Tim Schauer
Erik,
I agree with you. good email. My point in starting this thread was to express my view that the fine amount is excessive and to express my confusion and bewilderment regarding the officer's lecture to us on bicyclist activism. It just seemed disconnected to our infraction. If he was truly trying to treat us the same as vehicles then I wonder what his lecture is to drivers that "roll" through stop signs. Does he express that all the local driver frustration over cyclists on the road is resulting in more enforcement and higher fines and that if they want the cyclists to improve their road manners they should stop at stop signs better???? huh???
Anyway, I ramble. I can't say I stopped. I wish I had video to actually see how closely we came to stopping, but....I guess an analogy might best describe my perspective....
I feel like we got a $1000 fine for speeding or something, but only doing 62 mph in a 55 mph zone.....and being told if we slowed down there would be less conflict with buses or big rig trucks or something.....YES, I was speeding, but $1000 for 7 mph over??? COME ON!!
-Tim Schauer
________________________________
From: obra-bounces@list.obra.org on behalf of Erik Long
Sent: Fri 7/6/2007 3:00 PM
To: obra@list.obra.org
Subject: Re: [OBRA Chat] Cops and bikes
While I agree with every ounce of my being that 3 tickets at $335 each is
excessive, that cop probably would have let the three of you go scott-free
if you had stopped together and rolled through the intersection together.
We can't get a group of 30 cyclists to stop, but a group of 3 should be no
problem.
----Original Message Follows----
From: "Dan H"
To: "Monty Hill" ,
Subject: Re: [OBRA Chat] Cops and bikes
Date: Fri, 6 Jul 2007 14:36:25 -0700
If you think they are giving cyclists tickets to protect them, your premise
is flawed.
----- Original Message -----
From: Monty Hill
To: obra@list.obra.org
Sent: Friday, July 06, 2007 2:16 PM
Subject: Re: [OBRA Chat] Cops and bikes
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
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