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That's what Officer Collier from the Long Beach Police Department told me after pulling a small group of us over at the intersection of Los Coyotes and Clark in Long Beach last night at 8:30 p.m. We were heading downtown via Los Coyotes a three lane street that runs diagonal through East Long Beach. We were in the far left tuning lane 50 feet from the actual intersection, when we were pulled over. He then instructed us to go to the far right, crossing three traffic lanes with oncoming traffic, very unsafe, cause there were cars coming our direction, I stood there for a minute dumbfounded at what he was asking us to do, I yelled out to him "it's not safe!" He got a little agitated I could tell in his outside voice on the speaker, he kept repeating "pull over to the right, the far right," We crossed the three lanes and then he came out and gave me the "you are not a car," by then office Brown pulled up right behind and came out and just observed, Officer Collier then said to me something along the lines of "I don't want you to get hit and killed." And "I could give you a ticket." He then told me when you come to an intersection when you need to make a left, you need to cross the intersection like a pedestrian stop then cross the intersection again and he instructed us to do it and stayed there and watched us. Officer Collier was driving a huge Suburban police car so that would make him something like a Sgt or Commander, I'll find out since I'll be filling a report against him, Not Officer Brown, he was cool.
yeah he had a point because you're definitely not a car. and when is the next time you'll legally get to go from the far left to the far right? he's trying to make the ride more exciting!
Clueless. Of course you're not. Should have replied, "I'm not a car. I'm a cyborg. My CPU is a neural net processor, a learning computer. The more contact I have with humans, the more I learn." then start doing the robot.
Just out of curiosity, does the city of LB have any municipal codes that over ride the cvc? I'm sure you know best, but it could be possible that there are some different rules for bicycles. Like the riding/no riding on sidewalks in Weho/Santa Monica.
Cops not knowing the rules. No surprise there.
Sometimes if works to your advantage though. Like if you forget your front light at night or something and a cop wont even think about pulling you over.
I think some cops can appreciate a smart ass attitude as long as you're not just being cocky. If you say something smart ass, the next comment should be, "I'm just following the civil code that says I have the right to turn left here with a hand signal. And right after we turn, I'll return to the furthest to the left I can safely ride. I appreciate your concern though."
Sorry to hear about your run in. Glad you didn't get a ticket and then have to go spend time getting it overturned.
does the LBC have any type of bike Coalition? When I get trouble from the fuzz I always start with emailing the La bike coalition about my troubles, They are always a help.
The more I hear about these things, the more I wonder if the pshrinks they use in law-enforcement pre-hires are even worth a damn.
I think as you can all tell by now, ignorant LEO's and psychiatrists are part of my, "Useless Resources" list.
Clueless. Of course you're not. Should have replied, "I'm not a car. I'm a cyborg. My CPU is a neural net processor, a learning computer. The more contact I have with humans, the more I learn." then start doing the robot.
DetroitRider
07.17.08 - 12:51 pm
HAAA!!! do the robot!!! this is the best advice any MR forum participant has ever offered!
You get scoops for a lifetime! FUCKING AWESOME!!!
it's important to be calm and courteous but to stand up for your rights. a lot of police officers that I talk to simply don't know that it's the law that you ride as a vehicle. many times the cops are from out of the area suburban type cities (simi valley, riverside etc) that dont have a lot of bicycle traffic and just arent used to bicycles being part of traffic. you had every right to be in the street.
I think we need to make some spoke cards with the cvc on it.
dude, that cop is a retard.. how the fuck does he not know the rules of the road..... now a days they let anybody be a cop... what happened did they lower their standards for joining the force... dude i'm glad your reporting this....
Bummer you got hassled by the LB fuzz Danny. The sad part is now this officer and others there are going to think this is the procedure for cyclist. So we can look forward to other clueless officers hassling us in LB. I know you had your son with you, but still what may have been a better option was to tell the guy, "look, if I did something wrong, then cit me for it." Yeah you would have had to take the time to go to court, but you would have educated one or more of the officers and saved countless others some hassles.
Dude I never noticed those blinking arrows on the streets before!! I'm going back to find them!!
Oh yeah, I forgot to comment on the donut shop across the street from police HQ.
LOL funnier than shit, I seen it before but never put two and two together. That's worth taking a picture of and sending it to LATimes for that one section, forgot the name of the section, but you know what I'm talking about.
Woooo! Scoops for life!!! Lovely parting gifts!!!!
Midnight Ridazz: The best game show that doesn't exist.
I'm sure it sucked dealing with that, killing the vibe and all. Maybe ask the police officer to hop on your bike and ask him to demonstrate what he wants you to do, then take a photo of him looking all goofy trying to ride a bike. Get the whole crowd cheering for him and befriend him too. I think a lot of the animosity we deal with is from people who have just forgotten the innocence and simple fun from pedaling a bike. The more people you can get on a bike the better so they can relate.
"YOU ARE NOT A CAR" fuck, how I hate that statement and the mentality behind it! It just seems to epitomize all that's wrong with everything; aside from their ignorance of the vehicle code, the person is too lazy to even say, "You are not driving a car". Do they think cars drive themselves?
