Holy shatz! Cop stops bicycle! - Page 12 - Cycling Mob: Road Cycling, Mountain Biking and More

06-12-2004, 03:27 PM

In article <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].earthlink.net>,
"Daniel T." <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> writes:

> I saw something close. I was making a left turn (with the green light)
> when a bicyclist ran the light just as I was turning. Needless to say
> the bicyclist was going too fast for anyone to really react to his
> presence. He ended up hitting an SUV (note the bicyclist hit the
> vehicle, not the other way around.) The bike was totaled and the rider
> found himself flat on his back. Amazingly, the bicyclist wasn't hurt, of
> course the driver of the SUV wasn't hurt either, how could he be? Hell,
> I didn't even see any scratches on the side of his vehicle...

Those things do happen, but that's nothing like the scenario
Mr. Stern describes, of drivers bashing their cars into each
other in a valiant effort to avoid hitting a red light-running
cyclist. I expect in the incident you describe, the SUV driver
didn't do much by way of collision avoidance manoeuvers; maybe
the driver didn't even know the cyclist was there until he hit
his SUV. But that's admittedly all speculation on my part.

I think a more plausible hypothetical situation would be where a
startled driver panics, hits the binders and gets rear-ended.
But that would be the fault of the driver behind him, doing the
rear-ending.

> I'm not going to claim that what Mr. Stern says never happens, but I
> expect that when something like that happens but its a car rather than a
> bike that is "ramming" through a busy intersection against the light, a
> hell of a lot more damage occurs.

True. I have seen some sickening aftermath of where (car driving)
street racers, and subjects in police pursuits, have tried
unsuccessfuly to run red lights. With stuff like that going on,
the authorities have far more important things to deal with than
going after law-flouting cyclists.

--
-- Powered by FreeBSD
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

06-12-2004, 03:28 PM

In article <dLKyc.49$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>,
"Paul" <UPS_SUCKS!@slower_traffic_get_to_the_right.com> wrote:

>> I still say he's just pissed because he sees bikes doing what he can't
>> do in his car, but he isn't willing to ride a bike in order to have the
>> privileges that bikers have. Of course, that doesn't stop him from
>> wanting to take those privileges away from the bicyclists.
>
>Since when do bicyclists have the privlege of disregarding traffic laws that
>are there for the safety of everyone?

Well, if they didn't we wouldn't be having this discussion. The fact is,
bicyclists don't have to obey the same traffic laws as cars, otherwise
they would be getting pulled over and fined.

06-12-2004, 03:28 PM

In article <dLKyc.49$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>,
"Paul" <UPS_SUCKS!@slower_traffic_get_to_the_right.com> wrote:

>> I still say he's just pissed because he sees bikes doing what he can't
>> do in his car, but he isn't willing to ride a bike in order to have the
>> privileges that bikers have. Of course, that doesn't stop him from
>> wanting to take those privileges away from the bicyclists.
>
>Since when do bicyclists have the privlege of disregarding traffic laws that
>are there for the safety of everyone?

Well, if they didn't we wouldn't be having this discussion. The fact is,
bicyclists don't have to obey the same traffic laws as cars, otherwise
they would be getting pulled over and fined.

06-12-2004, 03:28 PM

In article <dLKyc.49$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>,
"Paul" <UPS_SUCKS!@slower_traffic_get_to_the_right.com> wrote:

>> I still say he's just pissed because he sees bikes doing what he can't
>> do in his car, but he isn't willing to ride a bike in order to have the
>> privileges that bikers have. Of course, that doesn't stop him from
>> wanting to take those privileges away from the bicyclists.
>
>Since when do bicyclists have the privlege of disregarding traffic laws that
>are there for the safety of everyone?

Well, if they didn't we wouldn't be having this discussion. The fact is,
bicyclists don't have to obey the same traffic laws as cars, otherwise
they would be getting pulled over and fined.

06-12-2004, 03:28 PM

In article <dLKyc.49$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>,
"Paul" <UPS_SUCKS!@slower_traffic_get_to_the_right.com> wrote:

>> I still say he's just pissed because he sees bikes doing what he can't
>> do in his car, but he isn't willing to ride a bike in order to have the
>> privileges that bikers have. Of course, that doesn't stop him from
>> wanting to take those privileges away from the bicyclists.
>
>Since when do bicyclists have the privlege of disregarding traffic laws that
>are there for the safety of everyone?

Well, if they didn't we wouldn't be having this discussion. The fact is,
bicyclists don't have to obey the same traffic laws as cars, otherwise
they would be getting pulled over and fined.

06-12-2004, 03:28 PM

In article <dLKyc.49$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>,
"Paul" <UPS_SUCKS!@slower_traffic_get_to_the_right.com> wrote:

>> I still say he's just pissed because he sees bikes doing what he can't
>> do in his car, but he isn't willing to ride a bike in order to have the
>> privileges that bikers have. Of course, that doesn't stop him from
>> wanting to take those privileges away from the bicyclists.
>
>Since when do bicyclists have the privlege of disregarding traffic laws that
>are there for the safety of everyone?

Well, if they didn't we wouldn't be having this discussion. The fact is,
bicyclists don't have to obey the same traffic laws as cars, otherwise
they would be getting pulled over and fined.

