We were pulled over by a Gates Mills' officer yesterday for breaking the local ordinance of riding single file down Chagrin River Road. We were informed that two calls about our group had already been called into the police by aggravated motorists and that Gates Mills police were going to start cracking down and giving out tickets.
What I First got a kick out of was the officer turned on his lights, pulled ahead of us and then pulled over. We all started to brake and pull over and yet he still felt he had to yell at us to stop as if we were going to try and run like Ricardo Ricco. I hate to break it to the man, but bicycles dont stop as fast as cars. I thought slamming on brakes, locking up tires and crashing into each other would be considered reckless operation?
The rest went smoothly, he was polite if not a bit misguided and arrogant. I said, prefacing that I am not arguing with him that cyclists do rotate the line so there will be times that we will be riding side by side or it will appear that way from behind.
Now what are the chnaces that the drivers calling inot the police were speeding and talking on their cell phones instead of paying attention ott he road?
I could go on for pages and pages of all the things the gates Mills Police shold be doing to protect us, but as we all know form the police and media bias against cyclists, we bring it all on ourselves!!
Thats why when were riding single file as close to the right edge as possible we always get passed by cars going way in excess of the speed limit while a car is coming in the opposite direction at the exact same time.
Maybe its time to plug all the Police stations numbers in our cell phones, wear ear buds and start calling in EVERY SINGLE CAR that buzzes, yells profanity (like the passenger in the gold Chevy Suburban who yelled Loser at us) and basically puts our lives in mortal danger.
Boy, that would be a lot of calls (and a lot of cyclists not paying attention to the road). But what the hell, obviously car drivers are allowed to do it.
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yeah, I want to know how many drivers pull out their cell phones and call the cops when they see other DRIVERS breaking the law -- speed limits, stop signs, etc.
Again this morning someone was doing at least 50mph going up Cedar towards SOM (I was going 40 and they flew up on my bumper).
It is insane. There should be no mistaking: it's not about 'safety' or 'breaking the law'. It's pure pettiness and aggression towards cyclists. The fat f**ks can't stand to see someone out exercising and possibly having fun.
End of rant.
To be fair to the Gates MIlls Officer, that was likely the most action he's seen in a year or so. Please, give him a break. Chagrin River is a b**ch. If you've ever ridden it, you know people think it was meant to be driven on like they were racing the Indy. The curves and hills don't help, but sure as heck make for a beautiful ride.
We do need to put this issue to bed a bit, and perhaps we should all print or copy this out of the Ohio code book and laminate it so we can carry it around to show police who harass us. The critical element here, it seems to me and I'm no lawyer, is that there is room here to ticket cyclists who delay traffic or prevent cars from passing. Still, people don't know or understand this part of the code.
I have been on rides where we have flagged down police, and I have flagged down police, to report dangerous behavior. In at least two cases, the officers chased down and ticketed the driver. I suspect, however, that more cyclists get harassed than drivers.
According to the Ohio code, 4511.55, paragraphs B and C:
(B) Persons riding bicycles or motorcycles upon a roadway shall ride not more than two abreast in a single lane, except on paths or parts of roadways set aside for the exclusive use of bicycles or motorcycles.
(C) This section does not require a person operating a bicycle to ride at the edge of the roadway when it is unreasonable or unsafe to do so. Conditions that may require riding away from the edge of the roadway include when necessary to avoid fixed or moving objects, parked or moving vehicles, surface hazards, or if it otherwise is unsafe or impracticable to do so, including if the lane is too narrow for the bicycle and an overtaking vehicle to travel safely side by side within the lane.
I submit this as more proof that were just screwed.http://stiffcrankbrassnipples.blogspot.com/2008/08/i-disagree-cuff-me.html
It is funny how uneducated these cops are sometimes. I was commuting home yesterday and noticed a car parked in the bike lane! It goes from bad to worse to find out it was a POLICE CAR!
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