Grid lock and bicycle lanes

[rastuscat]

I do it every day, albeit at a slow speed , about as fast as a push bike. I have passed police cars that have been in the traffic, and have not had them bother me.

This is one of the things that causes the most nausea out there each day.

Just because a particular cop didn't chase you up doesn't mean it's legal. I mean, if that cop was a detective heading to interview a sexual abuse victim, do you really think he would have chased you for riding in a cycle lane? What if there's a sale at the donut shop that he wants to get to? What if he just can't be arsed?

The highway patrol used to have a motto of see something, do something. Trouble is, there are so many infringements happening every minute of every day, you just can't do something about everything you ever see.

Just out of interest, a cycle lane is actually a special vehicle lane. The offence is unauthorised use of a special vehicle lane.

My boss has one wall papered in complaints from cyclists bitching about people using motorcycles and mopeds in cycle lanes. The wall opposite is covered in letters from motorists bitching about cyclists.

[willytheekid]

...My boss has one wall papered in complaints from cyclists bitching about people using motorcycles and mopeds in cycle lanes. The wall opposite is covered in letters from motorists bitching about cyclists.

Morning Ras

...And yet your boss only seems interested in "targeting" motorcyclists...while cyclists are dying by the dozen on NZ roads!, and mostly due to there own poor actions and illegal road use!...so why is that? (to hard to write a ticket for?...to hard to catch??...to big of a job??...or is just not profitable enough to enforce ACTUAL ROAD SAFETY??)

...and why is it not LAW that cyclists must have the same vehical standards as ALL OTHER ROAD USERS...you know...such usefull things as...brake lights!, indicators!! and for fucks sake...MIRRORS!!!...It must be hard to stay alive when you travel around half blind!(And ALL of the above are available for cyclists...and cheap too!)

(I honestly cant EVER recall seing a popo pull a cyclist over for running lights and dangerous riding etc....ever!!)

Oh, and ps - •You must not drive in a cycle lane except for a maximum of 50 metres when entering or leaving side roads, driveways or parking spaces*

* I was turning into that road/driveway...50 meters ahead officer...Honest! lol

[SMOKEU]

Morning Ras

...And yet your boss only seems interested in "targeting" motorcyclists...while cyclists are dying by the dozen on NZ roads!, and mostly due to there own poor actions and illegal road use!...so why is that? (to hard to write a ticket for?...to hard to catch??...to big of a job??...or is just not profitable enough to enforce ACTUAL ROAD SAFETY??)

...and why is it not LAW that cyclists must have the same vehical standards as ALL OTHER ROAD USERS...you know...such usefull things as...brake lights!, indicators!! and for fucks sake...MIRRORS!!!...It must be hard to stay alive when you travel around half blind!(And ALL of the above are available for cyclists...and cheap too!)

(I honestly cant EVER recall seing a popo pull a cyclist over for running lights and dangerous riding etc....ever!!)

Oh, and ps - •You must not drive in a cycle lane except for a maximum of 50 metres when entering or leaving side roads, driveways or parking spaces.

It's not cyclists that are the problem, it's cagers. Since drivers can't stop crashing into one another, and since they often fail to see something like a big truck or a train and drive right in front of it, that further proves my point. Once drivers stop slaughtering each other by the hundreds each year in NZ, then we can start looking at cyclists.

[nerrrd]

But today - I moved up a few car lengths in a bicycle lane and then some geezer in a black Snazzy Holden type car followed me from then on about 1cm from my bumper for a km or so. At the next lights he lowered his window and started hurling abuse, that I shouldn't come up on him on the left. I didn't respond, since a car is bigger than a bike, and I might meet him again along that same road.

Putting aside the issue of who's slaughtering whom on the roads, I think the real issue here is some guys can't handle being passed on the road, whether it's done legally or not.

I got passed by a guy on a scooter in the bus lane this morning...still feeling the burn.

[R650R]

This is one of the things that causes the most nausea out there each day.

Just because a particular cop didn't chase you up doesn't mean it's legal. I mean, if that cop was a detective heading to interview a sexual abuse victim, do you really think he would have chased you for riding in a cycle lane? What if there's a sale at the donut shop that he wants to get to? What if he just can't be arsed?

The highway patrol used to have a motto of see something, do something. Trouble is, there are so many infringements happening every minute of every day, you just can't do something about everything you ever see.

Just out of interest, a cycle lane is actually a special vehicle lane. The offence is unauthorised use of a special vehicle lane.

