Sidewalk Cyclists Harassed

[steveindenmark]

If it is illegal to ride on the sidewalk, they are not being harrassed. The police are upholding the law. Its their job. It what you pay them to do. The fact that you do not like them doing their job is of no importance

 

[Alex321]

No, but you did say that the day when parents had to restrain their toddlers had already come - that should not be the case if people are cycling considerately and legally.

Of course it should.

No matter how considerately you are cycling, if there is part of the pavement marked for cycles, and a separate part marked for pedestrians, as in the case the previous poster was talking about, then the parents absolutely should be restraining toddlers from running into the cycle part, just the same as they should be restraining them from running into the road.

 

[Rusty Nails]

I must have read a different report to everyone else.

I thought the report was an implied criticism of LA Police for an overemphasis on stopping Hispanic cyclists and for using the stops as an excuse to search for weapons, drugs etc. and not really about cycling offences.

 

[CharleyFarley]

I must have read a different report to everyone else.

I thought the report was an implied criticism of LA Police for an overemphasis on stopping Hispanic cyclists and for using the stops as an excuse to search for weapons, drugs etc. and not really about cycling offences.

Right on! 7 out of 10 cyclists are Latino. 11,000 cyclists stopped every year. 85% searched without a reason. Illegal items found just 8% of the time. It looks like the police are focusing on cyclists for things other than riding on sidewalks. The sidewalk riding gives the cops a reason to stop them.

Three or four years ago, Tampa police focused on cyclists, mostly black people. Drug couriers use bikes at night to do their trading, and cops were stopping just about every cyclist that was out at night, except for white cyclists. A lawsuit put a stop to it. We know drugs are a big problem, but the bike couriers were on the bottom rung of the ladder. Cops have to do as they are told, so they're not really to blame for focusing on cyclists; it just looks bad on all of them.

 

[Arrowfoot]

Right on! 7 out of 10 cyclists are Latino. 11,000 cyclists stopped every year. 85% searched without a reason. Illegal items found just 8% of the time. It looks like the police are focusing on cyclists for things other than riding on sidewalks. The sidewalk riding gives the cops a reason to stop them.

Three or four years ago, Tampa police focused on cyclists, mostly black people. Drug couriers use bikes at night to do their trading, and cops were stopping just about every cyclist that was out at night, except for white cyclists. A lawsuit put a stop to it. We know drugs are a big problem, but the bike couriers were on the bottom rung of the ladder. Cops have to do as they are told, so they're not really to blame for focusing on cyclists; it just looks bad on all of them.

Maybe you want to change your title to "Minority cyclists discriminated" if cycling on sidewalks is not the issue.

If it is not cops then who is to be blamed for the discrimination. I don't get your last sentence.

 

[rogerzilla]

Drug couriers use bikes at night to do their trading, and cops were stopping just about every cyclist that was out at night, except for white cyclists.

The drug couriers around here are mostly white kids from the sink estates in hoodies, and they've moved up to illegally fast e-bikes.

 

[DCBassman]

the day when parents had to restrain their toddlers had already come - that should not be the case if people are cycling considerately and legally.

Parents have been restraining toddlers on pavements for decades. Nothing whatever to do with cyclists, just they they need a measure of control until able to proceed on their own. Beyond that point, conflict should not happen often. However, my personal view is that most adults are not that disciplined, let alone their offspring...

 

[CharleyFarley]

Maybe you want to change your title to "Minority cyclists discriminated" if cycling on sidewalks is not the issue.

No, I don't want to change anything.

If it is not cops then who is to be blamed for the discrimination. I don't get your last sentence.

The cops have to do as their superiors tell them. I doubt that all cops actually want to stop sidewalk cyclists.

 

[postman]

I live in Denmark and we have one of the best cycling infrastructures in the world. That includes great cycle paths.

You have cycle paths,we have phycopaths

 

[HLaB]

Talking about shared paths the worst I can remember (not to say its the worst ) are those along side the trunk road network like the one beside the A1 from Long Bennington to Newark