Monty Hill
Yes, finally someone who feels the same way I do. What the hell are they thinking giving out more tickets to cyclists to protect us. Maybe they should just lock us all up, and chain us to the floor, to protect us from ourselves.
If a cyclist commits an infraction they should pay the fine. Sure that is easy to agree with.
But saying this is the County's attempt to protect cyclist is wrong and represents an attitude that cyclist do not belong on "their" roads. Administering the law seems to be bias in favor of the automobile. As well as the law as it is written in favor of reckless abandon while driving. Maybe it is time to change both. How can we as cyclist get involved to help change this mentality.
Monty
From: obra-bounces@list.obra.org [mailto:obra-bounces@list.obra.org] On Behalf Of Evan MacKenzie
Sent: Friday, July 06, 2007 1:45 PM
To: info@northplains.org; scottw@northplains.org; obra@list.obra.org; jonathan@bikeportland.org
Subject: [OBRA Chat] Cops and bikes
I just heard that your Police Department has stepped up enforcement against bicyclists after the recent death of a cyclist.
I have to ask - is this the best way to prevent reckless drivers from killing a cyclist... by punishing cyclists?
As one of the ticketed cyclists pointed out, it's a little ironic that the three riders, who were each ticketed for rolling through a stop sign, received a combined penalty almost the same as the person who was driving without a license or insurance and KILLED someone.
As a former resident of Hillsboro who used to ride through North Plains a lot, I now have another reason to be happy I am no longer a resident of the area. The area around North Plains is a wonderful place to ride, but not if the local police practice a skewed "Dukes of Hazard" observance of the law and general disregard for cyclists' safety. You may not realize it, but working with cyclists to make the North Plains area a better, safer place to ride can actually benefit your town. Instead, you have decided to give yourself a black eye.
What would you do if a local store owner was shot during a robbery? Ticket all the other store owners for not wearing bullet-proof vests?
For the record, I was once pulled over by a North Plains police officer for speeding on Hwy 26. I went to court and very politely informed the judge that I was not in their jurisdiction when I was ticketed. In fact I believe it was very near the new bridge at Jackson School Road, a couple miles outside town. The ticket was thrown out. I wonder how many other people simply paid the fine? Have all those people been refunded their fines, and their records stricken of the improper citation?
I hope the affected riders go to court to contest the citations. I hope they are able to bring along support.
I hope you are pursuing problem motorists in 5,000 pound SUVs who smoke and talk on the phone while driving just as diligently as you are pursuing 150-pound cyclists on 16-pound bikes. About the only way a bicyclist would really be a threat to a driver is if the rider is being thrown through the air at 50mph after being hit by an errant truck, and happens to hit another car.
Evan MacKenzie
Baker City, OR