Run a Stop Sign, Get a Ticket

In article . net,
"Jonathan" wrote:

"I'm sorry," the dispatcher tells him, "but we have no officers available at
this time. Remain in your house with the doors and windows locked and we'll
try to get someone out there in 30 or 45 minutes."

At being told this the man gets pretty peeved, and hangs up the phone. Five
minutes later he calls back 911 and tells the dispatcher "Don't bother
sending anyone to my house now - I shot and killed the robbers."

Three minutes later, four police cruisers, a sargeant, the shift commander
and the SWAT team arrive at the man's house and capture the robbers in the
act. The sargeant approaches the homeowner and asks "I thought you said you
shot the robbers?"

At which the man replies "I thought you said no one was available?"

The moral of this story? All enforcement is based on perceived priorities

Cheers - Jonathan.

That is preety hot that they sent all those officers to capture dead
burglars. That is what I, Paris Hilton what of done, sent the whole
force to capture burglars who were supposedly already dead.
Hot.

In article .com,
Bob Beauchaine wrote:

ump trucks.

Why not flat rate for
every moving violation? Why mess with all this complicated points stuff,
why have different licenses, registrations, inspections for different
vehicles? One size fits all. Simple. Maybe not fair or sensible, but simple!

A fine point. Let's discuss it.

What you would like to see is the fine for running a stop sign tied to
the kinetic energy of the vehicle passing through the intersection.

WHy not have it more simple? If you are not in a vehicle that can
easily kill someone, IE a pedestrian or a bicycle, small fine. If you
are in a vehicle that can easily kill someone, large fine.

If you are drunk the same thing apples. If I am wasted and I bump into
someone, very minor damage. If I am wasted on a bike and ride into
someone, very minor damage. If I am wasted in a car and bump into
someone, DEATH!!!!!!!!!!!!

In article ,
Peter Cole wrote:

Lobby Dosser wrote:
Peter Cole wrote:

Perhaps, but you'll never get people to obey stupid laws, that's why so
many cyclists run red lights/stop signs.

Then keep running them. Perhaps the gene pool will get lucky.

Thanks for the warmth.

Cyclists are ASSHOLES. They ride down the MAJOR downtown street where I
live in a group of about 30 people , taking up the WHOLE ****ING LANE.
Now as I understand it there is a minimum speed limit and they ARE NOT
OBEYING IT. What are cars supposed to do?? Car 911 on the pieces of
**** that are taking up the whole car lane? Tail gate them constantly
honking their horn until they get out of the way?

Stop. Make a habit of it and you won't run one that gets you killed.
Defensive cycling.

I already ride defensively, and that includes stopping at most stop
signs. I don't always stop because sometimes it confuses the people in
cars and they start waving at me as if I'm on fire. I also don't
usually stop crossing T intersections (especially when at the top of the
T) if there is no entering traffic. Just another case of where using my
brain makes me a bad person, I guess.


Are you one of the mother****ing assholes who ride in downtown street
taking up the whole side of the street way under the speed limit ****ing
up traffic? What are cars supposed to do? Keep calling 911 on their
****ed up asses till 10 cop cars come and give a bunch of tickets?
Tailgate and honk the **** out of cyclists till they turn off they road?

Paris' 1000 std's wrote in
:

In article ,
Peter Cole wrote:

Lobby Dosser wrote:
Peter Cole wrote:

Perhaps, but you'll never get people to obey stupid laws, that's
why so many cyclists run red lights/stop signs.

Then keep running them. Perhaps the gene pool will get lucky.

Thanks for the warmth.

Cyclists are ASSHOLES. They ride down the MAJOR downtown street where
I live in a group of about 30 people , taking up the WHOLE ****ING
LANE.

I've witnessed this as well. Not with 30 in the group though and then turn
around and glare at ya like they are just daring ya to hit them. It was all
I can do to keep from smaking the smart ass in the back of his head as I
drive by. This has been a awhile back.

Paris' 1000 std's wrote:
In article .com,
Bob Beauchaine wrote:

ump trucks.

Why not flat rate for
every moving violation? Why mess with all this complicated points stuff,
why have different licenses, registrations, inspections for different
vehicles? One size fits all. Simple. Maybe not fair or sensible, but simple!

A fine point. Let's discuss it.

What you would like to see is the fine for running a stop sign tied to
the kinetic energy of the vehicle passing through the intersection.

