Why do the Police hate cyclists?



Muddy Fox said:
I think you'l find .... They Can
Just around where I live there have been several drunk cycling citations, reckless driving and other traffic related offenses (there are a lot of riders around where I work that are DUI cases that can't drive anymore and they are just as bad on bikes).

If they started pulling over those Critical Mass bozos for breathalizer's and urinalysis it would put an end to those stupid demonstrations pretty quickly. Do they really think that it makes people more tolerant of cyclists, or that similar obstructive behavior by a bunch of cars wouldn't be punished?

Just like when some cyclist throws something at a car or otherwise goes out of their way to irritate a driver, I don't want to be the next cyclist a driver sees after being hung up in a critical mass uncivil disobedience. I know if I missed an interview from one I would be seriously considering some new hood ornaments.
 
mises said:
If they started pulling over those Critical Mass bozos for breathalizer's and urinalysis it would put an end to those stupid demonstrations pretty quickly. Do they really think that it makes people more tolerant of cyclists, or that similar obstructive behavior by a bunch of cars wouldn't be punished?

Just like when some cyclist throws something at a car or otherwise goes out of their way to irritate a driver, I don't want to be the next cyclist a driver sees after being hung up in a critical mass uncivil disobedience. I know if I missed an interview from one I would be seriously considering some new hood ornaments.
Geez,

Aren't we full of generalizations, stereotypes, prejudices and totally willing to jump on howl down who is different.

Still, I guess it saves you the trouble of actually forming an idea...

Please, if you are going to engage in a discussion - actually use the grey stuff...

Scotty
 
mises said:
If they started pulling over those Critical Mass bozos for breathalizer's and urinalysis it would put an end to those stupid demonstrations pretty quickly. Do they really think that it makes people more tolerant of cyclists, or that similar obstructive behavior by a bunch of cars wouldn't be punished?

Just like when some cyclist throws something at a car or otherwise goes out of their way to irritate a driver, I don't want to be the next cyclist a driver sees after being hung up in a critical mass uncivil disobedience. I know if I missed an interview from one I would be seriously considering some new hood ornaments.
Geez,

Aren't we full of generalizations, stereotypes, prejudices and totally willing to jump on howl down who is different?

Still, I guess it saves you the trouble of actually forming an idea...

Please, if you are going to engage in a discussion - actually use the grey stuff...

Scotty
 
mises said:
If they started pulling over those Critical Mass bozos for breathalizer's and urinalysis it would put an end to those stupid demonstrations pretty quickly. Do they really think that it makes people more tolerant of cyclists, or that similar obstructive behavior by a bunch of cars wouldn't be punished?

Just like when some cyclist throws something at a car or otherwise goes out of their way to irritate a driver, I don't want to be the next cyclist a driver sees after being hung up in a critical mass uncivil disobedience. I know if I missed an interview from one I would be seriously considering some new hood ornaments.
Geez,

Aren't we full of generalizations, stereotypes, prejudices, big man's threats and totally willing to jump on or howl down anyone who is different?

Still, I guess it saves you the trouble of actually forming an idea...

Please, if you are going to engage in a discussion - actually use the grey stuff...

Scotty
 
The Police here escort the Critical mass riders down one lane, ticketing for lights and bells @ 150 bucks a pop. If you get caught blowing a red here (Toronto, CANADA) that's two demerit points off your licence. I've been burned "safely" traversing the red and have talked my way our of it with the logic that I don;t want to be beside the crazy motorists when the two lanes drag from the green light to be the first one to get the one lane not being parked on on the other side of the intersection. If a car slams me from behind, the driver, legally is toast. You get knocked over from the side, "I'm sorry I didn't see you", and he walks. I guess you didn't hear me pounding on your passenger window as you pushed me off the road either. While I enjoy seeing a mass of bikers I too don't really see the point of the whole exercise. Being an annoyance isn't making a political point.