06-12-2004, 03:36 PM

"Paul" <UPS_SUCKS!@slower_traffic_get_to_the_right.com> wrote:

>"Daniel T." <postmaster@eathlink.net> wrote in message
>news

ostmaster-C0C7A5.11023712062004@news6.west.earthlink.net...
>> In article <Pine.GSO.4.58.0406120010490.8911@alumni.engin.umi ch.edu>,
>
>> I'm new to this car vs bicycle debate, yet is sounds very familliar to
>> the debate over in rec.boats; there it's motor-boat vs sailboat.
>> Different vehicles, but the same facts. How much property damage can a
>> bicycle do compaired to a car? Can DUI bicyclests ram through the wall
>> of the local McDonald's killing and injuring happy meal eaters?
>
>A DUI bicyclist could pull many types of idiotic maneuvers that could cause a
>car
>operator to lose control of his vehicle and plow into a McDonalds.

And a DUI driver could pull many types of idiotic maneuvers that could
cause a bicyclest to lose control and plow into a McDonalds... Oops
actually that's not the case is it, the bicyclest *can't* plow into a
McDonalds.

Your ignoring the central fact; a bicyclist simply *cannot* do the kind
of damage that an auto driver can do. Because of this central fact,
there really isn't as much need to ensure that bicyclests are skilled
compared to auto drivers.

06-12-2004, 03:36 PM

"Paul" <UPS_SUCKS!@slower_traffic_get_to_the_right.com> wrote:

>"Daniel T." <postmaster@eathlink.net> wrote in message
>news

ostmaster-C0C7A5.11023712062004@news6.west.earthlink.net...
>> In article <Pine.GSO.4.58.0406120010490.8911@alumni.engin.umi ch.edu>,
>
>> I'm new to this car vs bicycle debate, yet is sounds very familliar to
>> the debate over in rec.boats; there it's motor-boat vs sailboat.
>> Different vehicles, but the same facts. How much property damage can a
>> bicycle do compaired to a car? Can DUI bicyclests ram through the wall
>> of the local McDonald's killing and injuring happy meal eaters?
>
>A DUI bicyclist could pull many types of idiotic maneuvers that could cause a
>car
>operator to lose control of his vehicle and plow into a McDonalds.

And a DUI driver could pull many types of idiotic maneuvers that could
cause a bicyclest to lose control and plow into a McDonalds... Oops
actually that's not the case is it, the bicyclest *can't* plow into a
McDonalds.

Your ignoring the central fact; a bicyclist simply *cannot* do the kind
of damage that an auto driver can do. Because of this central fact,
there really isn't as much need to ensure that bicyclests are skilled
compared to auto drivers.

06-12-2004, 03:36 PM

"Paul" <UPS_SUCKS!@slower_traffic_get_to_the_right.com> wrote:

>"Daniel T." <postmaster@eathlink.net> wrote in message
>news

ostmaster-C0C7A5.11023712062004@news6.west.earthlink.net...
>> In article <Pine.GSO.4.58.0406120010490.8911@alumni.engin.umi ch.edu>,
>
>> I'm new to this car vs bicycle debate, yet is sounds very familliar to
>> the debate over in rec.boats; there it's motor-boat vs sailboat.
>> Different vehicles, but the same facts. How much property damage can a
>> bicycle do compaired to a car? Can DUI bicyclests ram through the wall
>> of the local McDonald's killing and injuring happy meal eaters?
>
>A DUI bicyclist could pull many types of idiotic maneuvers that could cause a
>car
>operator to lose control of his vehicle and plow into a McDonalds.

And a DUI driver could pull many types of idiotic maneuvers that could
cause a bicyclest to lose control and plow into a McDonalds... Oops
actually that's not the case is it, the bicyclest *can't* plow into a
McDonalds.

Your ignoring the central fact; a bicyclist simply *cannot* do the kind
of damage that an auto driver can do. Because of this central fact,
there really isn't as much need to ensure that bicyclests are skilled
compared to auto drivers.

06-12-2004, 03:36 PM

"Paul" <UPS_SUCKS!@slower_traffic_get_to_the_right.com> wrote:

>"Daniel T." <postmaster@eathlink.net> wrote in message
>news

ostmaster-C0C7A5.11023712062004@news6.west.earthlink.net...
>> In article <Pine.GSO.4.58.0406120010490.8911@alumni.engin.umi ch.edu>,
>
>> I'm new to this car vs bicycle debate, yet is sounds very familliar to
>> the debate over in rec.boats; there it's motor-boat vs sailboat.
>> Different vehicles, but the same facts. How much property damage can a
>> bicycle do compaired to a car? Can DUI bicyclests ram through the wall
>> of the local McDonald's killing and injuring happy meal eaters?
>
>A DUI bicyclist could pull many types of idiotic maneuvers that could cause a
>car
>operator to lose control of his vehicle and plow into a McDonalds.

And a DUI driver could pull many types of idiotic maneuvers that could
cause a bicyclest to lose control and plow into a McDonalds... Oops
actually that's not the case is it, the bicyclest *can't* plow into a
McDonalds.

Your ignoring the central fact; a bicyclist simply *cannot* do the kind
of damage that an auto driver can do. Because of this central fact,
there really isn't as much need to ensure that bicyclests are skilled
compared to auto drivers.