Red light experience - venting

[Sanx]

After many years of ticket free driving and riding, i got pinged the other day doing slightly over the posted 50 down a fairly main road in Albany. Had the RD turned off (yeah good one eh) and was just not paying attention

...

Can't be an easy job at times!

Absolutely in agreement with you. Being a cop must be one of the hardest job of all when you're dealing with rapists, murderers, child molesters and so on.

But pinging someone for slightly exceeding a purely arbitrary speed limit in circumstances that pose no danger to anyone is, not only counter-productive to road safety and the public's trust in the Police, but the easiest and most pointless job imaginable. It's precisely that sort of mindless action that alienates the average Joe and makes people drive with one eye constantly on the speedo to the detriment of their concentration on the road. You might have been blasé and accepting about it, but you shouldn't be.

[rustycharm]

But pinging someone for slightly exceeding a purely arbitrary speed limit in circumstances that pose no danger to anyone is, not only counter-productive to road safety and the public's trust in the Police, but the easiest and most pointless job imaginable. It's precisely that sort of mindless action that alienates the average Joe and makes people drive with one eye constantly on the speedo to the detriment of their concentration on the road. You might have been blasé and accepting about it, but you shouldn't be.

Well - the limits have to start somewhere otherwise we end up relying on the discretion of each individual police officer making a judgement call per offence. Whereas I hit a reasonable bloke just doing his job... can you imagine being pulled over by a female PO with severe PMT having just been pissed off by the previous loon before you and you decide to take issue with her 'judgement'?? - it'd be curtains for you buddy whilst you argued your case detailed above. .... (thats me waving at you whilst you are being tasered by said individual female PO)

[Irontusk]

Absolutely in agreement with you. Being a cop must be one of the hardest job of all when you're dealing with rapists, murderers, child molesters and so on.

But pinging someone for slightly exceeding a purely arbitrary speed limit in circumstances that pose no danger to anyone is, not only counter-productive to road safety and the public's trust in the Police, but the easiest and most pointless job imaginable. It's precisely that sort of mindless action that alienates the average Joe and makes people drive with one eye constantly on the speedo to the detriment of their concentration on the road. You might have been blasé and accepting about it, but you shouldn't be.

It pisses me off that I got a ticket for speeding (the other 3 times I've been stopped I was doing nothing wrong at all, they just thought it was important to waste time) and it was clear that nothing was going to be changed by the way the guy was yelling at me, but I know whole families of idiots who drive drunk just about EVERY night and get let off on it when they're stopped (how?! I don't know) and the sons get let off on breaking licence restrictions at the same time. Just makes me think there must be alot of useless cops out there.

[rustycharm]

There surely is an element of revenue collecting to the job with ticket quotas and stuff.... so surely they target people who appear most likely to be able to pay the fines?

[Irontusk]

There surely is an element of revenue collecting to the job with ticket quotas and stuff.... so surely they target people who appear most likely to be able to pay the fines?

I was in my sisters $2000 Corolla (My car was off the road) and the father in this other family (the worst of the lot, where do you think they learnt the habit?) drives either a $90000 HSV Senator or older Clubsport.. does the company director or student on the way home from school look like they have more money?

And yes, I know I shouldn't have been speeding.. but a bit of consitency would be nice wouldn't it? Shit, when I was in school a girl in my year crashed into the back of a cop car stopped at a roundabout on her way back from sitting her licence, she got off totally free. Yay for 'good' cops eh..

[scumdog]

And yes, I know I shouldn't have been speeding.. but a bit of consitency would be nice wouldn't it? Shit, when I was in school a girl in my year crashed into the back of a cop car stopped at a roundabout on her way back from sitting her licence, she got off totally free. Yay for 'good' cops eh..

And I know girls who rooted without contreception too.

Some got knocked-up, some didn't.

No consistency.

[MaxB]

I'm amazed that no one has mentioned Taxis etc (maybe its a South Auckalnd thing) that GO on the red. I see at least 1 driver per day stopping on the red and then going whenever they decide it is clear. Either end of Wiri Station Road and out by the airport are the usual places I see this shit going on but it is so common these days I guess people get used to it.

