— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |
The hefty cop with the handlebar mustache had a problem with a handlebar of a different sort. “Look,” he yelled at the despondent fixie-riding hipster he'd just flagged down, “do you have brakes on this thing or not?”
This didn't happen just once. At least one rider tried to explain that, like Fred Flintstone, his legs served as brakes. That answer didn't cut it.
Cyclists traversing Market Street this week have noticed an uptick of riders being flagged down and cited for rolling through red lights or stop signs — or, as in the case above, not having handlebar-mounted brakes. Apparently cyclists don't read San Francisco Police Department press releases — as, on Aug. 5, the cops were kind enough to announce they'd be doing this throughout the week.
The story goes on suggest blame the recent ticketing stings falls on bicyclists themselves, claiming that recently accidents in SOMA has forced SFPD's hands. And while the checkpoint of sorts at 5th and Market will be winding down soon, SFPD suggests they'll keep up enforcement.
Idaho's laws sure are looking nice these days….
Comments (9)
I commute on my bicycle daily from the outer mission to the financial district.
It took getting pulled over by a cop on Folsom & 26th (next to the projects, no less) for running a stop sign for me to learn that cyclists are required to follow the same rules as cars.
It took getting hit by a car at the intersection of 25th & Shotwell and losing 3 teeth for me to actually start stopping @ stop signs and waiting for red lights to turn green.
The majority of cyclists in SF don’t know or don’t care about following the rules. The more people take up cycling, the more people there will be who follow the rules.
We need to look out for each other. Spread the word. Obeying the laws not only keeps us cyclists safe, it makes drivers respect us more.
Peace,
Tony
It’s about fucking time.
Maybe it’s related to the fact that that pedestrian hit by a bicyclist at embarcadero died this week?
A pendejo shot thru the stop sign at Hayes & Scott yesterday, going uphill (headed east on Hayes). He got detained at mid-block for a shitload of time; so much so, that he could have gotten to his destination if he had bothered to stop.
If the mustaches want to fish with a net, they should hide their corpulence behind a parked car in the Wiggle. They’ll run out of paper in an hour.
The special treatment bicyclists received from SFPD has come to an end?
About time. Saturday morning I witnessed a 20-something female bicyclist run the stop sign at the south east corner of 17th St. and Sanchez and plow full-speed into a pedestrian crossing the street using the crosswalk. Totally took him out. Thankfully a) he did not appear to receive major injuries and b) there were witnesses around that likely prevented him from going vigilante on the young woman after he picked himself and his groceries off the ground (he was quite upset and for a moment it appeared he might get physical). There’s no need for this nonsense. Slow the fuck down and obey the law.
We cyclist protest for our rights in San Francisco and in every major city in this country. Laws are created for our safety. Personally I have been commuting on my bike for a year, and I don’t think anyone follows the laws driving, including car drivers. Its crazy out there! Bike people should set a strong example of following the street rules so we can reduce those ridiculous cars drivers in the city.
For the love of all things holy: will the SFPD please, Please, PLEASE ticketing cyclists without headlamps? Why do these farkwits ride around in the dark with N.O. F.R.I.G.G.I.N.G. L.I.G.H.T.S. ??? How stupid can you get?
I know that if I hit one it wouldn’t be my fault, but it still bothers me to see so much idiocy in motion.
That leather-bound gummy bear pile of crap is Officer Simpson. He drives around downtown handing out tickets for “offenses” and imaginary infractions (he gave me a tciket for speaking on a cell phone that was in my lap) that cause zero damage or harm to anyone. His sole purpose is to generate revenue for the city and, ultimately, pay his own salary. The city must love such a prodigious cash register and the citizens all get randomly tagged for shit like not wearing a seatbelt whilst travelling at 10mph through the financial district. Grade A douchebag. Why cant we actually fire these fucks