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Should I report this city employee?

Old 10-24-21, 02:43 PM
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Originally Posted by zandoval
As mush as we would like to think otherwise a Snitch is a Snitch, often more trouble than they are worth...

Be selective in choosing this role. It's not for everybody...
Yeah, don't want to violate the criminals code of conduct.
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Old 10-24-21, 02:53 PM
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Originally Posted by ridelikeaturtle
Report to the authorities. Get a case number, to ensure a report is actually recorded, and then follow up on it.

Telling his boss isn't likely to have the employee held accountable, as it would only make the boss look bad too. I'm sure they'd be more than happy to bury any incident internally.

Drivers like this are eventually going to kill someone, and that needs to be pointed out to the authorities. The authorities need to start taking killing people on bicycles seriously.

If you get resistance or "eye rolls" from the authorities, I would ask them: if they were on a bicycle, and were screamed at, yelled at, threatened, by someone operating a motor vehicle... how would they deal with that? Is your life less important than theirs?
Who are these "authorities?"
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Old 10-24-21, 03:15 PM
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Originally Posted by teejaywhy
Who are these "authorities?"
Your local cop shop.
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Old 10-24-21, 05:09 PM
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Originally Posted by ridelikeaturtle
Your local cop shop.
You think honking and swearing is a matter for the police?
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Old 10-25-21, 06:21 AM
  #55  
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Originally Posted by Daniel4
There's a purpose for the " How's my driving?" written on the back of some trucks.
They should not be limited only to trucks with that written on them.
Originally Posted by teejaywhy
You think honking and swearing is a matter for the police?
Sure just like every bicyclist who violates any traffic regulation or witness' delicate sensibilities. Shouldn't all adult bicyclists be required to wear large identifying plates with their name and employer's telephone number so anybody who witnesses anything that they think is a traffic violation or not "proper" can be reported to the same authorities, both police and employer?
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Old 10-25-21, 07:30 AM
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Originally Posted by I-Like-To-Bike
Sure just like every bicyclist who violates any traffic regulation or witness' delicate sensibilities. Shouldn't all adult bicyclists be required to wear large identifying plates with their name and employer's telephone number so anybody who witnesses anything that they think is a traffic violation or not "proper" can be reported to the same authorities, both police and employer?

Wow, that's a stretch. Obviously someone mishandling a motor vehicle is clearly a bigger threat to the general safety than anyone on a bicycle who isn't actually wielding a weapon. This is why all trucks and cars have identification plates and the drivers are required to be licensed. Your false equivalency posts, and you make them a lot, all ignore this rather obvious fact. Several tons of metal that can be brought up to very high rates of speed are always going to be a bigger threat than up to about 300 pounds of bicycle and rider limited to probably about 20 mph. When someone is yelling, swearing and honking at you from a moving motor vehicle, it's again a very fine line to a threat with a deadly weapon.

Company and government vehicles are often not just wearing a name plate, they're usually actually numbered. Employers don't want their drivers acting as bad will ambassadors to the public or, worse yet, running around potentially incurring liability on the employer's part so, yes, if you drive around like a knucklehead in a company/department vehicle, you should take for granted that people are going to know who you are and who to complain to; That's literally how the system is designed to work.

You want to discuss seriously whether delivery cyclists on powered bikes should be required to wear something indicating who they're working for, that's actually a serious question, but your straw man here is just a totally misfired analogy.

Last edited by livedarklions; 10-25-21 at 07:36 AM.
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Old 10-25-21, 07:34 AM
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Originally Posted by teejaywhy
You think honking and swearing is a matter for the police?

I know a pretty funny anecdote about a driver who was unlucky enough to have done this to the guy who maintains the cops' bike fleet right in front of a cop. I'm not sure what eventually happened to the guy, but the cops did make him get out of his car.
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Old 10-25-21, 11:11 AM
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Oh my gosh...I love that line.
.... reporting clowns to the circus.
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Old 10-25-21, 11:14 AM
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Absolutely report him

Absolutely report the incident. Sounds like the employee should get reprimanded for his actions and language used. I imagine the taxpayers would have a problem paying to support a position that employs someone who doesn't reflect the city in a positive light.
Originally Posted by truthseeker14
I was in the left lane of a four lane road (2 lanes each way). Traffic wasn't very heavy. There were cars parked on the curb lane. A driver of a city government vehicle, came up behind me and started honking his horn. He passed me and then he started gesturing me towards the sidewalk. I caught up with him a couple lights later, and he shouted, "F*** you! get on the sidewalk". I got his license plate number and am debating whether to call the city about this city employee. I'm pretty sure he was the same driver that buzzed me earlier on my ride. Report or not?
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Old 10-25-21, 11:23 AM
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Where I live it’s supposedly illegal to ride on the sidewalk.
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Old 10-25-21, 11:34 AM
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Originally Posted by truthseeker14
I was in the left lane of a four lane road (2 lanes each way). Traffic wasn't very heavy. There were cars parked on the curb lane. A driver of a city government vehicle, came up behind me and started honking his horn. He passed me and then he started gesturing me towards the sidewalk. I caught up with him a couple lights later, and he shouted, "F*** you! get on the sidewalk". I got his license plate number and am debating whether to call the city about this city employee. I'm pretty sure he was the same driver that buzzed me earlier on my ride. Report or not?
Report it. Maybe consider posting the account on social media.
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Old 10-25-21, 11:42 AM
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I work for a large government agency and we often forget that we are accountable to the denizens of the city that we work in. Please report this city employee. He will get a call from his personnel division for a report and will most likely get reprimanded, deservedly.
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Old 10-25-21, 12:02 PM
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Originally Posted by canopus
I once saw a guy in a company environmental truck with a number and a phone on the back throw trash out while waiting for a red light. Trash pisses me off, so I called the company and reported the truck with the number, i was nice but explained it didnt make since for their employee to be throwing trash out on the ground when their whole business was to keep stuff clean. she agreed and said it would be taken care of. a couple of weeks later i saw the same truck at a light and the driver actually got out of the truck and picked up some trash next to the truck that wasn’t his.

