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Policeman ordered me to get off the highway today

Old 12-05-07, 03:07 PM
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Originally Posted by dwood
kyselad said:
it would have ended up on his head (and his conscience). Somewhat annoying that he felt the need to "check up" on you.

There's another way to look at this. The cop was sending you off on side roads, probably with less traffic, and with the knowledge that weather conditions were poor. The fact that he 'checked on you' might have been that he was concerned more for your well-being than whether or not you were obeying his instructions.

DON
My thoughts. Half empty or half full? We'll never know because the question was never asked. Since the ISP has take-home squads (thus being assigned to one trooper), you could still pursue it--in a polite and curious manner--by calling the local post.

Perhaps--
Highway crews or the trooper have noted your presence on a regular basis and they were preparing to aggressively treat/salt/sand/spray/plow the highway and though it would be a good idea if you were safely re-routed around the mess for benefit of all?
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Old 12-05-07, 03:16 PM
  #27  
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In the message title you say 'orders'. In the message you say 'should' and 'nice', although you also mention a 'negotiation'

What was the tone, was it clearly an order or more of a strong recommendation? Or was it unclear which and you chose not to test the intent.

Al
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Old 12-05-07, 03:41 PM
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Originally Posted by littlewaywelt
I'm acutely aware of my rights and responsibilities which is why I said I would do as the officer advised after getting a citation in my hands. He has to either let me go on my way or if I choose not to obey him, to arrest me.

Wood shampoo? He tries that and he'll be fighting for his career. ..again, one more reason to have a camera.

ok, go get your camera and go looking for trouble then. you have other issues with authority if you
feel you need to start dragging a camera around to record police encounters. I have well over 220,000
miles of cycling and have yet to have a police officer need to stop me or talk to me about riding or how I ride. OK once one told me to stay on the other side of the double yellow, but that was a race, and he was a volunteer official...

but if one cop did need to stop me and talk to me, I would say yes sir, sorry sir, what do I need to do now, and thank you.

in the meantime the rest of us will just do as told, and not cause a fuss,
and live happy, uncomplicated bicycling lives
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Old 12-05-07, 03:42 PM
  #29  
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Originally Posted by noisebeam
In the message title you say 'orders'. In the message you say 'should' and 'nice', although you also mention a 'negotiation'

What was the tone, was it clearly an order or more of a strong recommendation? Or was it unclear which and you chose not to test the intent.

Al
I got the impression that he was asking nicely, but was ready to get nasty if I didn't play along. But really, I'm not sure...
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Old 12-05-07, 03:47 PM
  #30  
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Originally Posted by edzo
but if one cop did need to stop me and talk to me, I would say yes sir, sorry sir, what do I need to do now, and thank you.

in the meantime the rest of us will just do as told, and not cause a fuss,
and live happy, uncomplicated bicycling lives
So, that's you... why should other people feel obligated to live their lives the way you choose to?

Other people can do things their own way, and come what may (one would imagine probably a ticket under the circumstances).
 
Old 12-05-07, 03:48 PM
  #31  
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Originally Posted by matthew_deaner
I got the impression that he was asking nicely, but was ready to get nasty if I didn't play along. But really, I'm not sure...
Cops are good at being authoratative... go figure. Under the circumstances you probably made a good choice; very little point in arguing the matter...
 
Old 12-05-07, 04:01 PM
  #32  
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Originally Posted by Not the Slowest
HMMM..
Rule #1) Never argue with "the man"
Rule #2 ) See Rule #1
Rule #3) Even if "the MAN" is a WOMAN, ohh yeah see rule #1.
Rob
My rule: Question authority.
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Old 12-05-07, 04:41 PM
  #33  
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Originally Posted by Ekdog
My rule: Question authority.
Who said you could make rules for yourself?
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Old 12-05-07, 05:12 PM
  #34  
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Originally Posted by ChipSeal
Who said you could make rules for yourself?
I did not ask anyone for permission, though I have been inspired by a great many: Henry David Thoreau, Leo Tolstoy, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, et al. There was some question as to whether the officer had the right to order the cyclist off of the road. What I am saying is that we should be aware of our rights and question authority, not blindly follow it like sheeple.
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Old 12-05-07, 05:18 PM
  #35  
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I imagine the prior comment was "tinged" with sarcasm...
 