My boss has one wall papered in complaints from cyclists bitching about people using motorcycles and mopeds in cycle lanes. The wall opposite is covered in letters from motorists bitching about cyclists.

I often wonder how much police time is tied up/wasted by vexatious complaints by people against certain vehicle types, be interesting to see some stats about driving complaints with regards to actual outcomes vs original stories...
Worked with a guy once that kept on making the same illegal entry into his logbook after believing he was 'legal' as the cviu didn't ping him the last time... Same guy 100% believed our trailers on 17.5inch rims were impossible to roll over, what with being a mere 2cm lower than most other b-trains
It is a strange peculiarity of human behaviour how we pigeon hole someone based on what they are driving/riding at a particular moment in time...

[rastuscat]

Morning Ras

...And yet your boss only seems interested in "targeting" motorcyclists...while cyclists are dying by the dozen on NZ roads!, and mostly due to there own poor actions and illegal road use!...so why is that? (to hard to write a ticket for?...to hard to catch??...to big of a job??...or is just not profitable enough to enforce ACTUAL ROAD SAFETY??)

...and why is it not LAW that cyclists must have the same vehical standards as ALL OTHER ROAD USERS...you know...such usefull things as...brake lights!, indicators!! and for fucks sake...MIRRORS!!!...It must be hard to stay alive when you travel around half blind!(And ALL of the above are available for cyclists...and cheap too!)

(I honestly cant EVER recall seing a popo pull a cyclist over for running lights and dangerous riding etc....ever!!)

Oh, and ps - •You must not drive in a cycle lane except for a maximum of 50 metres when entering or leaving side roads, driveways or parking spaces*

* I was turning into that road/driveway...50 meters ahead officer...Honest! lol

Hey Wheelie

You'd be surprised how many things happen that you didn't see.

Funny, just a note about enforcing cycle helmets. One of our guys decided to take on a personal crusade to ticket every cyclist he saw not wearing a cycle helmet. Now, if I stop someone I want to write a ticket for, I need their name and address etc. This cop has given up the crusade, as he had to arrest so many cyclists for not giving their name and address etc. Too bloody time consuming to be worth the effort.

Please don't think motorcyclists get targetted any worse than anyone else. In fact, I'd suggest that the number of motorcyclists getting tickets is disproportionately small compared to the number of motorcyclists breaking the rules. Just putting it out there.

[Scuba_Steve]

Hey Wheelie

You'd be surprised how many things happen that you didn't see.

Funny, just a note about enforcing cycle helmets. One of our guys decided to take on a personal crusade to ticket every cyclist he saw not wearing a cycle helmet. Now, if I stop someone I want to write a ticket for, I need their name and address etc. This cop has given up the crusade, as he had to arrest so many cyclists for not giving their name and address etc. Too bloody time consuming to be worth the effort.

So what you're saying is for justice to be done all bikers need to just run

Please don't think motorcyclists get targetted any worse than anyone else. In fact, I'd suggest that the number of motorcyclists getting tickets is disproportionately small compared to the number of motorcyclists breaking the rules. Just putting it out there.

Theres probably not a single person in NZ that doesn't break the law on a daily basis

[willytheekid]

Hey Wheelie

You'd be surprised how many things happen that you didn't see.

Funny, just a note about enforcing cycle helmets. One of our guys decided to take on a personal crusade to ticket every cyclist he saw not wearing a cycle helmet. Now, if I stop someone I want to write a ticket for, I need their name and address etc. This cop has given up the crusade, as he had to arrest so many cyclists for not giving their name and address etc. Too bloody time consuming to be worth the effort.

Please don't think motorcyclists get targeted any worse than anyone else. In fact, I'd suggest that the number of motorcyclists getting tickets is disproportionately small compared to the number of motorcyclists breaking the rules. Just putting it out there.

Hay Ras

As I said mate....I have NEVER! seen a cyclist stopped for a traffic infringement....EVER!!

And yet...every morning & afternoon on my daily trip into work, I witness at least one or two cyclists at the very least!, running lights, or veering out into traffic and generally placing themselves in harms way (you just have to watch the news to see they are getting bowled day after day and dying on NZ roads for silly mistakes etc)
And now you tell me that the perpetrators are so numerous!, AND have such a poor attitude towards police enforcing road safety...that they even refuse to give there NAME when caught risking there own lives!

Sounds like you really do have a group of road users that have been left unchecked for a bit to long huh....shame its "to bloody time consuming to be worth the effort" reining them in to ensure road safety for all huh (Is you boss relying on Darwinism to fix the issue?)

