Originally Posted by
chipcom
As an ex-cop, it pains me to see all the fear and passive submissiveness some of you seem to display when interacting with cops. This guy didn't know his okole from a hole in the ground...and he'll never learn if people don't (politely) explain it to him.
Chip, too many PD's anymore have the thug mentality . . ."do what I say, DAMN what's right, or I'll beat you down". Just ask the legion that ride in NYC. Basically, I agree with you, though, and once you know where the local PD stands, you can act accordingly. I had a fierce verbal encounter with a senior LEO in my town, and never felt the bracelets; he, however, spoke to the Chief after my letter.
Originally Posted by
AltheCyclist
If you pretty sure that you're right and the cop is wrong, it's a time-saver to simply say, "thanks, officer" and move on. No reason to debate.
But, maybe the cop was right? For instance, here it is legal to ride sidewalks (they're considered MUPs, basically) so perhaps the advice was not bad after all.
A cop telling you to ride on the sidewalk is NEVER right. It's the law IN ALL 50 that cyclists have the same rights & duties as a driver when it comes to being on the road.
Since it's so obvious that cycling law is obscure, I can only tell
EVERYONE this:
"IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY DONE SO, READ AND LEARN THE TRAFFIC LAWS AS THEY PERTAIN TO CYCLING IN YOUR CITY/TOWN/REGION/STATE. FORGET OPINIONS, GUESSES AND BELIEFS; LEARN IT
SO YOU KNOW."