Just spoke to Greg (you all know him, black & red bianchi) and he just told me that he recieved a $118 ticket for running a red light! And this wasn't for blatantly running the light like some of us are prone to do, but rather he slowed down, saw no vehicles coming and then proceeded to ride through the intersection. Once he cleared it, that was when OPD rode up beside him and told him to pull over. In addition to this, the police officer in questioned threatened to take him to jail if he didn't show him his ID. This is the second incident I've heard of this week so it would appear that OPD is enforcing traffic laws as they pertain to cyclists (albeit selectively)...
[steps on soap box] Now if they only took the same militant approach with aggressive drivers then things might actually turn around. Selective enforcement of the laws does nothing to address the real situation; which IMO is how aggressive drivers are around here and the lack of respect many of them have for cyclists. Not trying to justify my behavior but aggressive drivers are the reason I tend to be aggressive when I ride. As I've mentioned before, it's a pragmatic approach to the environment I'm forced to ride in... [steps off soap box]
Be safe out there and if you're going to "mash through intersections", be ready to deal with the cause and effect this will undoubtedly bring. Make sure you understand the rules of the road in addition to your basic civil rights. They might just come in handy...
ez!
4 comments:
not paying tickets = suspended license
suspended license + being a non driver = no worries haha
I ran every red light I could en route to stardust last night in honor of Greg.
Fact: Saturday night I personally witnessed 2 different bike cops that did not observe the stop at the intersection of Central and Osceola. This happened multiple times and their actions where not based on them performing some critical aspect of their job (they were not in hot pursuit of a suspect or anything of the sort). Most of the time, they never even bothered to slow down, they just ran right through the intersection. This in addition to other "infractions" such as riding the wrong way in traffic and riding their bikes on the sidewalks. This is the main gripe I have with this; how can some police officers arbitrarily enforce the law while some of their own don't even bother to follow the very same rules they are all supposedly enforcing? And for the record, I'm not advocating they ticket people for every stupid little thing, I just want some common sense applied to the process. Why get issued a ticket for going through a red light if the intersection was clear?
Chris: you where a cinema major @ UCF correct? You should set up a camera downtown and video tape how bike cops navigate intersections. That way if someone else gets popped for this we now have video footage of police officers not abiding by the laws they are haphazardly enforcing. At the very least it could make a decent Current TV segment... :)
Badluck: a suspended license does not exempt you from having to produce a state issued id, which you HAVE to show to them if they ask you for it. And trust, they will take you to jail for this...
ez!
i'm usually not on the side of the law, but that clown in the photo is the most terrifying thing i have ever seen.
cops 1: clowns 0
Post a Comment