Generally the laws are made by non-cyclists who have no concept of what it is to ride in city traffic. You're a vehicle, they say. But I'm not I argue, if I get into a tangle with a car I'm dead or injured. Now if I had an energy weapon that would deploy the air bags if they get within 6 inches, that would be a toy. Or a magnetic device to disrupt the engine's energy causing it to shut off. There are prototypes of these being tested by law enforcement to curtail the high speed pursuit.

One thing about the police here is they have a big bike contingent here. Some pretty capable riders, who ride downtown all day, so they have a pretty good idea of what we speak. Some have wished, at a light that they could carve traffic as fearlessly as I do, practice I say...lol I want a jacket like theirs, but with Police mis-spelled or in another language.

Long story short I don't think the police hate bikers. If we were all on bikes their lives would be much easier.
 
Traffic Jammer said:
Being an annoyance isn't making a political point.
Isn't it? Greenpeace seem to do pretty well out of it. :D


Traffic Jammer said:
I want a jacket like theirs, but with Police mis-spelled or in another language.
Best jacket I ever saw was a copy of a reflective police jacket. On the back it said "POLITE". Heheheh. I saw another similar thing - on the back it said "INSECURITY". Sweet.

Traffic Jammer said:
Long story short I don't think the police hate bikers. If we were all on bikes their lives would be much easier.
Too true, too true......:rolleyes:
 
Ryanotokyo said:
What do you regard as "annoying"? Many motorists get "annoyed" with cyclists just because they are on the road, so whether you hold a mass ride or not, just changes the degree of driver annoyance.

For example, do drivers get annoyed with runners when roads are blocked for the NY marathon? Generally people understand that the marathon is a good thing for the city, and put up with it. The same holds generally for CM rides.

Using Japan as an example again, roads are generally not regarded as the exclusive turf of people in motor vehicles. Major roads are regularly blocked completely for festivals, processions, fireworks, markets, music concerts and a whole array of other local events. The 6 lane road around the palace (downtown Tokyo) is blocked off every Sunday for cyclists. Some selfish motorists may be annoyed by not being able to speed to their destination because of these events, but for the most part people understand these are community building events that are good for any city or town. And the more often they occur, the more people accept them as an integral part of life.
Well I do not live in Japan, nor have I ever been there. I do, however find your analogy using the NY marathon quite flawed. The NY Marathon is organized by an official organization, and it endorsed by the city, WTIH the full cooperation and participation of the police. Critical mass rides, in most cases, are usually run in a slipshod manner (at least here), with a bunch of anti-car hotheads. These usually turn into an ugly mess with nothing constructive getting done......a colossal waste of time. Knowingly and willingly violating laws and creating traffic snarls in (usually) big cities is not a way to endear yourself to anyone...police or otherwise.

Just because you are a cyclist doesn't mean you should be an inconsiderate moron, which many of these critical mass riders are.
 
I've been riding for decades, and never had a problem with a policeman. Of course, I do not live in London or New York, and I do not ride with clubs. Mostly by myself. Anyway, the police are not the problem for me.

My problem is obnoxious motorists.
 
The only time I ever got any kind of police attention was for bieng a dumb kid riding without a working headlight. Most of my commute is through an area where you see a police car every 5 minutes, and I love that - means I probbably won't have to duck any beer bottles.
I 'm starting to agree about critical mass - most of what people think of critical mass is the fringe element - kids with dreadlocks ( and NO HELMETS :confused: ) which doesn't help people think that cycling is a viable way of getting to work. They're great people and fun to ride with , but in critical mass in my city I seem to be the only one employed full time. I'd love to reach out to the poeople that work downtown that have to deal with parking hassles and the gas prices
What I'd love to see is critical mass rides at 8 am on mondays - cyclists grouping together on the way to work in the mornings, or groups of parents escorting their kids to school.
 
baj32161 said:
Well I do not live in Japan, nor have I ever been there. I do, however find your analogy using the NY marathon quite flawed. The NY Marathon is organized by an official organization, and it endorsed by the city, WTIH the full cooperation and participation of the police. Critical mass rides, in most cases, are usually run in a slipshod manner (at least here), with a bunch of anti-car hotheads. These usually turn into an ugly mess with nothing constructive getting done......a colossal waste of time. Knowingly and willingly violating laws and creating traffic snarls in (usually) big cities is not a way to endear yourself to anyone...police or otherwise.

