Advocacy & Safety - I <3 Bike Cops

So we went to see a movie downtown this evening. Coming out, we passed by a local night spot that had a band playing on their patio. A bunch of people out and about, all that.

As we were getting ready to cross the street on foot, a d-bag rides up from the opposite direction on a motorcycle, revving his engine (apparently trying to impress the bimbo sitting on the back of his bike, and I'm not sure, but maybe illegal). He's in the middle lane of a one-way street. When the light turns green, he punches it and makes a left turn out of the second-from-left lane (illegal).

Two cops on Treks pull out of a parking lot and start egg-beatering after him. The light turned red a block down so he was stuck, and the cops pulled their bicycles right in front of the motorcycle. I thought it was pretty cool.

Sometimes I prefer cops in bikes than in cruisers.

The California State Capitol uses bicycle patrol for the Cap and surrounding area. With all the traffic, the bicycles have an easier time getting around than the cars. Of course they also use horses, but who wants to ride one of them things (LOL)

I would have LOVED to have seen the look on the d-bag's face when he was "stopped" by two cops on bicycles.

I would have LOVED to have seen the look on the d-bag's face when he was "stopped" by two cops on bicycles.

On the other side of the coin, I actually got a ticket from a bike cop while driving in my car. The setup was this: The courthouse is surrounded on all four sides by one-way streets, creating, in effect, a square traffic circle. On three of the four corners, the left lane must turn left, and the second-to-left may turn left.

I wanted to turn left at that fourth corner, and as I came around there was someone stopped to let someone out in the left lane. So I and about three other cars passed in the second-to-left lane and made a left turn. Right at the intersection was a bike cop who pointed at all of us to pull over. It was the first and so far only ticket I've gotten in Texas in about 16 years living here.

They're a lot more mobile downtown (at least, until Little Rock put in those cursed trolley tracks), and since they aren't rolling around in a mobile fortress all day, they have to actually deal with people on a daily basis... everyone, not just the folks they're having to take down.
I think it keeps 'em a little more human.

Do they have Aerospokes on their mountain bikes?

i think unicycle cops should patrol busy sidewalks

Up here - a true biker would have run them both over. Hence the cops don't bother with minor noise infractions. Besides - the cops in cars have twice sent me flying while on foot when they raced around a corner. The last time it was because a 10 year old had pulled a butter-knife on a big, fat bully who was beating on him. After nearly killing me to defend the butterball-bully, they busted a 10 year old for trying to defend himself from the butterball who was twice his height and 5 times his weight.

We all - the neighborhood people - surrounded the cops and told them to leave the kid alone. It nearly turned into a riot.

The Butterball Family had been selling stolen goods at a perpetual Yard Sale for months. And beating up the kids here for allowance money. Charming.

I like the bike cops here because:
They ride through red lights when they think no one is looking.
They go to the beach to practice riding down stairs.
They tell you, "It's OK. You don't need it here anyway," when your lame-ass-foreigner helmet gets stolen.

yea they talked about bike cops here but it appears that the segway has won over the hearts of the police in my city. no bike cops just segways. they look like idiots.

The last time it was because a 10 year old had pulled a butter-knife on a big, fat bully who was beating on him. After nearly killing me to defend the butterball-bully, they busted a 10 year old for trying to defend himself from the butterball who was twice his height and 5 times his weight.

consider yourself lucky. up here, bike cops only do three things:

a) do "stunts" on the concrete 'scape in front of city hall
b) write tickets to kids on bmx's and skateboards that are trying to do "stunts" on the concrete 'scape in front of city hall
c) harass and intimidate the homeless

Our bike cops ride on downtown sidewalks. The only time I saw one in action he was on a sidewalk. I'm very much saddened by this, especially since it's illegal.

yea they talked about bike cops here but it appears that the segway has won over the hearts of the police in my city. no bike cops just segways. they look like idiots.

http://blog.silive.com/entertainment_impact_tvfilm/2009/01/large_1-15blart.jpg

The bike cops are where they need to be around here. Sometimes puttering down the sidewalk, sometimes racing down the street. I was surprised when they pulled out after the motorcyclist.