Going by th above...if we all just started refusing to give our details...would you all just give up on traffic enforcement??

(If so...I guess I can just throw my wallet & license away, and just start popping those wheelie's right in front of you from now on huh )

As always Rastuscat, stay safe and keep up the great work....but please tell your boss to start reading that other side of his room...and at the very least spread the love aye (And yes...I'm aware of tickets per actual offense for us motorcyclist's...but hay!,Ive followed you through traffic remember, hence Ive witnessed even YOU! "getting away with it"* mate )

*Having a bit of controlled, safe, Fun! while riding....yet errring on the legal side of things...Mr filters through traffic like a greased..

[T.W.R]

I have NEVER! seen a cyclist stopped for a traffic infringement

Ha the old man had the honour of ticketing Tino Tabak for speeding down Ferry Rd one night in the late 60s Tino was heading home from a training ride & triggered the radar @ 35mph 1st time a cyclist had been done for speeding in ChCh and a national champ and international rep as well

[Tink]

I can safely unsafely say, I am a motorcyclist that used to ride a un-motorized version of two wheels, and even today I find the arrogance of cyclists amazing... I was scared to ride my bi cycle on narrow roads, I know that the edge of the road is full of stones & glass, (if you paid road user taxes maybe that could be cleaned up, yes I nagged the powers that be to clean it up) I felt great on the bigger well spaced roads... If you are riding a bi cycle then ride it with courtesy to other road users, as I will have no hesitation in passing quite legally within the two white lines, I will not give way to arrogance... and I will beep the bike horn or car... and yes it has annoyed me on the bike and in the car. And now I no longer ride a bi cycle I think I can safely say all you road users are safe.

As to the very 1st comment... I would do the cycle lane!

[Akzle]

I often wonder how much police time is tied up/wasted by vexatious complaints by people against certain vehicle types, be interesting to see some stats about driving complaints with regards to actual outcomes vs original stories...
Worked with a guy once that kept on making the same illegal entry into his logbook after believing he was 'legal' as the cviu didn't ping him the last time... Same guy 100% believed our trailers on 17.5inch rims were impossible to roll over, what with being a mere 2cm lower than most other b-trains
It is a strange peculiarity of human behaviour how we pigeon hole someone based on what they are driving/riding at a particular moment in time...

nono.
Theres 2 types of vehicles on the road, motorcycles, and obstacles.

[Akzle]

Going by th above...if we all just started refusing to give our details...would you all just give up on traffic enforcement??

(If so...I guess I can just throw my wallet & license away, and just start popping those wheelie's right in front of you from now on huh )

pretty much.
Capitus diminutio maxima.
Its not even YOUR name, nor 'license'.

[SMOKEU]

Hey Wheelie

You'd be surprised how many things happen that you didn't see.

Funny, just a note about enforcing cycle helmets. One of our guys decided to take on a personal crusade to ticket every cyclist he saw not wearing a cycle helmet. Now, if I stop someone I want to write a ticket for, I need their name and address etc. This cop has given up the crusade, as he had to arrest so many cyclists for not giving their name and address etc. Too bloody time consuming to be worth the effort.

Please don't think motorcyclists get targetted any worse than anyone else. In fact, I'd suggest that the number of motorcyclists getting tickets is disproportionately small compared to the number of motorcyclists breaking the rules. Just putting it out there.

If the cyclists refuse to give their name, address and DOB, then that's a whole different matter entirely and they should end up K9 and charged with failing to provide details, regardless if they're a cyclist or pedestrian or whatever. I don't personally have any problem with providing police with my details upon request.

[Akzle]

If the cyclists refuse to give their name, address and DOB, then that's a whole different matter entirely and they should end up K9 and charged with failing to provide details, regardless if they're a cyclist or pedestrian or whatever. I don't personally have any problem with providing police with my details upon request.

yeah, but to be fair, you are an ignorant motherfucker... And a cyclist at that.

[SMOKEU]

yeah, but to be fair, you are an ignorant motherfucker... And a cyclist at that.

By being a dick to the cops means that they're just going to create more trouble for you. Why not give them your details, and be on your merry way a few minutes later, rather than creating trouble just for the sake of it and having a court appearance over something entirely preventable?

I generally find that if I'm nice and polite to police that they return the favour. They have a shit job to do most of the time dealing with fuckwits all day, so a little courtesy goes a long way.

And I'm a cyclist because it's either that or walking, or taking a bus (which I can't afford). I don't really have a choice in the matter.