Evidential contrast leading to frustration

[bogan]

They aren't safe for anyone.

So how many cyclists did you ticket?

[rastuscat]

If the cycle lane is safe for cycles..........

They aren't safe for anyone.

[rastuscat]

Two that day.

[HenryDorsetCase]

I actually think I'll go out and start painting out all cycle lanes. They make people feel safe going down the left side of stationary vehicles. When in fact is fecking dangerous.

Donut was nice.

One of the most useful things I did yesterday was complete this survey:

http://canterbury.qualtrics.com/SE/?...dKJcg6BEP0dpNX


which is about stuff that my council could do to make it safer for me to bike to woark. Overseas experience confirms that the only thing that actually works is proper completely separated cycle paths so that cars and cyclists don't interact. I don't really want to get into another pointless internet argument with fuckwits about cycling. but that is clear. Think about Copenhagen, Amsterdam or Portland.

The other thing is it would be cheap to do, and it has all sorts of other benefits... (health, congestion).

So painting out the painted cycle ways? Yup, I am all for that.

[tigertim20]

off topic a tad, because I dont give a fuck about the issuing of said ticket... however you have raised another issue - cyclists.
Im curious as to how often, if at all, you fellas go on the hunt for cyclists - part of my job involves seeing a variety of customers every day, and out of every ten intersections I have to stop at, I probably see 6-7 instances of cyclists running red lights etc etc, never seems to be any focus on the little bastards which is odd given the furore when one of the little cunts gets squished

[HenryDorsetCase]

. I don't really want to get into another pointless internet argument with fuckwits about cycling. but that is clear. .

I am quoting myself because I am awesome, and I must stop myself .....

[rastuscat]

off topic a tad, because I dont give a fuck about the issuing of said ticket... however you have raised another issue - cyclists.
Im curious as to how often, if at all, you fellas go on the hunt for cyclists - part of my job involves seeing a variety of customers every day, and out of every ten intersections I have to stop at, I probably see 6-7 instances of cyclists running red lights etc etc, never seems to be any focus on the little bastards which is odd given the furore when one of the little cunts gets squished

I write more tickets for cyclists going through reds than most. Still not many, but more than most.

The fine is the same as for a car, and that's what stops most cops from enforcing it. It seems disproportionate fro a cyclists to get a $150 fine for going through a red light.

I do it because it degrades the relationship between cyclists (of which I'm one) and other road users.

When I'm talking to motorcyclists they bitch about cyclists, and when I'm talking to cyclists they bitch about motorcyclists using cycle lanes.

Maybe I'm just a pissing post for people to bitch at.

[rastuscat]

I am quoting myself because I am awesome, and I must stop myself .....

Is that O for orsome?

[HenryDorsetCase]

I do it because it degrades the relationship between cyclists (of which I'm one) and other road users.

When I'm talking to motorcyclists they bitch about cyclists, and when I'm talking to cyclists they bitch about motorcyclists using cycle lanes.

Maybe I'm just a pissing post for people to bitch at.

there is that.

but like I said above, I honestly thought it was OK to do that till this morning. Ima prolly still do it if I think I can safely, but I will know it is unlawful when I do.

I'm kind of the Rik Mayall of christchurch, stickin' it to the man.....

[pritch]

I probably see 6-7 instances of cyclists running red lights etc etc,

As per my earlier post, that's the safest way to do it on a pushbike. Sometimes you place yourself in a more dangerous situation by obeying the law than you do by breaking it. Waiting at an intersection until the light turns green is one. If the light is still red and there is nothing coming - go.

Similarly the speed limit is 100kph, but if you do all your overtaking at 100kph you will be spending an awful lot of time on the wrong side of the road. Not to mention you will be pissing a lot of people off.

Somebody on KB uses a signature line to the effect, "Rules are for the obedience of fools and the guidance of wise men." Which quote apparently should be attributed to Douglas Bader. (If you don't know, look him up.)

The point is that rules do not fit all circumstance all of the time. Sometimes you are safer to ignore the rule. Of course, if you are not quite as wise as you thought you were there may be pain. Physical, financial, or otherwise.

People who don't ride pushbikes should best refrain from commenting on how people ride them. That's directly comparable to car drivers commenting on motorcyclists.

[tigertim20]

As per my earlier post, that's the safest way to do it on a pushbike. Sometimes you place yourself in a more dangerous situation by obeying the law than you do by breaking it. Waiting at an intersection until the light turns green is one. If the light is still red and there is nothing coming - go.

Sinilarly the speed limit is 100kph, but if you do all your overtaking at 100kph you will be spending an awful lot of time on the wrong side of the road. Not to metion you will be pissing a lot of people off.

Somebody on KB uses a signature line to the effect, "Rules are for the obedience of fools and the guidance of wise men." Which quote apparently should be attributed to Douglas Bader. (If you don't know, look him up.)

