Harrassment by the Man ???

[wfooshee]

A couple of articles called to my attention on another forum got me to thinking. I hate it when they make me think. . . . .

Anyway, peruse here and here. Basically, the troopers "blockaded" highways into a large rally coming up this week, probably 50,000 bikes coming in.

What immediately catches my eye is that they singled out motorcycles by requiring them to pull into the rest area, then cited for the tiniest infractions that probably have nothing to do with the stated purpose of addressing the increase in motorcycle fatalities. Writing up bad helmets and missing endorsements applies to that. Not much else does, especially when nearly all of the traffic involved is from outside your jurisdiction.

It seems to be a perceptual issue in my opinion. This does not seem to have been set up as a safety concern, but more out of fear of bikers gathering together. There is a public perception of motorcyclists as squids, stunters, and thugs who kidnap women and take them into the woods.

Nobody notices motorcycles when they're behaving themselves. A car makes a stupid move somewhere and he's an "idiot driver" and immediately forgotten. Nobody remembers any of the thousands of cars they pass every day. Nor do they remember any of the hundreds of motorcycles they encounter. But if a motorcycle makes a stupid move in traffic, or some kid pops a wheelie or zips between lanes at 80 mph, then it's "Motorcycles should be banned! They're a hazard to everything decent!" It's not the single rider who's an idiot now, it's perceived as ALL of us!

So articles like those linked above, or news of excessive "enforcement" in areas with high motorcycle traffic like the "Tail of the Dragon," remind me to be aware of how I am perceived, and how that perception reflects on others who enjoy the same recreation of riding. A driver seeing us should be able to say to himself, "Hey, there goes another safety-conscious rider in nice gear and a helmet, behaving himself, not like those idiot squids you see on Youtube. Nice bike, too!" It should be much the same way as seeing a boat on the water, or an off-road truck in the woods. No stereotypes with those items, why do we have such a hooligan image?

I don't know how to address it. Maybe wave at EVERYBODY instead of just other bikes? "Hey, look at me, I'm behaving myself. I'm not annoying or endangering you, and you don't have to hide your women from me!"

Anyway, while you're riding, remember that you're representing ALL of us. Behave yourself, and be seen behaving yourself. If that's possible.

 

[Pupik]

Any activity that's performed outside the law tends to attract attention, and with that, the ire of both the unknowing public and the knowledgeable enthusiast. The 1% (or less?) that disobey and piss on others are exactly that...a small percentage, regardless of activity. I've never ridden a bike, but I understand there's a good bit of danger involved, so I'd imagine the rider usually tends to be cautious, just as a racing driver would.

I don't like it if a rider performs a stunt or zip between my lane. But I don't get angry unless you clip my mirror or hold up traffic...I have a 16.7 gallon gas tank, and you don't...so you'll have to stop eventually! You're free to do what you want on a bike, as long as it doesn't harm or interfere with others. If you screw up, you're going to be in a lot more trouble than I will, I figure. Don't expect me to come to your aid if you're fooling around. Personal responsibility extends to the road.

I'm sure the same law enforcement group also targets other groups when they come to town, like the import crowd and festivals and...ahem, ethnically-based festivals/weekends just to piss on people who haven't actually done anything wrong to begin with.

Me, I give a wave when someone lets me in a lane, or to a driver who manages a 30-mile slog on the highway without tapping the brake pedal every ten seconds. Or to someone who lets me though a 4-way stop, or onto a road/turnlane. I guess I'm old fashioned.

 

[GilesGuthrie]

I've started thanking people whenever I move between them in traffic. I go between the lanes, looking for sleeping drivers - the ones who don't take off when the car in front does. I jump in their gap, then hold out a 👍. Overall though, I'm pretty timid when it comes to ducking & weaving, so hopefully I'm not annoying too many people!

 

[Hun200kmh]

Maybe it's me, but I never felt that there was a general attitude against bikers where I live. I use my bike everyday, only use the car if I have to go somewhere with the wife and the kids (if it's just the wife, we use the bike).

In traffic, I always signal a "thank you" to cars that allow me to pass, or just give me room to go forward between lanes. Since I'm driving a bike everyday for more than 20 years now, I'm a very cautious fellow. As I ususally say when someone asks me about "danger", riding a bike needs a very defensive attitude, and the need to focus both in the road and in all we can find on it. Other cars, other bikes, and even people stupid enough to cross even when (and where) they aren't supposed to.

