jakebigham
Apologies to everyone who is getting sick of the North Plains saga-
I have an idle moment and I am puzzled by the idea that cyclists
should be happy with "equal treatment under the law".
It strikes me that bikes and cars are not equal , nor are they equal
under the law:
An eight year old isn't allowed to operate a cement truck on public
roads.
A Hummer may pass a cyclist in an area of double yellow lines, but if
a cyclist passes a Hummer on a steep twisting decent they better hope
there isn't a law enforcement officer watching.*
In many places bicycles are not allowed on interstate freeways
(neither are pedestrians, or horses for that matter).
Station wagons are typically barred from driving rail-to-trail pavement.
It is really hard to buy a fixie school bus.
You are not required to have a working brakelight on your stingray...
or your Pinarello.
Imagine if one day all the bicyclists in Portland put their bike in
the center of a parking spot and paid for the 2 hours with one of
those little stickers... you better believe the s**t would hit the
fan (and not be equally distributed).
The two machines are intrinsically different; it doesn't seem to
make sense that they should be treated equally. 2¢ -Jake
* (Yes, I have first hand experience and yes I still do it all the
time 'cause it is fun)
Check out this Oregon statute-
811.125 Speed racing on highway; penalty.
(1) A person commits the offense of speed racing on a highway if, on
a highway in this state, the person drives a vehicle or participates
in any manner in any of the following in which a vehicle is involved:
(a) A speed competition or contest.
(b) An acceleration contest.
(c) A test of physical endurance.
There are a lot of OBRA people breaking this law all the time
On Jul 9, 2007, at 11:32 AM, Ike Kendrick wrote:
>
> George is right on the mark. Equal treatment under the law. However
> I'm glad I don't live in a town with a chief of police like that.
> He needs to go!
> -ike
>
>
>
> gschreckchat@comcast.net wrote:
>> Evan,
>>
>> While I may not have liked his personal response to you, as long
>> as the police treat bicyclists are cars equally, I really cannot
>> see why we are getting worked up. Yes, the fine is high (same for
>> cars), and yes, we may cause less damage by breaking the law (if
>> you assume our getting hit becuase we took a risk does not cause
>> some emotional damage to the driver who hits us), but really what
>> we should be asking for is equal treatment. There is a good and
>> bad side to it, and this is the bad side. Big deal. Just stop at
>> the sign, as obeying the law really should not be based on the
>> potential for harm. I am not necessarily perfect at stop signs,
>> but if I get caught, I have to be prepared to accept the
>> consequences, just as I will defy anyone who says I should not
>> ride on the road. If he tickets cars for breaking the law, then
>> accept the same if a cyclist breaks the law.
>>
>> I really think all the whining that has taken place only makes us
>> look ridiculous.
>>
>> --
>>
>> George Schreck
>> gschreckchat@comcast.net
>> (503) 502-0425
>>
>> -------------- Original message --------------
>> From: "Evan MacKenzie"
>> Officer Whitehead:
>>
>>
>>
>> I was hoping I might receive a response. I got one (attached
>> below), and I thank you for it.
>>
>>
>>
>> I have forwarded your response to Bikeportland.org, the Bicycle
>> Transportation Alliance (BTA), and also to the Oregon Bicycle
>> Racing Association (OBRA). Your response says a lot about your
>> view toward cyclists, and possibly also your capability to operate
>> as an unbiased public servant.
>>
>>
>>
>> My attitude and thinking is that bicyclists should be treated
>> fairly. Same roads, same rules, same rights. You run a stop sign,
>> you get a ticket. But before you jump on me for being a hypocrite,
>> consider this: bicyclists, with the exception of those who ride on
>> the road wearing earphones, are in a much better position to judge
>> the safety of an intersection before entering it than drivers.
>> Bicyclists are not insulated from their surroundings by a safety
>> cage of thousands of pounds of metal, plastic and glass, which
>> happens to allow such distractions as cell phones, cigarettes,
>> radios and rolled-up windows to even further remove them from
>> their surroundings, and thus their awareness of others. Bicyclists
>> can come to an intersection, look around, listen, and know that
>> the coast is clear. Does this mean that a cyclist should be able
>> to cruise through an intersection without stopping, like man y
>> cars do? Of course not. Does this excuse those on bikes who ride
>> in such a way, blowing through intersections with wild abandon? Of
>> course not. I think that if you were to try riding a bicycle on
>> the road, you would understand the great distinction between
>> entering an intersection in a car and on a bike. You might realize
>> that coming to a stop sign, slowing to 1-2 miles an hour, having a
>> good look and listen around, and then proceeding through the
>> intersection, is a lot easier (and in fact safer) on a bike than
>> in a car. Without all those distractions that come from INSIDE a
>> vehicle, it is much easier to concentrate on the potentially
>> harmful ones on the outside. The other point I was trying to make,
>> and one that was obviously lost on you, is the fact that a vehicle
>> breaking the law has a much higher potential to cause harm than a
>> person on a bicycle. I think the majority of police officers
>> either dont realize this fact, or simply dont care.