The point is that rules do not fit all circumstance all of the time. Sometimes you are safer to ignore the rule. Of course, if you are not quite as wise as you thought you were there may be pain. Physical, financial, or otherwise.

People who don't ride pushbikes should best refrain from commenting on how people ride them. That's directly comparable to car drivers commenting on motorcyclists.

have ridden a pushbike from time to time to work and back. keeping fit and all that, so I get it.
what Im talking about is, Im coasting up to a light that has just gone red, alongside a cyclist, the light goes red, I stop, the cyclist glances quickly then blows right through.

Im not talking about taking off a second or two before the cars when the lights are just about to go green again, Im talking about blatant disregard for the road rules, then these fuckwits bitch and complain about getting run over? running reds is just the start of it.
I could go on for hours about the fuckwits that ride 2, or 3 abreast in areas that are totally unsuited to such practices. The need a fuckin good kicking the lot of them

[HenryDorsetCase]

People who don't ride pushbikes should best refrain from commenting on how people ride them. That's directly comparable to car drivers commenting on motorcyclists.

This, I agree with.

[HenryDorsetCase]

have ridden a pushbike from time to time to work and back. keeping fit and all that, so I get it.
what Im talking about is, Im coasting up to a light that has just gone red, alongside a cyclist, the light goes red, I stop, the cyclist glances quickly then blows right through.

Im not talking about taking off a second or two before the cars when the lights are just about to go green again, Im talking about blatant disregard for the road rules, then these fuckwits bitch and complain about getting run over? running reds is just the start of it.
I could go on for hours about the fuckwits that ride 2, or 3 abreast in areas that are totally unsuited to such practices. The need a fuckin good kicking the lot of them

have you ever been out on a pushbike and had some cunt in a car come past you at 100k plus so close that it sucks you into the slipstream? Or a truck for that matter. That is why bunch riding roadies shoal up like that. It is to force cunts like you to slow the fuck down and pass properly. It inconveniences you for thirty seconds? Good because fuck you.

Jesus, its happening innit?

[R650R]

They aren't safe for anyone.

Do you ever ticket cyclists for unsafe speed in these cycle lanes when the traffic is mostly stopped/banked up. eg the speed differential of what other road users are expecting in that environment as many of these fancy pushbikes get some serious speed on. As an example leaving Karapoti after a sports event heading towards rimutakas in 100k zone traffic coming other way was banked up and I expected some frustrated motorist to do a desperate uturn to take a short cut so slowed my car to 70-80 and sure enough some prick in a Hilux launched out in front of me...
There must be a lot of door opening incidents on cycle lanes when traffic backed up as Jenny from accounts decides to ditch the lift from her flatmate and walk the last 200m to office etc...

The guy you ticketed is a fool, guess he'll love the court costs he gets lumped with.
Do they ever charge these people and their accomplices with perjury, like on motorway patrol last night the girlfriend of the drunk guy helped stuff the police around with her lies but then let go.
I even sat in on a court case and watched a prosecution witness commit perjury and to a level that the prosecuting cops would have known too, but guess they didn't want to compromise their main case, which they ended up losing anyway. Pretty annoying in a case involving road safety and the seemingly lack of desire to use the new chain of responsibility laws to curb offending...

[nodrog:Me]

Right, so I'm the motorcycle supervisor in Christchurch. I get told to make motorcycling safer by anyone who has an axe to grind.

Our crash attendance guys attend at least 2 or 3 crashes each week where a motorcyclist or moped rider gets knocked off when riding down a cycle lane. It's against the law, it's a bad idea, anyway, that's not what this is about.

I got a weed on a few weeks ago about motorcyclists just riding in unsafe places, so I went and sat on a particular cycle lane and waited for something to happen. Like, I was there specifically looking.

Huge amounts of traffic at that time, traffic was banked up for miles. Sure enough, a bloke on a bike rides up the cycle lane, at least 100 metres that I saw, overtaking all the stationary traffic. I step out, stop the guy, and we enter into discourse on the rights and wrongs. He tells me that he thought it was okay for motorcyclists to use cycle lanes. It isn't. I end up writing a ticket.

Some weeks later, I'm advised that the ticket is being defended. That's cool, constitutional rights, all that sort of thing. A ticket is just my allegation. No probs.

Here's the kicker. The rider is now saying that he had only used the lane to negotiate hazards on the road, and that he did so safely. Fecking lies.

That's the problem with making shit up; you have to remember the lies that you've told, as somewhere they will be recorded and drawn back to your attention. I made notes of what was said at the roadside, I know what the excuse was at the time, and that this new excuse is BS.

And this egg is running around telling all his mates that the cops are revenue collecting scum sucking bottom dwellers (I feel a quote-fest coming on), making us look like the ones who broke the rules.

Just venting during the break I've given myself from the 90 minutes of paperwork it will take me to get the bloody thing ready for the court case.

Donut time.

You got weed on? Bummer.