sometimes things get corrected. but they cant correct anything if they don’t know about it.
I was buzzed by a school bus so reported it and sent video to the district which connected me to the school bus driving head trainer. That person said she was surprised that the driver in my video would do this, and added that she would update the training to include how to properly pass bicycles .As you said, they can't correct anything if they don't know about it.
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Old 10-25-21, 12:09 PM
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Originally Posted by vespasianus
Do it. Unless the "city employe" was a police officer.
No no no. ESPECIALLY if it is a police officer. We were on group ride once (5 cyclists) and a cop pulled us over for road violation. Tried to educate him on state cycling law, but he was having not of that. Contacted Chief of Police, got a well meant apology and the officer was "educated."
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Old 10-25-21, 12:19 PM
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Report.
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Old 10-25-21, 12:23 PM
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Originally Posted by zandoval
As mush as we would like to think otherwise a Snitch is a Snitch, often more trouble than they are worth...

Be selective in choosing this role. It's not for everybody...
I don't think reporting a clown like that is "snitching". It's not like the cyclist and the jerk are both in the mafia, or on the same cell block.
THis was a citizen, being harrased (dangerously) by a public employee.
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Old 10-25-21, 12:25 PM
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Originally Posted by Awkward Caveman
Noise-cancelling headphones are more useful than reporting clowns to the circus.
Gosh. What if you dont' want to wear headphones? I sure don't. ESPECIALLY noise canceling ones (which muck with the sound quality).
And dad summit, on a bike, it's GOOD (maybe even safe!) to be able to hear what's going on around you.
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Old 10-25-21, 12:29 PM
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Originally Posted by Awkward Caveman
I wonder if they arrest deaf people for cycling in Chicago

Whoops!... sorry officer... my hearing aid battery went flat, lol.

Nowadays, disobedience of authority means - freedom
Actually, that is NOT true. It's FAKE news.
It's "alternate" facts. It exists only in your febrile imagination.

Last edited by dkatz1; 10-25-21 at 12:45 PM.
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Old 10-25-21, 12:32 PM
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Report it. Get the names of persons in the chain of command and stay at it until you get some sort of response. No citizen deserves that type of treatment from their employee. .
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Old 10-25-21, 12:43 PM
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Originally Posted by I-Like-To-Bike
Sure just like every bicyclist who violates any traffic regulation or witness' delicate sensibilities. Shouldn't all adult bicyclists be required to wear large identifying plates with their name and employer's telephone number so anybody who witnesses anything that they think is a traffic violation or not "proper" can be reported to the same authorities, both police and employer?
I feel so lucky and grateful that we have a genius social scientist like you to clarify this and other matters for those of us who simply don't have the mental powers to grasp the deep insights into the nature of things that you so eloquently spell out for the the rest of us ignorant masses. Bless you.
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Old 10-25-21, 12:52 PM
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check your state, county & city cyclihg statutes.....and, as I'm thinking of most state statutes have cars giving at least a 3' room, then report to both city AND police.
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Old 10-25-21, 12:56 PM
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In the 60s there was an article in the San Antonio Light newspaper. It was about a city employee who got out of line with a driver upset about a nonworking back hoe operator eating his lunch while blocking traffic. Horns were blaring sp the upset backhoe operator started making threatening gestures with the bucket at the stationary cars. There were reports and memos circulated but really nothing happened. Then two weeks latter the back hoe operator was found outside his residence with both knee caps capped. I think back and it could have gone many other ways.

Getting back to the OP if reporting this guy will actually precipitate a change I could see doing it. But if not then not...
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Old 10-25-21, 01:02 PM
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Originally Posted by truthseeker14
I was in the left lane of a four lane road (2 lanes each way). Traffic wasn't very heavy. There were cars parked on the curb lane. A driver of a city government vehicle, came up behind me and started honking his horn. He passed me and then he started gesturing me towards the sidewalk. I caught up with him a couple lights later, and he shouted, "F*** you! get on the sidewalk". I got his license plate number and am debating whether to call the city about this city employee. I'm pretty sure he was the same driver that buzzed me earlier on my ride. Report or not?
OP, what did all the BF posters' advice/drama produce? Did you report this "vile" incident? Any feedback?
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Old 10-25-21, 01:10 PM
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Skip City, cops. Hope you got the license. He could have caused a crash. And that attitude is not a good thing to have in a city worker.
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Old 10-25-21, 01:23 PM
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Yes. Do it.
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