[Irontusk]

And I know girls who rooted without contreception too.

Some got knocked-up, some didn't.

No consistency.

That is.. um, how you say.. different. Failing to stop isn't quite the same as failing to concieve. Just one of the seemingly infinite examples of NZs useless police force (everyone has some sort of story of someone getting away with something that they simply shouldn't have) is all I was providing.

Ahhhh, cops who don't know the alphabet that's an example on a national scale (that's clearly not directed at you, you seem to be literate)

[jrandom]

For what it's worth, in my experience, taxi drivers are fuckin' shocking. They are not, generally speaking, 'professional drivers'.

Stuff like this becomes acutely noticeable when you're putting in significant miles around Auckland on a pushbike (due to being a feeelthy lawbreaking speeder most deservedly deprived of a driver's licence by Her Majesty's Government, etc).

Big rigs and buses are the vehicles I feel safest around.

Truckies are invariably courteous, even when I'm redlining up a narrow hilly street at 12kph and can't move over to the left enough to let them past, etc. They get lots of appreciative waves from me.

Buses are a bit more aggressive, but I've never had the impression from a bus driver that he's failed to see me. They just expect me to look after myself on the road, and don't pussy-foot around. Fair enough, we have to share bus lanes, they have passengers to take care of, etc. And they tend to proceed at just the right speed to allow a bicycle to draft behind them along main roads. I even had one lean out her driver's window and yell an apology after stopping too far forward in a traffic jam to allow me to pedal around and filter through.

But your average taxi driver is just blind and homicidal. They're nothing more than Mk I Weetbix-packet-licence cagers with a bad attitude who are always in a hurry.

So, good onya, ratuscat. Nail those motherfuckers.

[Grahameeboy]

For what it's worth, in my experience, taxi drivers are fuckin' shocking. They are not, generally speaking, 'professional drivers'.

Stuff like this becomes acutely noticeable when you're putting in significant miles around Auckland on a pushbike (due to being a feeelthy lawbreaking speeder most deservedly deprived of a driver's licence by Her Majesty's Government, etc).

Big rigs and buses are the vehicles I feel safest around.

Truckies are invariably courteous, even when I'm redlining up a narrow hilly street at 12kph and can't move over to the left enough to let them past, etc. They get lots of appreciative waves from me.

Buses are a bit more aggressive, but I've never had the impression from a bus driver that he's failed to see me. They just expect me to look after myself on the road, and don't pussy-foot around. Fair enough, we have to share bus lanes, they have passengers to take care of, etc. And they tend to proceed at just the right speed to allow a bicycle to draft behind them along main roads. I even had one lean out her driver's window and yell an apology after stopping too far forward in a traffic jam to allow me to pedal around and filter through.

But your average taxi driver is just blind and homicidal. They're nothing more than Mk I Weetbix-packet-licence cagers with a bad attitude who are always in a hurry.

So, good onya, ratuscat. Nail those motherfuckers.

I see more "Average" drivers running red lights...quite a few old biddies too...

[MSTRS:Me]

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Recently realised another good thing about indicating left when you exit a roundabout ...even where your left indicator isn't really going to be seen by anyone improtant: it does guarantee that your right indicator (if you did an actual "right-turn" so used it when you entered) is turned off to let the next person around know you are not continuing.

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If only it were so simple. That is how it is supposed to work, but then people get involved in the process.
Put yourself, on your bike, in the position of that next enteree...do you trust the indicator says they will do exactly what it says they will?

[Bruiser]

Ratuscat - are you coming down for Tour of Southland (cyclerace) duties this year?

You looking to keep your perfect record there, Jim!

[McJim]

You looking to keep your perfect record there, Jim!

Bike cops don't have radars......yet

[MSTRS:Me]

Bike cops don't have radars......yet

No, they don't. But they are just as fast (or faster) than you on yours, can go much the same places and they are better riders. Failing that, they have radios...
Scary, eh?

[McJim]

No, they don't. But they are just as fast (or faster) than you on yours, can go much the same places and they are better riders. Failing that, they have radios...
Scary, eh?

Yeah, coz we all know what a bad boy I am eh?