Old 12-05-07, 05:49 PM
  #36  
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Who said you could imagine?
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Old 12-05-07, 06:15 PM
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I'll throw in my 2 cents...

Why not call the office of the jurisdicion you were in and ask them (nicely) why you were shooed off of the road. Let them know you just want clarification so you understand why, and can avoid having problems in the future. You can also ask about the law dealing with cyclists on the highway.

Maybe he thought you weren't allowed on the road, and that could be cleared up?

I would have asked the cop "why" very nicely, but alot of people are worried about "arguing" with an officer.

We are allowed to ride on highways in MN. Interstates are posted "no this or that" to keep you off of those.

Let us know if you persue this.
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Old 12-05-07, 07:37 PM
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Seriously... is there a side road in Spencer?
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Old 12-05-07, 08:00 PM
  #39  
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Originally Posted by Not the Slowest
HMMM..

Of course you mention the word "Highway" as the road you were on. In most states cyclists are not allowed on Highways. So I will assume its a local city highway.
Rob
You seem to be confusing the term Highway with Freeway.
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Old 12-05-07, 08:18 PM
  #40  
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So where was this officer when I was 14 and delivering papers in 2" of snow? A plow came along and I had just enough time to get off the road and stand beside my bike before getting flattened by the huge amount of snow his scoop tossed my way. Oh yeah, probably in diapers, I forget my age. I can only imagine what it feels like to get salted by the sanding truck.

My ex used to be a volunteer firefighter and it always messed her up when they "bagged" someone. I empathise with the officer in not wanting to find you in the ditch later on his rounds.
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Old 12-05-07, 09:15 PM
  #41  
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When the weather turns bad, and road conditions worsen, law enforcement and emergency management officials can, and will, limit road usage with regards to public safety.

Things like this make me glad to live in an area that has had a cumulative snowfall total of 26" for the last 100 years. Green grass and high tides forever.
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Old 12-06-07, 03:19 AM
  #42  
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If the road were open to other vehicles, I would note the time and location, license plate or vehicle number and his name, if you got them. Then go to his department or station and lodge a complaint.

Other than that, I think you handled the situation very well.
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Old 12-06-07, 03:28 AM
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Originally Posted by dr. nate
I would rather have an officer stop me out of concern for my safety. A few weeks ago I was riding with Chevy42083 from here and a Fort Bend County Sheriff's Deputy stopped us to tell us that there were some wild pigs running lose and that we should watch out for them (we were headed back to town). I thought that was a nice gesture on his part.

-Nate
Nate, where (in FB County) were you riding? That was a nice gesture for the deputy to do. -GT2005
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Old 12-06-07, 03:29 AM
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Originally Posted by matthew_deaner
I was just wondering if this happened to anyone else....
This subject has come up before (of a police officer diverting a bicycle from a road that was open to motor vehicles, and also that was not normally prohibited for use by bicycles).

An officer can conduct traffic as they see fit (as conditions warrant) but the question of if they are allowed to discriminate with traffic is not nearly as clear.

I don't know what your state's laws are--but I would sure E-MAIL the concerned police department and ask if this was legal for the officer to do. Do not call and ask, send an e-mail so that they have to respond in some written, recordable form (they tend to be more careful what they say in that circumstance).
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Old 12-06-07, 08:39 AM
  #45  
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Originally Posted by edzo
ok, go get your camera and go looking for trouble then. you have other issues with authority if you
feel you need to start dragging a camera around to record police encounters. I have well over 220,000
miles of cycling and have yet to have a police officer need to stop me or talk to me about riding or how I ride. OK once one told me to stay on the other side of the double yellow, but that was a race, and he was a volunteer official...

but if one cop did need to stop me and talk to me, I would say yes sir, sorry sir, what do I need to do now, and thank you.

in the meantime the rest of us will just do as told, and not cause a fuss,
and live happy, uncomplicated bicycling lives

+1

Some people have that chip on their shoulder/need to complicate their lives/drama queen outlook on life. Bummer for them.

