This Week in the Mercury
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Bikes Bike Sting!
Posted by Courtney Ferguson on Tue, Sep 1, 2009 at 4:06 PM
Apparently there's a stop-sign sting going on in Ladd's Addition right now. Don't get stung by the police bee—tickets are steep at 200-plus bucks.
2
They should redesign cars so that when you're at a complete stop, and then start moving again, you have to actually do a little physical work to get it going again - beyond just gently pressing forward on a pedal. Oh, and then the cars should be covered in pillows, and the frame should be elastic or something (so that if they hit anyone else, the other people don't get killed/maimed).
Then bicyclists and drivers alike can roll through empty intersections, and everyone will sympathize with one another.
aka: full stops are a drag for bicyclists, and bicycles don't hurt other people much.
Then bicyclists and drivers alike can roll through empty intersections, and everyone will sympathize with one another.
aka: full stops are a drag for bicyclists, and bicycles don't hurt other people much.
3
I'm the one got stung.
99% of the time stop signs are there for a reason & should be obeyed.
But Ladd's Addition, seriously?
A one way traffic circle with clear visibility well before entering the intersection should have yield signs.
I broke the law & have no beef with getting busted but a stop sign just doesn't seem necessary there.
99% of the time stop signs are there for a reason & should be obeyed.
But Ladd's Addition, seriously?
A one way traffic circle with clear visibility well before entering the intersection should have yield signs.
I broke the law & have no beef with getting busted but a stop sign just doesn't seem necessary there.
5
ROM seriously? In your world does being hit by a bike feel like being lightly nuzzled by unicorns? Being hit by a vehicle of any kind that has any significant momentum fucking hurts. Why overshadow the first valid comment you made with some asinine suggestion that's hardly relevant?
7
I'm going to sit on the corner of Taylors Ferry and Terwilliger and videotape peoples cars as they blow through the "No Turn On Red" signs and get their plate numbers and forward the tape to PPD. I stop at stop signs, they should not turn on red when it says not to.
The police should be doing stings on everyone. They need the money for training on how to not be assholes, and the public needs to be taught a lesson on humility. I mean driving. I mean driving humbly. And biking. Humbly.
The police should be doing stings on everyone. They need the money for training on how to not be assholes, and the public needs to be taught a lesson on humility. I mean driving. I mean driving humbly. And biking. Humbly.
8
Or they could start a sting on South Waterfront for the all the effing WA-plated cars making U-turns on the one-way streets.
"It's your fault I almost hit you, stupid cyclist! Why would you pass a car that looks as though it's parking on the right, when it's obviously just veering right to do a U-turn in the middle of the street!!!! Turn signals are for HIPPIES!!"
"It's your fault I almost hit you, stupid cyclist! Why would you pass a car that looks as though it's parking on the right, when it's obviously just veering right to do a U-turn in the middle of the street!!!! Turn signals are for HIPPIES!!"
10
Why did you post this, Courtney? Are you going warn drivers about all the speed traps, every day? Why just bicyclists? Because they somehow don't deserve traffic enforcement, and car drivers do?
11
I'm generally on the side of the bicyclist, but yesterday while riding home on the #10 bus through Ladds Addition. I observed a woman on a recumbant bike cut in front of the bus while running a stop sign. The bus driver slammed on the breaks to avoid killing the woman and several people on the bus fell out of their seats.
Most accidents happen when we are close to home we relax and make a stupid mistake. It is the general calm at this intersection that contributed to that near accident.
Most accidents happen when we are close to home we relax and make a stupid mistake. It is the general calm at this intersection that contributed to that near accident.
12
I just wonder if the cyclists that ride w/out lights at night drive their cars at night w/out lights. Just wondering, since I almost ran over one the other night. Cyclist, that is.
13
It is interesting to note, this was the first day of the BTA Bike Commute Challenge and may have a number of new cyclists on the roads.
14
I've biked a lot in my life. I'm going to soon do it again. If you're going to ride in traffic there's one thing you must remember; bicycles on the street are considered vehicles under the law, and riders have to remember to behave as such.
That means that stop signs, all those traffic control devices that tell you where to go and what to do, have, within the context of the cyclist, as much to do with your ride as they would if you were driving a car. If the sign says stop, you has to stop. If you run it, you're liable for the ticket, and if a cop does catch you hey, that's life, bunky. Man (or woman) up and take it like an adult.
The same stop sign that doesn't make sense to the cyclist also doesn't make sense to a motorist in some cases. I've seen bike cops blow stop signs but I've also seen police cruisers do it. I've been cut off by both cyclists and motorists that's simply bad manners and arrogance at work. I just tend to worry about killing the cyclist more.
Mentioning that the po-po are stinging cyclists when cruising through stop signs in Ladd's? Ethical no, maybe not. But it's a teachable moment. Too many bicyclists are completely ignorant of the rules of the road that any reminder can be valuable hell, I still have to avoid people who cycle against the traffic. Fortunately in PDX most cyclists are smarter than the norm, but if the BTA's Commute Challenge is going to coax a bunch of new cyclists who likely have not taken the time to learn what the bicycle driver's role in the traffic flow is, then someone's going to have to tell them.
That means that stop signs, all those traffic control devices that tell you where to go and what to do, have, within the context of the cyclist, as much to do with your ride as they would if you were driving a car. If the sign says stop, you has to stop. If you run it, you're liable for the ticket, and if a cop does catch you hey, that's life, bunky. Man (or woman) up and take it like an adult.
The same stop sign that doesn't make sense to the cyclist also doesn't make sense to a motorist in some cases. I've seen bike cops blow stop signs but I've also seen police cruisers do it. I've been cut off by both cyclists and motorists that's simply bad manners and arrogance at work. I just tend to worry about killing the cyclist more.
Mentioning that the po-po are stinging cyclists when cruising through stop signs in Ladd's? Ethical no, maybe not. But it's a teachable moment. Too many bicyclists are completely ignorant of the rules of the road that any reminder can be valuable hell, I still have to avoid people who cycle against the traffic. Fortunately in PDX most cyclists are smarter than the norm, but if the BTA's Commute Challenge is going to coax a bunch of new cyclists who likely have not taken the time to learn what the bicycle driver's role in the traffic flow is, then someone's going to have to tell them.
15
mynamehere - not so seriously. "Why overshadow the first valid comment you made with some asinine suggestion that's hardly relevant?"
what valid comment? About having to feel the pain bicyclists feel when starting up from a complete stop? I'm not sure how valid that comment was... And I didn't overshadow it - it was the logical conclusion to an absurd suggestion.
what valid comment? About having to feel the pain bicyclists feel when starting up from a complete stop? I'm not sure how valid that comment was... And I didn't overshadow it - it was the logical conclusion to an absurd suggestion.
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