So I was riding in HEAVY traffic the other day, and I was stopped behind about 50 cars at a light. The light turned green, and I clipped into my SPDs and started pedalling very slowly just to get a head start so that I wouldn't slow down the cars that were behind me. I was creeping along the right curb of the road, and the cars in front of me still weren't moving. I passed this truck pretty slowly, got in front of it, and started pedalling. I was keeping up with the cars in front of me and was really close to the curb, I was going the same speed as everyone else once they started moving. The truck that I had passed honks, zooms by me and almost hits me. It came within about 6 inches of me.

Naturally, I flip the truck the finger and then the light turns red again and I am behind the truck. This isn't that weird, it has happened before that I am forced to stop at a light next to a car I just flipped off.

Anyways, a woman, off duty cop in uniform (****!) gets out of her truck and walks over to me and starts:

"YOU DON'T FLIP ME OFF, YOU DON'T FLIP OFF ANYONE, YOU ABIDE BY THE SAME RULES AS EVERYONE ELSE, YOU ABIDE BY THE SAME RULES AS EVERYONE ELSE."

The fat ***** is screaming at me, I yell back at her that she almost hit me and that she deserved to be flipped off. She says that if she wasn't off duty that she would write me a ticket.

She gets back in her car and drives off.

Anyone else have any good stories involving cops?

I just avoid them. They don't like me, I stay way. I don't get it.

a great story was just posted in the bmx forum. here ya go
https://www.bikeforums.net/bmx/516441-flatlander-1-police-0-a.html

What city was this?

I don't like cops and cops don't like me.

You fool! You have to look both ways before flipping someone off, its the law!

This cop seems to have a problem "abiding by the same rules as everyone else," since she shouldn't have passed so close. Then again, neither should you have passed on the right, nor should you be hugging the curb. It may piss off some ignorant drivers, but claim your lane and this sort of thing won't happen. In less fortunate circumstances, riding and passing tight to the curb can get you squished.

you rebels are so dreamy.

Here's a similar story that heard of, only this one got super violent.

https://wcbstv.com/local/nypd.road.rage.2.803706.html
Victim Says Two Female Cops Allegedly Pepper-Sprayed, Pistol-Whipped Him




It's being called a case of road rage, and the two accused are off-duty, female police officers, who allegedly pepper-sprayed and pistol-whipped a man. The officers have already been stripped off their shields, but now the victim plans to file a $25 million lawsuit against the city.

Marlon Smith, says the two female officers beat him senseless on Aug. 15 at 218th Street and White Plains Road in the Bronx.

"I thought I was gonna die, that they were gonna shoot me," he tells CBS 2.

The 35-year-old Smith suffered gashes to his head that took 25 surgical staples to close. The two officers, who were out of uniform and off-duty, are Michelle Anglin and Koleen Robinson.

I speak from experience.

I once had a drunk wonder into my yard one saturday night. My neighbors thought he was a punching dumby. I called the Police to remove the individual from my property. The Officer that responded to the call wanted to arrest me as well. Long short, after calling for a Suppervisor, the officer left corrected.

I don't like them. Respect them sure, if they ask for it.

Rule 1: Never flip off someone you don't know.

Learned this the hard way after flicking off a driver that cut me off on the freeway. He waited for a couple minutes in front of a semi for me to attempt to pass it... once I was along side the trailer, he slammed his brakes from about 75mph to 40 or so, nothing opens your eyes like skidding all four wheels trying not to go into the ditch to the left, hit the trailer to the right, the person trying to kill you in front, all while watching a truck from behind getting way too close for comfort

Rule 2: People in general hate bikes, even more so when getting passed in their cage.

I'd have asked her to call her Supervisor, and then I would have waited....... I'd bet she gets in more trouble than you!

Once she pulled the cop card, she put herself on duty, and all that encompasses it.

Yeah, I should have probably made a bigger deal out of it b/c she was REALLY close to hitting me, but I just wanted to get on with my ride. I ride on busy streets all the time, so I am used to cars passing me within a foot or two, but this was the closest I have ever been passed.

