while certainly better than a car, the t still sucks up power to runi am not saying that bikers shouldn't be given tickets for running reds - yeah they shouldn't be unsafe, but there is a huge difference between bikes and carsit isn't a big deal stopping and starting except running reds is the only way bikers make time, the only lives they are likely risking is their own
go with B wrote:
Actually I take the T
wow, ok, so now I can basically ignore everything else you say
go with B wrote:
it runs on electricity so you can stop whining about the environment.
anEconomist wrote:
wow, ok, so now I can basically ignore everything else you say
If that makes it easier to sit on your high horse. Electricity is cleaner for the environment than cars, so what is your point?
You know what you remind me of? The south park episode where everyone drives a hybrid and turns into a smug d-bag.
Please don't come to Portland with that attitude.
Every time a cyclist does something like running a red it sends the message that bikers aren't taking their responsibilies seriously. It does risk lives; it risks the lives of other cyclists who next encounter the driver that got pissed at the cyclist who ran the red light.
For cars and bikes to coexist it's necessary for drivers and bikers to follow the rules. Don't run reds on a bike. Don't run reds in a car.
Thurman Rider wrote:
Please don't come to Portland with that attitude.
Every time a cyclist does something like running a red it sends the message that bikers aren't taking their responsibilies seriously. It does risk lives; it risks the lives of other cyclists who next encounter the driver that got pissed at the cyclist who ran the red light.
For cars and bikes to coexist it's necessary for drivers and bikers to follow the rules. Don't run reds on a bike. Don't run reds in a car.
And there we go, I won't bother reading the whole thread, but I know I've been getting at this and I'm sure it's been said 9 other times.
Debate should be over.
Before someone jumps on me; I meant to type "responsibilities".
Portland's bike culture is strong and vibrant. For anyone who is interested check out
It's easy to live in Portland and reduce VMT; living in NW Portland means most of life's daily necessities are within walking/biking distance. It's a great way to live. Biking is a big part of the way one can live here.
Yeah, I hear ya brother, the guy was probably being a jerk, however you're chances of winning are slim and zero. I would just go ahead and pay the ticket.
lmfao rofl this is hillarious i didnt even know u could get pulled over while riding a bike hahahahahhahahahahahha
bloominonion wrote:
you are correct that bikes have the rights but in many times, you cannot assert that right. for example, on a 2 lane road, a biker should be able to actually ride in the traffic lane. would i actually do this? no, i would be killed. instead, when the shoulder is full of garbage cans and lawn waste, i ride on the sidewalk.
am i breaking the law? yes. but, my only alternative is to not bike on that road. but hey, i have the same rights as motorists right? in theory maybe but in practice, no way.
i really think it's hard to understand this perspective until your bike is your only means of transportation for a while.
It is not illegal to ride your bike on the sidewalk in Massachusetts. You simply need to be careful of pedestrians.
And this excuses him (when in the street) from obeying the traffic laws...how?
go with B wrote:
If that makes it easier to sit on your high horse. Electricity is cleaner for the environment than cars, so what is your point?.
Where do you think that electricity comes from?
No doubt someone has already pointed this out to the OP, but bicycles are VEHICLES in pretty much every state. That means that you have to both ride on the road, and obey all the traffic laws that cars do. Bikers aren't some weird vehicle-pedestrian hybrid, they're just vehicles.
[quote]Cambridge Commoner wrote:
2 seconds later a cop on a motorcycle pulls me over. (Note - I was wearing a helmet, not going excessively fast, and was riding on the correct side of the road). He asks me for ID and I ask if I've done anything wrong. He says "you ran a red light."
I expect that he is writing me a warning..... wrong.
$20 ticket. BAM.
quote]
Good. about time cyclists running red lights or stop signs got tickets.
BAM indeed.
Hey,
I'm a bicycle commuter. I don't drive at all.
If you want to go to court with the hopes of getting the ticket dismissed, that is your prerogative. But you can't go on acting as though receiving the ticket was unfair. When you say you were "not going excessively fast," that is untrue. The fact that you were moving at all through a stop sign means you were going too fast.
You got caught breaking the law. Do what you will from here.
go with B wrote:
Bikers are idiots on the roads..
Not nearly as big an idiot as car drivers. Take a look around. See all the cars with the dings and crushed metal? How about the remains of taillights scattered across every intersection? It's because so many of you have no clue what you're doing behind the wheel. But by all means, keep cruising across the sidewalk as you exit the fast food establishment, not noticing the pedestrian with the right-of-way. And feel free to yammer away on your cel phone like the idiot who turned left in front of me and sent me to the ground, breaking my wrist. And don't even think about stopping to own up to that recklessness. Why bother? It'll take me a few minutes to get to my feet, and you can get pretty far in a few minutes!
go with B wrote:
a bike is a car when it's on the roads and should follow the same traffic laws a car follows.
So what are you complaining about? Cars run red lights all the time (and I mean ALL the time). Bicyclists doing the same are following/ignoring the same laws.
There's some sort of odd disconnect between that "stupid crap you did drunk" thread, where a large number drove drunk, alcohol being involved in over 40% of this country's auto fatalities, and then everyone hammering someone for running a red on a bicycle.
disconnected wrote:
There's some sort of odd disconnect between that "stupid crap you did drunk" thread, where a large number drove drunk, alcohol being involved in over 40% of this country's auto fatalities, and then everyone hammering someone for running a red on a bicycle.
I've driven drunk a time or two in my life and I've ran red lights and stop signs on my bike and even my car....they were all wrong and if or when I get busted I will do what I can do get the ticket dropped or lessened. You won't find me on here crying that the cop is an idiot or the law is stupid.
It's 20 dollars. If you don't pay that, you are a prick.
Those Cambridge cops are sneaky, you've got to keep your head on a swivel. I blow through red lights all the time and if you guys in cars have a problem with that we'll then too bad. Thats one of the few perks to riding a bike. Look at it this way $20 is cheaper than a parking ticket and it is really funny that you got a ticket on your bike. Chalk that up as life entertainment.
exactly. must not be any city bikers here.
in most cities cars think they have the right of way and bikers and runners for that matter need to get out of the way.
bike laws should not be the same as auto laws. every light should be a blinking red or yellow light for those on foot or bicycle.
did you also know that just because it's a law doesn't mean it's right. the simple act of not obeying a law that is not reasonable is a fundamental trait of that which is good in the American psyche.
no to quell you dumb-knuckle sheep...
if you run a red light and get hit by a car or do damage to something or somebody then you are not fit to exist. sorry.
Was this in the PRC? (People's Republic of Cambridge...
Massachusetts)
Maybe they're running low on issuing traffic citations to cars with gas up to $3.15/gal here.
Gotta generate revenue for the Liberal Programs somewhere.
this is fun.
let's inoculate everyone from making their own judgements!
Commoner - do what I said - see what happens. raising the question is your right! don't be a sheep.