can do whatever the hell we want" that makes people hate bikers so much. If not for them, the rest of us would have an easier time.

[mark414]

65. ...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=105&topic_id=3093749&mesg_id=3093893&page=

thanks for making me realize how terrible of a person i am

[uppityperson]

69. You're not terrible. It's all the excuses that are bad here.

Self responsibility is necessary and some don't seem able to understand that their behavior endangers others. If you do feel terrible, come on over and eat worms with me. Actually I'm going back out to lawnmow over those slugs.

[hfojvt]

93. some of us are libertarians on social issues

if not on economic ones. Unreasonable rules do not apply to anyone, or should not. Control-freaks who hire cops or who are cops because they want to control/rule the world are definitely leaning fascist. Does that mean there are no rules? No, it means that the state is supposed to serve the people, not rule them. If the nice officer can show me where the victim is that I have hurt by my non-reckless disregard of the law, then I accept that there is a case against me. But if a foliceman or other witness just wants me to follow orders just for the sake of following orders, or to make me say "how high?" when they say jump, then I say "puck, puck, puck the folice". Folice being "fascist police". I shall fight them on the streets. I shall fight them on the beaches. I shall never surrender. Or maybe I will surrender, surrender, but I won't give myself away.

edit: to make the hypothetical claim that there could, in theory, be a victim if the behaviour is repeated is a bogus argument. That has not happened in the last 33 years or 25,000 miles. If it does, I'll call you. Until then, get off of my cloud. Yes, everyone in this country has the absolute right to be left the hell alone when they are not hurting anyone.

[LostinVA]

108. We are not anti-bike at all

I've done alot of work to try to make bike lanes mandatory in the states I've lived in, along with other things to help cyclists., We deserve RESPECT when we're on the road. But, we have to obey the laws, not just do whatever the hell we want to.

The grenade and nerf analogy doesn't work. When you use the public highways, you have a legal obligation to follow traffic rules. By even being on the road, you are tacitly agreeing to it. The bike is legally the same as a car. So is a scooter or a motorcycle. "Would you do the same thing in your car" is a legitimate question. Would you? The laws are the same.

[hfojvt]

116. the laws are the same, but the logic is not

Bicycle speeds vary from 10-30 mph, although there are doubtless many faster cyclers, I doubt if I ever exceed 20 mph on my commute to work. My car used to idle at about 25 even when I had my foot off the gas. "Blowing" through a stop sign at 12 mph is obviously not the same thing as going through one at 20, 30, or 40 mph to say nothing of Bill Janklow who was going 75 in a 55 when he blew through a stop sign and killed a motorcyclist. At slow speeds and with small size, collisions can be far more easily avoided. Bikes can swerve a few feet without ever leaving their lane. The stopping distances and reaction times are much more favorable at 15 mph too compared to average car speeds.
A car is a weapon of mass destruction which kills over 40,000 Americans a year. How many people do bicycles kill? Making the laws the same is just illogical, like charging someone with assault with a deadly weapon when they have a squirt gun.
If everyone on the road must obey the laws I say all the WMD drivers out there can start first by paying attention to speed limits. They could also stop behind the stop sign instead of rolling halfway through the intersection before stopping. Then maybe they could figure out how to use their frigging turn signals.

[Heidi]

26. That'll learn ya, you bicycling menace from hell.

Were you Biking While Black, Biking While Of Arab Decent, Biking While Female, Biking While Male, or Biking While Biking, by any chance?

[GirlinContempt]

27. Awwww

It's all my fault for keeping you up too late... :cry:

[mark414]

29. well yeah

but i NAILED my test this morning, and got good news concerning my score on my philosophy test from last week:headbang:

B-)

[GirlinContempt]

34. SWEET!

Thats awesome! :yourock:

[mark414]

36. ok nap time

talk to you soon...

[GirlinContempt]

39. Get

a good rest lover

[Kathy in Cambridge]

33. Same road, same rules

My title is a bumpersticker on many Cambridge poice cars. I grew up cycling in a very congested city and now I both cycle and drive. I see many cyclists with no regard for road rules. In Boston, a pedestrian was killed by a bike messenger a few years back when the cyclist failed to yield to the walk signal. Last year, a cyclist hit a car with her bike when she ran a light and was thrown so hard that she now has limited use of one leg. The list goes on and on, but you get my point.

Unless you live in a cow town, it's in your bes interest to obey the road rules.