>> Unfortunately, many drivers do know this, and that is why most
>> cyclists have taken such a negative attitude toward drivers (Yes,
>> I include myself in this group). Many drivers look at a cyclist
>> and somehow detach the person on a bicycle from their existence as
>> a human being with the same rights as everyone else. Youve
>> probably never had glass bottles or nails thrown at you from the
>> window of a moving car, or been called faggot for being on a
>> bicycle, sometimes without even wearing lycra! People dont rev
>> their motor, honk their horn, swerve toward you and yell things
>> out the window at other cars because they know they might
>> potentially damage their own vehicle, and because its not as fun
>> or cool to threaten somebody in a car. If you doubt me, I invite
>> you to go on a ride with me and see what its like. Ill come all
>> the way back from Baker City and ride with you. Heck, Ill even
>> lend you a bike and try to get some lycra for you to wear. I think
>> that your experience as a police officer would benefit from some
>> time behind bars, as it were, so you might understand what its
>> like to ride a bike, and why some riders become so anti-
>> establishment
and why so many people choose not to ride at all. It
>> doesnt help that many police officers side with motorists when
>> there is an accident, often ignoring the cyclists concerns, even
>> when the driver was clearly at fault. Or in the apparent case of
>> the City of North Plains, the entire Police Department viewing
>> cyclists as the problem rather than a very legitimate solution
>> to a plethora of environmental and transportation problems facing
>> the entire planet today. In spite of attitudes like this, I still
>> prefer to ride my bike rather than drive a car.
>>
>>
>>
>> I might also suggest that you brush up on your grammar before you
>> call someone an idiot. Your is an adjective which denotes
>> ownership. Youre is a contraction of you and are. To put
>> the two words in context, one might say: Mr. Mayor, youre an
>> intelligent person, but your Chief of Police is an idiot. I have
>> a Masters in Urban Planning and an Bachelors in Journalism. That
>> doesnt necessarily make me any smarter than anyone else, but I
>> have at least been taught to think critically. I prefer to
>> evaluate a situation based on information, not emotion. I also
>> prefer to offer constructive criticism rather than unfounded
>> personal bias or conjecture. Just because a person doesnt agree
>> with you does not make that person any less intelligent. In fact,
>> opening a dialogue with people you dont agree with is usually a
>> pretty good way to learn something, and maybe even to solve a
>> problem.< /o:p>< /SPAN>
>>
>>
>>
>> I do not believe the tone of your response was very professional,
>> nor was it becoming an officer of the law, who is sworn to protect
>> and to serve. If your response to a concern from the public is to
>> call the complainant an idiot, I have to wonder how your
>> department treats those whom you cite. I, too, am a public
>> employee, and I know better than to imply to anyone, either in
>> person, on the phone, or by email, that they are less intelligent
>> or in any way not deserving my consideration. I would quickly hear
>> from my superiors for doing so, and I would also diminish my
>> personal and professional status. Your town is even smaller than
>> mine, and I have a hard time believing an attitude like your could
>> persist for long. Perhaps you should consider leaving your job and
>> becoming a private security officer, where you could practice your
>> one-sided view of the world with even less discretion.< /FONT>
>>
>>
>>
>> In spite of all this, my offer to ride with you still stands.
>> Although I might suggest that we meet somewhere outside your
>> jurisdicition.
>>
>>
>>
>> Regards,
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Evan Mackenzie
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Mr. MacKenzie,
>>
>>
>>
>> I can see where your part of the problem and not the solution.
>> It's people with your attitude and thinking that place bicyclists
>> in danger by listening to your abstract views on things. I will
>> continue writing citations to everyone who disobeys a traffic
>> control device whether in a motor vehicle or on a bike. Maybe
>> someday your bike friends will respect the traffic laws that they
>> spend so much time complaining about.
>>
>>
>>
>> After reading your email again, your a complete idiot!!
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Scott Whitehead
>> Chief of Police
>> North Plains Police Department
>> Office: (503) 647.2604
>> Fax: (503) 647.2031
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Sent: Friday, July 06, 2007 1:44 PM
>>
>> Subject: 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, its 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
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Subject:
>> [OBRA Chat] North Plains response - Cops and bikes
>> From:
>> "Evan MacKenzie"
>> Date:
>> Mon, 9 Jul 2007 15:35:48 +0000
>> To:
>>
>> To:
>>
>> CC:
>> obra@list.obra.org, info@bta4bikes.org
>>
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>
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