WHy not have it more simple? If you are not in a vehicle that can
easily kill someone, IE a pedestrian or a bicycle, small fine. If you
are in a vehicle that can easily kill someone, large fine.

If you are drunk the same thing apples. If I am wasted and I bump into
someone, very minor damage. If I am wasted on a bike and ride into
someone, very minor damage. If I am wasted in a car and bump into
someone, DEATH!!!!!!!!!!!!

If we take into consideration vehicle type for setting the amount of
fine and/or jail time based on the most likely outcome of running a
stop sign, what happens if the outcome doesn't fit the norm?

Also, if we consider vehicle type, should we not also consider the
type of victim? If the victim is a poor homeless person should there
then be no fine or jail time? If the victim is rich and influential
should the driver/rider be given the death penalty?

The act is running a stop sign, all violators should be treated the
same. Part of my reason for this is you don't what actions another
driver/rider may take ta avoid hitting the violator and thereby
causing possible harm to innocent third parties.

Just this past week, I had to swerve into the oncoming lane because
two bike riders ran a stop sign together, and made wide right turns in
front of me. I was on the thru street obeying all traffic laws that
applied to me at the time. If there had been an oncoming vehicle
there is no telling what would have happen, except that the two bike
riders would have most likely went on their merry way.

I should note here (knock on wood), that next month I shall have had
my drivers license for forty years. In that forty years, I have not
had even one traffic violation (not even a parking ticket). I did
have one traffic accident however. About ten years ago, when an
unlicensed habitual drunk driver ran a stop sign in front of me. The
other driver was drunk at the time and driving his girl friend's car.
After investigation by both insurance companies, including the
measurement of my skid marks, 100% blame was assigned to the other
driver. For this accident, the drunk driver got his fourth DUII
conviction, his penalty was an additional six months probation, no
fine or jail time.

`

On Jul 29, 1:26 pm, Paris' 1000 std's wrote:
In article ,
Peter Cole wrote:

Lobby Dosser wrote:
Peter Cole wrote:

Perhaps, but you'll never get people to obey stupid laws, that's why so
many cyclists run red lights/stop signs.

Then keep running them. Perhaps the gene pool will get lucky.

Thanks for the warmth.

Cyclists are ASSHOLES. They ride down the MAJOR downtown street where I
live in a group of about 30 people , taking up the WHOLE ****ING LANE.
Now as I understand it there is a minimum speed limit and they ARE NOT
OBEYING IT. What are cars supposed to do?? Car 911 on the pieces of
**** that are taking up the whole car lane? Tail gate them constantly
honking their horn until they get out of the way?

We know you've been vomiting extra hard lately because you use meth on
top of the virulent cooties. Still, it's fair to mention that you will
love what manslaughter or felony charges will to for your driving life
if you don't mind your ****ing beeswax and stop being a SPAMMY.

On Jul 29, 1:30 pm, Paris' 1000 std's wrote:
Stop. Make a habit of it and you won't run one that gets you killed.
Defensive cycling.

I already ride defensively, and that includes stopping at most stop
signs. I don't always stop because sometimes it confuses the people in
cars and they start waving at me as if I'm on fire. I also don't
usually stop crossing T intersections (especially when at the top of the
T) if there is no entering traffic. Just another case of where using my
brain makes me a bad person, I guess.

Are you one of the mother****ing assholes who ride in downtown street
taking up the whole side of the street way under the speed limit ****ing
up traffic? What are cars supposed to do? Keep calling 911 on their
****ed up asses till 10 cop cars come and give a bunch of tickets?
Tailgate and honk the **** out of cyclists till they turn off they road?

You are required to yield to ANY vehicle in your path, you failed
invitro session.

Quit spamming the bicycle group or I'll catch up on my Rollfast and
give you a massive, painful wedgie. You are sorta Communist.

Paul J. Berg wrote:
~

From The (Portland) Oregonian - July 17, 2007

On a 100-mile ride from Portland to the Oregon coast, three bicyclists
pedaling through Washington County earlier this month rolled past a stop
sign in tiny North Plains and were pulled over by the police chief.

Three citations later, the trio owed the municipal court more than
$1,000 in total fines. But that wasn't what steamed them or what set off
a flurry of snippy online messages between the small-town cop and the
big-city bicycle bloggers.