[mark414]

35. damn people are taking this all too seriously

i know i was breaking rules; it was just a light hearted post because how often does someone really get pulled over on their bike? how often do you see a bike pulled over? it is a humorous situation regardless.

you gots to chill...

[nadinbrzezinski]

41. Nah kid, this is not light hearted for you could get hurt or killed

or somebody else could get hurt or killed. This is why this is not funny or light hearted.

Fix them breaks by the way

[uppityperson]

48. Have son and a nephew who were almost killed doing this.

I've had bikers almost hit my car too. My son called me (in 6th grade) saying "mom, I'm ok". Now why the hell would he be calling me to tell me this? He ran a stop sign, didn't see any cross traffic, and managed to hit a van rather than having the van hit him. He got his face stitched up in 2 places, ft run over, fraction of a second sooner and he'd be dead and I wouldn't be writing about my politically active CO teenager. My nephew got hit riding his bike on a sidewalk about the same time. It's not a simple or humorous matter and I'm glad you're getting these responses. Time to look at what you're doing and take it as an easy lesson.

[radwriter0555]

37. I was issued 6 tickets for running stop signs on a MOPED. It was LATE

at night, I had been hassled at the bar I was at by a wierd guy and I thought he was following me. Turns out it was the cops, and they didn't buy my story about the guy hassling me.

Luckily, I didn't have a license at the time; one wasn't needed then to drive a moped. And I moved shortly thereafter from that state....

On a moped.

[progmom]

38. I got a $50 ticket once, my first week living in the Netherlands

I had moved there from a village (pop approx 8000) in upstate NY, and was thoroughly unprepared for how seriously they take their bike rules. Yikes. The whole "I'm new to your country, I'm only 15, aren't I cute?" thing didn't work either.

[CornField]

40. We've got two bike patrol cops that will pull over other bikes --sometimes

They see young people doing good things and will pull them over and give them a "ticket" for free ice cream or free pass to the municipal pool. :)

[Speck Tater]

42. I got a SPEEDING ticket on my bike once.

It was a 20 MPH zone in an empty state beech parking lot at 7:00 in the morning. I was doing 25 on my bike and got nailed for it.

[Guaranteed]

50. Very, very common where I went to college, at UCSB.

Got ticketed for biking on the sidewalk my freshman year.

I'd been warned, of course.

[Ratty]

53. The only tickets I've ever gotten in my life were bicycle tickets

The cops in this campus town are way over the top about ticketing bicyclers. You can get away with just about anything in a car but heaven forbid if you do even the tiniest thing on a bike and they see you, they'll come after you. It has always really pissed me off. Once I didn't come to a complete stop at a red light (it was a three-way 'T' intersection, not a four way + intersection--I stopped at the top of the 'T') and I noticed a cop several blocks away pull out to come after me. I turned onto the sidewalk of a one way street and I saw him tear down a parallel street intending to cut me off. I pulled into an alley and out into the street he came down after he passed. It was a real game of chicken after that but I managed to evade him. I usually don't do that but after getting 3 bicycle tickets I was pissed.

[Phentex]

55. So...

did you nap yet?

[havocmom]

59. *snarf* Now THAT was funny

:rofl:

[mark414]

61. ha

yes i did, thank you

[mark414]

63. i also like how people are attacking me personally

real nice guys :thumbsup:

ad hominem...look it up

[havocmom]

73. Not attacking you personally. Just not approving of whining when you

were in the wrong. Pointing it out to hopefully broaden your perspective and possibly prevent accidents.

The people who responded are trying to help you live long and prosper. How you chose to take that is your problem.

[LostinVA]

109. Actually, I'm attacking other people! Ha!

You actually haven't fallen all over yourself making excuses. So, a little bit of props for you... hehehehhehe...

[Serial Mom]

74. Hey, UWM Panther ... good thing cop didn't beat you up over it!

After all the cops and police aides who have been roughing people up in the city, it's a wonder you didn't get harmed by THEM!

And with so many shootings in city lately, don't they have anything better to do with their time?

:sarcasm:

I know it probably was a University rent-a-cop, but there have been some real problems with cops / guns here

[uppityperson]

75. We have 2 different topics here folks. To recap (as I see it)-

1. I got pulled over for a traffic infarction while on a bike! Isn't that something. I didn't know that could happen. That was weird. I need a nap.
2. Bikes should not have to stop at stop signs if they deem it unneccessary.

Responses:
1. What we've learned is that many people have gotten pulled over and/or ticketed while on bikes. It's something that many people never think about but it isn't all that uncommon. I break the law and am willing to fess up and take responsibility for it because the point of this post was I never heard of anyone getting pulled over on a bike and I feel foolish and wanted to share.

