Re: bike clipping and ticketing



:
: Pat wrote:
: >
: > I gotta ask: What state do you live in that allows bicycles on the
: > Interstate highway system? Texas sure doesn't permit it!
: >
:
: Arizona allows it outside of the metro areas. In fact there are several
: organized rides that use the interstate system for parts. Actually if
: the shoulders have recently been swept of debris some of the riding is
: quite nice.
:
And, Arizona interstates have stop signs or stop lights? Don't forget, the
original complaint was about a cyclist being given a ticket for going
through a red...

Pat in TX
 
Pat wrote:
> :
> And, Arizona interstates have stop signs or stop lights? Don't forget, the
> original complaint was about a cyclist being given a ticket for going
> through a red...
>

Of course not! My response was to your question and only to that
question.

Perhaps one could stretch the situation a bit and say that there are
stop signs on the entry and exit ramps which could be defined as part
of the interstate. But I'm not arguing that one way or the other.
Simply saying that in AZ, outside of the metro areas it is perfectly
legal to ride on the shoulders of the interstate.

I could spice this up and ask the "take the lane" folks if they think
that it would be a good idea to take one of the travel lanes on the
interstate --- but I'll refrain.
 
Bob wrote:
> Alex Rodriguez wrote:
>
>>In article <[email protected]>,
>>[email protected] says...
>>
>>
>>>If the cop was "coming up behind (a vehicle operator) after he pulled
>>>out of his hiding spot" the vehicle operator apparently just passed him
>>>without noticing him. To me, that doesn't sound like the vehicle
>>>operator was very attentive to his surroundings. Does it to you?

>>
>>Cop is hiding behind the bushes. After the cyclist passes them and runs
>>the light, the cop pulls out. So unless the cyclist turned his head to
>>look behind the bush as he passe it, not really a good idea since regular
>>traffic does not come out of bushes, he could be paying attention to traffic
>>that matters and miss the hiding cop.

>
>
> Your hypothetical cop must obviously get an inordinate amount of
> personal satisfaction from handing out traffic tickets. I know a lot of
> dedicated cops that enjoy their jobs and I can't think of even *one*
> that would hide in the bushes just to issue a traffic ticket.
>


Naw it's just the easiest crime to catch someone at, grab your dozen
donuts, a mega sized coffee, find a good hiding spot, and poke the radar
unit out the window. What until some guy who spent his last nickle on
"pimping" his ride goes by at 10 over, then go give him a ticket. I
used to go up this one highway at night all the time going home from
work, and I knew where all of their hiding spots were, from seeing them
come out, to catch one guy or another.

W
 
Alex Rodriguez wrote:
> In article <[email protected]>,
> [email protected] says...
>
> >Your hypothetical cop must obviously get an inordinate amount of
> >personal satisfaction from handing out traffic tickets.

>
> Not hypothetical. Cops hide all the time. Drive down any interstate for any
> length of time and if you are paying attention, you will see them hiding.
> They are usually out in force towards the end of the month.
>
> >I know a lot of
> >dedicated cops that enjoy their jobs and I can't think of even *one*
> >that would hide in the bushes just to issue a traffic ticket.

>
> Most state police who work interstates do. Speak to one of them.


Thank you, Alex. I had a bad day and I needed the laugh.

Bob- "Hey Bob, did you ever hide in the bushes so you could issue
traffic tickets?"
Bob- "Are you serious? Why would I bother to hide when it's totally
unnecessary? People do dumb things right in front of me!"
Bob- "Why are you talking to yourself?"
Bob- "Because Alex suggested that I speak with a trooper."

You see, for my first eight years with the Illinois State Police I
*was* one of those state police that worked the interstates. I can
honestly say that all those times when, had you seen me, you would have
said I was "hiding" to ambush traffic offenders what I was actually
doing was sitting in a place of relative safety observing traffic. I
usually tried to shield myself by placing large pieces of concrete and
steel- overpass abutments, guardrails. and concrete lane dividers-
between me and the occasional drunk doing 70 mph with both his right
wheels on the shoulder. I never tried to camouflage my presence by
hiding behind bushes both because it was unnecessary and bushes don't
offer much impact protection. As you yourself point out, anyone paying
attention would have seen me so it seems you've made my point for me.

Regards,
Bob Hunt
 
Bob wrote:
>
> dgk wrote:
>
> > Just out of curiosity, where do you bike Bob? Somewhere with one light
> > in the town?
> >
> > It takes me 85 minutes to bike the 15 miles one way to work, and about
> > the same coming home. That's running maybe 20 or 30 lights. Slowly,
> > with caution. But clean runs. Because, lights in the big city aren't
> > staggered for bikes, they're staggererd for cars. That means that I
> > hit a lot of red lights.
> >
> > And, if I don't run them, I can't commute by bike because I just don't
> > have the time to spend four hours a day biking. Three is bad enough.
> >
> > I'm not a car. I'm a bike. Like a pedestrian, none of whom waits for
> > green lights except to avoid getting hit. It's stupid to wait for red
> > lights when there is no car coming.

>
> I don't bike commute but to answer your question, Chicago and the
> surrounding suburbs have quite a few stoplights. <g>
> When they get stopped and ticketed for violating a traffic law many
> people (and as I read his post, the OP is one of them) often say, "The
> ticket was really stupid because there were no cars around". Since the
> cops that stop them are almost invariably **driving a car**, doesn't
> that lead you to think that maybe they didn't do quite as thorough a
> job of checking for other traffic as they claim? As for your statement,
> "It's stupid to wait for red lights when there is no car coming.", do
> you think a driver that stops at a red light, looks left and right, and
> then cautiously runs that red light cleanly has a legitimate beef if he
> gets a ticket for that?


Do the cops in Chicago triple-park while they give a double-parker
a ticket like they do here in NYC?


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In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] says...

>Thank you, Alex. I had a bad day and I needed the laugh.


You are welcome. :)

>Bob- "Hey Bob, did you ever hide in the bushes so you could issue
>traffic tickets?"
>Bob- "Are you serious? Why would I bother to hide when it's totally
>unnecessary? People do dumb things right in front of me!"


This is true, but they need to catch the less stupid drivers.

>Bob- "Why are you talking to yourself?"
>Bob- "Because Alex suggested that I speak with a trooper."


Do you always do what others on the internet tell you? :)

>You see, for my first eight years with the Illinois State Police I
>*was* one of those state police that worked the interstates. I can
>honestly say that all those times when, had you seen me, you would have
>said I was "hiding" to ambush traffic offenders what I was actually
>doing was sitting in a place of relative safety observing traffic. I
>usually tried to shield myself by placing large pieces of concrete and
>steel- overpass abutments, guardrails. and concrete lane dividers-
>between me and the occasional drunk doing 70 mph with both his right
>wheels on the shoulder. I never tried to camouflage my presence by
>hiding behind bushes both because it was unnecessary and bushes don't
>offer much impact protection. As you yourself point out, anyone paying
>attention would have seen me so it seems you've made my point for me.


I don't doubt you, and it makes good sense to protect yourself from the
many idiots on the road. That still doesn't change the fact that I have
personally seen many cops hiding behind bushes or in the shadows of
overpasses. Some may have been finding a safe place to sit and observe,
but many have been obviously hiding to run radar and do their part to
raise revenue. Even when you pay attention, there are times when you
won't see the cop hiding in the bushes.
--------------
Alex
 

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