What aggravated them was the context of the incident, coming soon after
Aloha cyclist Timothy O'Donnell was struck and killed by a driver with a
suspended license who faced only fines for traffic violations, such as
careless driving and passing in a no-passing zone. They were also
annoyed by what they called "a lecture" from North Plains Police Chief
Scott Whitehead.
Jonathan Maus, editor of BikePortland.org, picked up the North Plains
story for his bicycle blog July 6 and set off a heated online debate in
the cycling community over the next five days.
The comments reflected long-simmering tensions that erupted after
O'Donnell's death and remain heated among drivers, cyclists and police
officers.

"It seems like there's always a big outrage," Maus said.

Whitehead himself entered the online fray at one point.

Since he came to North Plains four years ago, Whitehead says he has
spent a small part of his eight-hour days at the busy intersection of
Northwest Glencoe and West Union roads, just north of U.S. 26.

The intersection sits on a popular cycling route that draws dozens of
cyclists on weekdays and hundreds on weekends, said Whitehead, who
claims to ticket anybody who blasts through the four-way stop. He said
he probably writes five to seven cycling citations a month during the
peak of cycling season -- and five to seven year-round for vehicles.

By comparison, police in nearby Hillsboro -- which, at a population of
85,000, is roughly 50 times larger than North Plains -- issued a single
citation to a cyclist for rolling through a traffic signal this past
year, although they stop and warn several people a month, said Lt.
Michael Rouches. The fine for that offense in Hillsboro is $242. North
Plains charges $335.

Whitehead said he ignores the vast majority of cyclists, including those
"coming through the stop sign at a couple miles an hour, and it's
obvious they're looking and making sure nobody is coming."

But that's exactly how Tim Schauer, 39, said his group traveled through
the stop sign July 5. The three, who pleaded not guilty to their
citations, will be in North Plains Municipal Court on Aug. 6.

Whitehead "sort of took the opportunity to tongue-lash us a bit,"
Schauer said. Whitehead mentioned recent bicycle fatalities and made it
seem "like I'm a contributing factor to this really tragic accident,"
said Schauer, pointing out that O'Donnell was not violating any traffic
laws when he was killed in June on a rural road north of Cornelius.

Schauer later described the North Plains incident on the Oregon Bicycle
Racing Association e-mail list: "During the rest of our ride to the
coast, we discussed amongst ourselves the $1,005 in fines we were levied
with compared to the $1,100 in fines levied against the driver who hit
and killed the cyclist recently. It truly is a strange world sometimes."

After Schauer went online, a few readers, such as Evan MacKenzie of
Baker City, e-mailed Whitehead privately. MacKenzie, a recent Hillsboro
resident, criticized Whitehead for "punishing cyclists" and wrote: "The
area around North Plains is a wonderful place to ride, but not if the
local police practice a skewed 'Dukes of Hazzard' observance of the
law."

Whitehead acknowledges fanning the flames with his response, in which he
called MacKenzie a "complete idiot." MacKenzie decided to forward the
exchange to BikePortland.org, where it prompted a flurry of hostility
toward Whitehead -- as well as an effort to restore calm and defend the
chief.

"While that is certainly a steep fine, the truth of the matter is this,"
wrote "Dabby" on July 9. "It is illegal to not stop at a stop sign.
Until it is legal to yield at a stop sign, if you do, and get caught,
you deserve the ticket. . . . Pay the fine."

Whitehead himself wrote: "There is nothing worse than responding to a
crash with injuries or death. You think it's tough on you as a bike
community? It's tough on us when we have to make a death notification
and then second guess if we could have prevented such a tragic event."

That hasn't happened in North Plains recently, where the only bicycle
crash in the past few years was the fault of a truck driver turning in
front of a cyclist who had the right of way, Whitehead said. It was not
fatal.

MacKenzie thinks some cycling time could help Whitehead better
understand cyclists. "I invite you to go on a ride with me and see what
it's like. I'll come all the way back from Baker City and ride with
you," he wrote back after Whitehead's initial response.

But Whitehead said he doesn't plan to join MacKenzie on the road,
particularly if it's West Union Road, which he says is too dangerous for
cyclists. And Whitehead doesn't think he could keep up for long. "It's a
lot of endurance. I don't have that much energy to do what these folks
do."

~

BEWARE CYCLISTS: Look who is also on West Union Road and driving
drunk.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20055768/

`