That's interesting what one of you said about "claiming your lane" Do you really find that this is a better way to ride than trying to be courteous and staying as close to the shoulder as possible? Should I just make people get in the left lane to pass me instead of letting them think that they can pass me while in the same lane as me? Cause I really am getting sick of having cars constantly whizz by so close to me. But I feel like I would get even more people flipping me off and such if I was in the middle of the lane. Also, I am pretty sure that in TX there is a rule that you have to be within 2 feet of the curb...

This was in Austin, Texas by the way.

Like flipping off off duty cops and reading Kerouac!

Incredible. Hahahahaha.

Absolutely.
When you are in heavy stop and go traffic....
If you can keep pace (or close to) with traffic, Take the lane. Ride in the middle of the right most lane, and people will honk.
Ignore.
They will pass.

*Only in slow moving, heavy traffic*
I do it every day here in chicago.
If you want to pass (as I always do) pass on the left.

**Be prepared to be screamed at**
Ignore.

On topic:
The only cop story I have is that I often run stop signs/red lights right in front of them.
One time, as I did this, the cop smiled and waived from his car.

Definitely, especially in downtown traffic where you are even faster than cars most of the time. I even take the lane on wide suburban streets.

I've lived and been a rider in Boston, Chicago, Atlanta, and Philly... I have never had a cop even look twice at me... and ive run reds and stop signs righ in front of em... I've always chalked it up to the major metropolitan pigs having bigger fish to fry... MMMmmm pigs frying fish...

oh and BY ALL MEANS take your lane... @#$%ing take it... and be prepared to, as my brotha Craw stated so simply and eloquently, "ignore".

The only thing worse than a cop is an off duty cop. I'm in ATX also, and I claim the lane, the whole lane, to dissuade people from trying to squeeze by. Yes, people honk and yell, even when there is no traffic in the left lane, but hey, people honk and yell no matter what I do. I'm generally looking to ease the traffic flow for everybody on the road, some folks just don't see it that way.

Flipping the bird is needless escilation, and really doesn't help you get over what's happened, nor does it educate the idiot you're flipping off. I've given it up and learned to just laugh it off when **** happens to me in traffic.

Anyone here flip the bird to strangers in a non-traffic situation? Why do it in traffic? It seems a little like the internet: just enough anonymity/distance to remove the need for any manners at all.

Sorry if this comes off as a bit of attack, but letting things go a soon as possible has made my city riding sooooo much more enjoyable so I thought I'd share.



And cops that **** and abuse their powers definately suck. I had one get in a buddies face for no good reason for a good few minutes so I steathily videoed it. The expression on his face and response that he had when I raised the camera up to make it a bit more obvious were priceless All of a sudden he had other things to do!

edit: "S - P - A - Z" in censored??? WTF??

you shoulda just called her a cumdumpster and rode away

I have friend who is a cop. One day while he was off duty we were driving in his civilian vehicle on the highway. Up ahead was a cop car parked on the median using radar. As we got close to the parked cop, my buddy rolled down his windpw and gave the cop the finger as we drove by. The cop immediately turned on his lights and pulled us over. The cop came to the window and saw who was driving and just kind of laughed and told us to "get out of here".

I didn't think at the time about what law was broken. In hindsight, I started thinking someone should be within their rights to flip off a cop.

"Naturally, I flip the truck the finger..."


Don't flip anyone off while driving, or especially while riding a bike when you're even much more vulnerable. They interviewed victims of road rage in the hospital. Many of their victimhoods were preceded by flipping someone off.

I posted a good cop story a while back:

https://www.bikeforums.net/road-cycling/499212-awesome-pro-bike-police-action.html

I'm in Austin also. I command the lane if the lane isn't wide enough for both a car and myself to be in the same lane. The law says that a biker may acquire the lane if there is not enough space.

For example, on the drag, once you pass UT going north, I usually command the entire lane. However, Further down Guadalupe after 38th, I'll share the lane.

Downtown I always claim the right lane, sometimes far left in one way traffic. I've noticed it's safer. Most people downtown have been respectful, however some students get pissed off on other roadways, usually at odd hours.