I want to say to people in cars, "You are not a car; you are a human being at the controls of a motor vehicle, but remember: you are still human!"
Put me down for a couple of those shirts, seriously . . .
Awesome! That's funny on a couple of levels. Never mind the prostitution angle, do you suppose his initials are TJ Hooker? Call him up and do a Shatner impression over the phone, and see how annoyed he gets.
funny story... well maybe more pathetic than funny....
when I was a kid my first exposure to William Shatner was not via Star Trek but as TJ Hooker. It's still foreign to me to see shatner playing the role of captain of the enterprise. to me he will always be TJ Hooker!
This thread is now officially highjacked & will now be known as the William Shatner thread.
A few years ago we sat a couple of rows behind Shatner at the REDCAT during a production of the one man MacBeth by Stephen Dillane. He seemed to enjoy the show.
This thread will now be known as "the old TV thread". Star Trek was probably the second show I ever saw on a color TV. Batman was the first. I had to go to my friend's house to watch it 'cause we only had a b&w set.
Funny. A dude in my office was once told by El Segundo PD over loudspeaker, in what he described as Traffic Cop Haiku, that "YOU. ARE LIKE. A CAR. YOU MUST. ACT. LIKE A CAR." ... when he did what you guys were told to do. Sounds like ESPD has LBPD licked.
I bet LBPD would really like to hear that they've been licked by ESPD. Or anyone. Uptight, wrong-headed assholes.
I was part of the group that was pulled over by the friendly LBPD officers. I am so happy to say that they took the time to put on their disco lights, amplified their voices over the loud speaker and requested us to pull over from the #1 lane to the far right hand side of the street, just to provide clarity in my life. Thank you, LBPD for FINALLY letting me know that I AM NOT A CAR. I truly appreciate you taking the time to educate me about this, rather than wasting your time on those who are committing other minor criminal acts such as murder, rape, robbery, or burglary. I feel so much safer riding through the streets of the LBC knowing that you are behind me, ensuring that I am crossing the streets as safely as possible.
That's the fucking problem with some fucking idiot cops. they brush up on all the cvc codes that pertain to cars and car-driver behaviour that they are in complete ignorance of what our fucking rights on the road are... not that far off as motored vehicles. we can pretty much do just about everything a car can in traffic including turning left at the left lane. I hate dumb ass ignorant cops like this idiot.
Probably wouldn't be smart to respond with....
"Well, you're no car either, in fact, that SUV qualifies as a tank right there. Are you properly trained and have the correct endorsements to operate that piece of machinery?
Has this piece of equipment been inspected by Commercial Vehicle Enforcement?
Where are your IFTA stickers?
Has your CAB card been validated?
Pull into the barn driv.......whack!!"
On a side-note, I've always heard of the case of their being a long-standing rivalry between local PD/sheriff's dept's, and highway patrol.
Kind of reminds me of that movie, Super Troopers.
it reminds me of how once whilst riding my bicycle in Boston during grad school days, a lady in her car, with children in the back, pulled up along side me, rolled down her window and yelled,
i feel for you so many times i have been bitched at riding though eldo on the car lanes and had cops say "your not a car you have to take the side walk or walk you bike.. daayum son so much drama in the lbc...
I'm guessing that different color schemes aren't part of the deal here, not for $6. Your choices, and again I'm guessing, are 1.) shirt, or 2.) no shirt.
dannyzuko, I would like one (1) shirt, the smallest you can find.
Bicycles
Bicyclists on public streets have the same rights and responsibilities as automobile drivers. Respect the right-of-way of bicyclists because they are entitled to share the road
with other drivers. Here are some
critical points for drivers and cyclists
to remember:
• Drivers must:
-look carefully for bicyclists before opening doors next to moving traffic or before turning
right.
-safely merge toward the curb or into the bike lane.
- not overtake a bicyclist just before making a right turn. Merge first, then turn.
• Bicyclists:
-are lawfully permitted to ride on certain sections of freeways. Be careful when approaching or passing a bicyclist on a freeway.
-must ride in the same direction as other traffic, not against it.
- must ride in a straight line as near to the right curb or edge of
the roadway as practical—not
on the sidewalk.
-must make left and right turns in the same way that drivers do, using the same turn lanes.
-may legally move left to turn left, to pass a parked or moving vehicle, another bicycle,
an animal, or to make
Turns for bicyclists
Intersections with special lanes
a turn, avoid debris, or other
hazards.
-may choose to ride near the left curb or edge of a one-way street.
-may use a left turn lane. If the bicyclist
is traveling straight ahead, he or she should use a through traffic lane rather than ride next to the curb and block traffic making right turns.
-are lawfully permitted to ride on certain sections of freeways, in some rural areas where there is no alternate route. Be careful when approaching or passinga bicyclist on a freeway.
-->
Ridazz Roulette!
DO IT!
I had a desk for two years outside of his office at Universal.
"...illogical."
Spock is a natural for Wolfpack Hustle c'mon!
Bicycles
this is clearly an existential dilemma. I think that cop thinks he is a car.
WANT!
i like bykes