They were a big help on Bike-to-Work Day by escorting us across downtown, in some cases stopping traffic lights to let the peleton of about 75 bikes go through without stopping. I took these pics that day:

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e341/Doohickie/09BikeToWorkDay/th_100_3937.jpg (http://s42.photobucket.com/albums/e341/Doohickie/09BikeToWorkDay/100_3937.jpg)

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e341/Doohickie/09BikeToWorkDay/th_100_3945.jpg (http://s42.photobucket.com/albums/e341/Doohickie/09BikeToWorkDay/100_3945.jpg)

Of course they also use horses, but who wants to ride one of them things (LOL)

At the Bonnaroo festival the security people ride draft horses. There are no bikes allowed on the festival grounds. Boooooo Bonnaroo!!

On the other side of the coin, I actually got a ticket from a bike cop while driving in my car. The setup was this: The courthouse is surrounded on all four sides by one-way streets, creating, in effect, a square traffic circle. On three of the four corners, the left lane must turn left, and the second-to-left may turn left.

I wanted to turn left at that fourth corner, and as I came around there was someone stopped to let someone out in the left lane. So I and about three other cars passed in the second-to-left lane and made a left turn. Right at the intersection was a bike cop who pointed at all of us to pull over. It was the first and so far only ticket I've gotten in Texas in about 16 years living here.

You automobile scofflaw you! :D

I like the bike cops here because:
They ride through red lights when they think no one is looking.
They go to the beach to practice riding down stairs.
They tell you, "It's OK. You don't need it here anyway," when your lame-ass-foreigner helmet gets stolen.

Don't you have ride *up* the stairs to get to the beach in Holland? :lol:

At the Bonnaroo festival the security people ride draft horses. There are no bikes allowed on the festival grounds. Boooooo Bonnaroo!!

Horses make a lot of sense at festivals because you can see over everyone's heads.

Horses make a lot of sense at festivals because you can see over everyone's heads.

you are aware of what part of a horse is at head-level to a pedestrian, right?

i firmly believe that people who think horses can 'work' in an urban setting have never lived in an urban setting where people try to make horses 'work'.

You automobile scofflaw you! :D

Yeah, so stay off my case when I blow through the red light on my bike. That's the way I drive, regardless of the vehicle!

Up here - a true biker would have run them both over. Hence the cops don't bother with minor noise infractions. Besides - the cops in cars have twice sent me flying while on foot when they raced around a corner. The last time it was because a 10 year old had pulled a butter-knife on a big, fat bully who was beating on him. After nearly killing me to defend the butterball-bully, they busted a 10 year old for trying to defend himself from the butterball who was twice his height and 5 times his weight.

We all - the neighborhood people - surrounded the cops and told them to leave the kid alone. It nearly turned into a riot.

The Butterball Family had been selling stolen goods at a perpetual Yard Sale for months. And beating up the kids here for allowance money. Charming.



Your neighborhood must be using the wrong persuasion method.

Almost all of of the bike cops I see have conspicuous pot bellies and beerguts (the kind that you can't suck in and conceal). I think that maybe our local bike corps is reserved for the cops that flunk their physical or have been stuck too long behind a desk to file paper work at the precinct. Has anyone else noticed this in their locale or arrived at the same conclusion?

On the other side of the coin, I actually got a ticket from a bike cop while driving in my car. The setup was this: The courthouse is surrounded on all four sides by one-way streets, creating, in effect, a square traffic circle. On three of the four corners, the left lane must turn left, and the second-to-left may turn left. <snip> Right at the intersection was a bike cop who pointed at all of us to pull over.

Sounds like they created a nice revenue-generating traffic setup.

Yeah, it's been several years, but I've wondered that myself!

On the other side of the coin, I actually got a ticket from a bike cop while driving in my car. The setup was this: The courthouse is surrounded on all four sides by one-way streets, creating, in effect, a square traffic circle. On three of the four corners, the left lane must turn left, and the second-to-left may turn left.

I wanted to turn left at that fourth corner, and as I came around there was someone stopped to let someone out in the left lane. So I and about three other cars passed in the second-to-left lane and made a left turn. Right at the intersection was a bike cop who pointed at all of us to pull over. It was the first and so far only ticket I've gotten in Texas in about 16 years living here.

So you got a ticket and the motorist illegally stopped in the street impeding traffic didn't? That's bogus. :mad:

I'd have filed a complaint.

Meh. I asked for "probation" which means if you keep your nose clean, they dismiss the ticket. It worked out okay in the end.