 

[bergauk]

Although i don't own a motorcycle. I do own a mountain bike, and I ride it every day. I have been singled out by the police for how I ride. Which is slightly aggressive.. I try to obey the rules of the road as best I can, which includes not riding on sidewalks whenever possible and stopping at signs and such.

Now to be on topic. A few years ago, back when I was a sophomore in highschool. I was riding home from summerschool. I noticed a Police Officer on the side of the road, and a giant line of bikes next to his car and a bunch of kids with no helmets on. Granted I wasn't wearing one either. He whistled at me and motioned me to come over to over side of the road where he was. I thought about running away from it but decided against it and turned back around and road over to him and waited my place in line. When I got up to the front, I asked him what I had done wrong and he pointed towards his head. I went "oh" that was about all I could do. So I asked him what he was going to do and he said "I'm going to give you a warning" I said "Ok", I took the warning and rode off as fast as I could and hid the warning in my dresser. I later told my dad what happened and he went "thats what the police tend to do, bring your helmet for thenext week and wear it as you pass by, you'll be fine," I did that, and I was indeed fine. The officer never came back after that. And thats the end of that story.

However I have another story. Last year in October I was riding home from school. I ride the same route home every day so I pretty much knew the lights and timed them in a way that I could get to the front of the light without stopping. Which I do on a regular basis cause my dad taught me how to time the lights, I do it so I wont waste any energy. Well, one day I was riding home and I was hitting every single light perfectly going through right at green. Now I didn't know it, but there was a CHP Officer right behind me watching my every move. I got about halfway back to my house, and then I heard over my headphones some sirens, so naturally I turned my head back and noticed that he was right behind me. Motioning for me to stop. I stopped, I'm generally good at obeying what the police want from me. He got out of the car, and walked up to me and asked me if i knew what I had done wrong, I told him I didn't, so he told me that I had ran two red lights a few intersections ago. I looked at him and said, "no I didn't that was timed correctly and I was in my lane," I'm guessing he didn't like me because at the time he started yelling at me, and asking for my ID. I don't normally carry any ID with me for the sole purpose of not having anywhere to put it. This occasion I did have a School ID with just my name and a picture on it. He took it and went back to his car to go back to get a ticket, and while I waited I was thinking "S$%t I'm dead when I get home," he came back shortly and tried to hand me the ticket, and I told him I wasn't going to take it because I hadn't done anything wrong, then he tried to tell me he was going to give me community service [which was about ten miles away from my house], I told him that I wasn't going to take that either, and he asked why not, I told him I didn't do anything wrong, again, then I told him all he could really be able to give me was a warning for not having a helmet, which he seemed to ignore for some reason. although I was still 16 at the time. Needless to say, he gave me a verbal warning, and I rode off at about 30 mph and took a bunch of sidestreets until I got home.

All the while, there were cars going 20 mph over the speed limit while that was happening. Sounds like singling out to me.




I could go on and on about all the things that the general public hates about me and riding a bike. But I'd rather not stretch the page any more.

 

[wfooshee]

I have to tell you that a bicycle helmet law is a law, and although not universally enforced, they get on "programs" once in a while and have a heavier enforcement, which sounds like the first one you described. It's more an education thing than anything, because they all got warnings, and a speech about wearing the helmet and why.

Your "timing the lights" is actually dangerous, though. Maybe you didn't actually run red lights, but entering an intersection at full song just as it goes green is not brilliant. One day you'll go through there just as some dip-[insert expletive here] misses the red light, on the phone, in a hurry, whatever. Then where ya gonna be?

I know where I'm coming from here. From age 14 to about 28 the bicycle was my only transportation. I only gave it up when I got a job where I had to arrive looking sociable and presentable (not sweaty, and dressed respectably - the transition really sucked!) During those years I would ride anywhere from 40 to 80 miles per day, with occasional weekend "fun" rides of over 100 miles. Enough miles to need tires every 2 or 3 months, chains and sprockets a couple of times a year.

So keep a sharp eye out at those intersections. The guy who kills you will just tell the cop that you shot across out of nowhere, nobody could have seen you coming.