Just because you are a cyclist doesn't mean you should be an inconsiderate moron, which many of these critical mass riders are.
HHRUMPHH! Very well said.
Events like the NY Marathon are planned in advanced and usually only once a year. Not so with pop-up rides.
I got another analogy for the pro-cm crowd. You just started a CM ride when, all of a sudden you see hundreds upon hundreds of people walking in the road in front of you. You can't get any speed up because as soon as you get around one group, another group is in the way. But hey, they have just as much right to be there as we do.
 
well if you got transfered (unwillingly) to the cycle unit and had an inadequate seat up your but for 8hrs wouldnt you hate us too?


P.S. Where do they put the siren?:confused:
 
LIKESBIKES716 said:
well if you got transfered (unwillingly) to the cycle unit and had an inadequate seat up your but for 8hrs wouldnt you hate us too?


P.S. Where do they put the siren?:confused:
I imagine they use a lightweight siren: The copper just goes "Woo woo. Woo woo."

Now that's a sight I'd like to see: a cyclist being chased by a bike-cop going "Woo woo". :D
 
My wacky conspiracy theory: The police hate cyclists because we don't buy gas, which is taxed. Since we don't pay tax, theoretically the government gets no money from us and is mean to us in the hope that we will drive more and generate revenue for the govt.
 
Traffic Jammer said:
Saw a bike cop giving a motorist a ticket the other day. I swelled with pride.

I would love to have seen that ! As for cops hating bicyclists, it seems that where I live they consider you to be a pain in the butt to the flow of traffic, also they think your poor if you ride a bike instead of driving a car, this brings out the underlying mentaility of why they became cops in the first place, hence the verbal abuse.
I have told them many times I ride by choice and own a car but I choose to be apart of the solution, not the problem. Oh yeah another reason why they dislike bicyclists is when it snows and your having a blast riding around they are just miserable cause they cant play lol..enough said.. Peace
 
wheelist said:
I imagine they use a lightweight siren: The copper just goes "Woo woo. Woo woo."

Now that's a sight I'd like to see: a cyclist being chased by a bike-cop going "Woo woo". :D
The doughnut nazis in my area are no match for Huhenio.

Damn ... now I want a "General Lee" scheme paint job on my bike!!!:mad:

<plays dixie horn>
 
huhenio said:
The doughnut nazis in my area are no match for Huhenio.

Damn ... now I want a "General Lee" scheme paint job on my bike!!!:mad:

<plays dixie horn>
Now if we can just get some video of Boss Hog and Roscoe P. Coltrane on a tandem bike trying to chase you on the general lee bike, that would be high comedy!
 
FIBROMAN45 said:
also they think your poor if you ride a bike instead of driving a car, this brings out the underlying mentaility of why they became cops in the first place, hence the verbal abuse.
What kind of bike do you ride that would make a cop think you are poor? With all the bicycle thefts in the US, I'd say that 99.9% of cops on the street would know the difference between a decent road bike and a K-Mart special or a Sears sale.
 
nugsfan said:
Now if we can just get some video of Boss Hog and Roscoe P. Coltrane on a tandem bike trying to chase you on the general lee bike, that would be high comedy!
Just two good ole boys, never meanin no harm
Beats all you never saw, been in trouble with the law
Since the day they was born.
Straightenin the curves, flattenin the hills
Someday the mountain might get 'em but the law never will.

Makin their way, the only way they know how
That's just a little bit more than the law will allow.

Just two good ole boys, wouldn't change if they could,
Fightin the system like two modern-day Huhenios.

:D
 

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