If the officer wanted to make sure the OP was obeying him, he would have just checked the highway to see if he was there. By taking the side road, he was just checking to be sure that he was ok/safe.
Questioning authority is fine when it's needed, but don't be a moron about when/where to do it. Every officer isn't out to get you Pissing off the law for no good reason just reflects bad on all of us. If you're "one of these" don't kid yourself that you are some romatic crusader for justice- you're just annoying
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Old 12-06-07, 09:46 AM
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Originally Posted by unkchunk
Seriously... is there a side road in Spencer?
Umm... yeah. But that's not relevant. If I had wanted to take the backroads, I would have. The issue here is the authority that the police officer had.
Just FYI - the terrain here is hilly... no long hills, but lots of short, very steep hills. The "backroad" route to Bloomington has two hills that have a 20% grade. Total elevation gain on the "backroad" route is 1,150 feet on the way to bloomington, and 1050 feet for the way home. I can't possibly do a 40-mile RT commute 5-days a week if I lug my 60-lb. loaded touring bike (plus my 165 pound self) up these hills day after day. It wears me down too much. The highway was built to dept. of transportation standards, and has mild gradients. Plus, I think it's safer under most conditions.

Regarding e-mailing the police department - I'll do that, and will post again with their response.

And just a point of clarification - I am not really mad at the officer or the police department. I just feel that the weather conditions were not dangerous, and the officer was not within his rights to redirect me. However, I do see his point. I can see where it would be difficult for snow plows to do their job with me on the road... I'm just interested in what my rights were at the point when the officer redirected me.
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Old 12-06-07, 10:21 AM
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Originally Posted by edzo
but if one cop did need to stop me and talk to me, I would say yes sir, sorry sir, what do I need to do now, and thank you. in the meantime the rest of us will just do as told, and not cause a fuss
Don't be such a worm. There's no point in precipitating conflict with cops, but if you assume that cops always have everyone's best interests at heart, always know the law, and are always right, you're on a path to disappointment (at best) and a police state (at worse).

In this case, I'd guess the cop probably did have the legal authority to do it, as it happens - as I understand it (and IANAL), cops are generally given pretty wide authority in directing traffic of all stripes.

Know your rights and responsibilities, and protect/fulfill them. Doing whatever a cop tells you and prostrating yourself in the process is not one of the latter. Trying to act butch and threaten people with "wood shampoos" (honestly, how crass) is one step worse.
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Old 12-06-07, 06:45 PM
  #48  
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The "legally Speaking" column at Velonews.com had a recent article adressing a similiar issue.

https://www.velonews.com/news/fea/13534.0.html
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Old 12-06-07, 07:37 PM
  #49  
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Originally Posted by Not the Slowest
Of course you mention the word "Highway" as the road you were on. In most states cyclists are not allowed on Highways. So I will assume its a local city highway.
This is ABSOLUTELY incorrect. Bicycles are allowed on most highways. Maybe your definition of a highway is incorrect?

If we weren't allowed on highways, we certainly wouldn't get anywhere around the mountains of Colorado!

Bicycles are prohibited on SOME interstates and controlled access highways... and very few other roads depending on state/local regulations.
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Old 12-06-07, 08:27 PM
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Originally Posted by matthew_deaner
Umm... yeah.
Sorry, my memory was bad. I checked the map and I see that I only went through about a quarter of Spencer (took 46 W to 67 N). Apart from the town, I can't think of anything that could be considered a side road. The in laws have a reunion every few years at McCormicks Creek. I was thinking of riding to the next one.
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