2. There are 2 schools of thought (actually more, but to simplify): (A) Bike riders are exempt from the rules of the road due to various reasons ranging from size of bike compared to car, ability of rider to avoid bad situations, use your common sense here folks, it is inconvenient to stop a bike, belief that only the bike rider will get hurt in an accident. (B) Bike riders should follow the rules of the road, same as cars have to, including stopping at stop signs even if they don't think there is any other traffic around, safety is an issue and you need to either follow the law or take the consequences so quit rationalizing.

Sorry if I have attributed thoughts to any of you wrongly, but this is how I see it. (lawnmower is recharging, off to dig a ditch to drain off the water from near the rhodies, back in a bit)

[havocmom]

77. LOL Oh no, don't throw law mowers into the mix!

People where I live now ride their riding mowers around town! That is another can of worms!

::sigh:: Ya leave the big city and think the roads will be safer in your new small town home and ya find out a certain percentage of ANY population will just plain be foolishly egocentric on the roads and it matters not one whit what they are driving... Gads, we have scofflaws riding horses, backhoes, and eighteen wheelers to deal with too! :shrug: See, no matter where ya go, there ya are! ;)

"It's a jungle out there, kiddies, have a very fruitful day." *
*Jimmy Buffett

[uppityperson]

78. People riding 4 wheeled ATVs in Paris

That was rather odd, seeing ATVs in traffic, though their cars are uniformally smaller than here in the USA. I'm not out riding the lawnmower, just throwing in personal crap. I decided to not dig a ditch but haul several loads of MtPoop to fill in the low areas. MtPoop is the poopy sand shoveled out of the chicken run, good for gardening and filling in wet low spots. Am pacing myself between DUing and working outside.

[Telly Savalas]

101. You failed to address the "I need a nap" clause of topic #1.

[uppityperson]

123. Dang, missed one. Thought I was being so logical. Dang

Hey, post 115, mark414 thinks we should take a nap! We're back to the naps!

[Deja Q]

81. Do they ever go after jaywalkers? Traffic problems are not a one way street

and I've seen many jaywalkers and such do what they do willfully, knowing nobody will ticket them.

Gets infuriorating...

[LostinVA]

110. Alot of cities don't have jaywalking laws, but in the cities where

I've lived where they do.... they do give out tickets! It was my only ticket ever! $10... while in college. Ten bucks bought a lot of really gross beer then...

[RetroLounge]

82. Another reason for Concealed Carry Laws...

:sarcasm:

RL

[jmowreader]

83. Until you get a speeding ticket on one, you haven't lived.

My platoon sergeant at Fort Hood had an Italian-made racing bike with a 59-tooth high front chainwheel over a 53-tooth low. (For reference, if you go to a bike shop and get a racing bike off the shelf, it will normally have either a 51-tooth or 53-tooth high chainwheel.) He liked to train by riding from Killeen to Copperas Cove and back on the main highway just as fast as he possibly could...and he could pull that 59 on level pavement, which is damn hard to do.

One Monday morning at first formation, the first sergeant informed the whole company that we were not to train with Sergeant Sharp because Sergeant Sharp got a speeding ticket on Saturday. There's a pretty good hill just to the west side of the Fort Hood PX, and the Texas state troopers liked to park a radar car at the bottom of it...where they nailed Sergeant Sharp for doing 67 in a 55.

The judge threw it out.

[miss_kitty]

84. I'm late but:

:popcorn:

[Mike Niendorff]

86. I can top that :

I once was ticketed for not having a bicycle license.


MDN

[minerva50]

102. I was fined 40 DM in Germany for running a redlight on my bike

No-one else on the road, except the Poletzei. My co-workers laughed or applauded when I told them and said I should have taken off through the woods and out-run them.

[mark414]

115. damn this thread is still going?

haha y'all need to settle down, take a drink or a toke, and a nap. it'll do ya wonders

[Rich Hunt]

117. sounds like harassment

It sounds very selective, and it sounds like it's being used as an excuse to harass you.

[Mutley]

120. .

[BiggJawn]

124. Well, you ARE operating a vehicle.

Sorry, no sympathy.
To me, part of the Advocacy of maybe having my RIGHTS recognized is also owning my RESPONSIBILITIES.

Having been almost run down many times on campus by some hot-shot Fixie Messenger wanna-bes myself, I aint got no sympathy.