Riding while black (on a bicycle)

[Jimmy Higgins]

So in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, there was an incident with blacks on bicycles. Eventually one of them is handcuffed. Based on the article, it is hard to tell if this was two sides of hard asses hard-assing each other, officers dealing with teens who were being asses, teens dealing with asses? Some teens were cycling in the street, popping wheelies, were told to stop, also told that they weren't licensed.

Yeah, weren't licensed. You need a license to cycle in Perth Amboy. I can't help but think based on the license requirements, those people are being targeted, not the good ones of course. Fee is cheap, 50 cents a year.

Now, I understand, loitering on bikes on the street can be a problem for traffic, especially if kids don't care that cars are waiting for them to move. Also, there are dangerous things like hanging on to cars that can get someone killed. So there needs to be some ordinance. But...

C. The rider of a bicycle shall not allow it to proceed in a street by inertia momentum, with his feet removed from the pedals, nor remove both hands from the handlebars while riding the bicycle, nor practice any trick or fancy riding in a street or carry another person upon the bicycle.

Okay....? So when coming up to a stop sign, have to cycle hard and hit the brakes, can't coast in to it?

This is the best part, which really seems to imply a "We are targeting certain people" vibe.

F. No bicycle shall be ridden faster than is reasonable and proper, but every bicycle shall be operated with regard to the safety of the operator and of any and all other persons using the sidewalks, streets and other public highways of the city.

I cycled a good deal as a teen. It was how I could get to the town when I wasn't old enough to drive. I was active enough and cycling was fun. Then it became more sport down the road for me. Now, on a sidewalk, I can see not cycling 20 to 30 mph... but who are really going to do that on a sidewalk? Otherwise, how can anyone ride a bike too fast? Mark Cavendish need to worry? And it should be noted there is no number applied to that code... "No bicycle shall be ridden faster than reasonable..." You use the word "Shall" and follow it up with some bullshit word like "reasonable"?!

Officer: Get your hands into a reasonable position in reasonable amount of time!

No, that doesn't work.

Hence the targeting power, as an Officer can say anything is "unreasonable". If this story tells me anything, it is these kids need a park to play in. Of course, if there was a park, there would be another ordinance of limits of the number of people in a group on bikes.

 

[ZiprHead]

Our city requires bicycle licenses. I never had one on any of the bikes I rode. I was never hassled over it, not once.

BTW, I've seen the video of this incident. Six cop cars rode up on these kids. It did not look like a busy street and if anyone was blocking traffic it was the cops.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Just checked Akron's ordinance on it for curiosity sake, and it reads much like I would expect it to. 'Follow the rules of the road.'

 

[Terrell]

I think it's silly to require a license to drive a bicycle, but maybe it's because I didn't need one when I was a kid. I suspect that requiring bikes to have license plates, etc. is a way to extract money. I do think that the kids, in the video should have gotten in something close to single file since it was a busy street. I don't support arrests or seizure of their bikes, whatever penalty needs to be less than that in my opinion.

I guess I was somewhat lucky since I lived in a suburban (exurban?) area. Playing sports in the street wasn't a problem for us kids, or the adults. We'd move aside when the occasional car came along. Same for biking, doing wheelies, etc. Neither helmet, nor license was required.

 

[laughing dog]

Requiring licenses for bicycles (or ID numbers on them) is a minor revenue boost for the police department/city. Either in terms of license fees or in auction revenue for unclaimed bicycles (many police departments only notify owners of lost/stolen bicycles if there is a license).

 

[T.G.G. Moogly]

Requiring licenses for bicycles (or ID numbers on them) is a minor revenue boost for the police department/city. Either in terms of license fees or in auction revenue for unclaimed bicycles (many police departments only notify owners of lost/stolen bicycles if there is a license).

I think more than anything it makes the person aware of a responsibility. A ten dollar license is a token but it does send a message.

I never had a license here in PA and still don't. Was just out riding today. A couple times people have expressed the view that bicycles shouldn't be on the roads because roads are for cars and cars are licensed. If a license (donation) for bicycling becomes required here, so be it.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

So, with this thread in mind, I provide the counterproof. Driving into cyclists while white. (It's a gifted link, so you can read it even if you don't get WashPo... you owe me!!!)

Around 11:30 a.m. on Sept. 25, members of an eight-person cyclist group training for the Ironman Texas triathlon saw a black Ford pickup swerve into their lane and get ahead of them near Waller, Tex., according to one of the riders. The driver allegedly accelerated the truck on Old Highway 290 and harassed the group, spewing them with black exhaust in what’s called “roll coal” — a practice in which drivers of diesel pickups intentionally engulf pedestrians, cyclists or other motorists in black smoke.

But the driver drew close, and his Ford Super Duty truck collided with six of the eight riders. Chase Ferrell, who was riding near the group that was hit, told KRIV that he “heard a lot of crunching” and “tires screeching.”

The teen's lawyer insists the kid was just inexperienced. Yes, that is the lawyer's job.

But lets get to the being white part.

Although four of the riders were hospitalized for their injuries, the 16-year-old was not arrested. Instead, the boy’s parents showed up, and police let the teen leave after they had finished questioning him.

Sure, no one died... but is that bar now?

This does lead to the question, well, he is a minor, how do we know he is white? Good question. Roll Coal big with non-whites?

 

[ZiprHead]

^^^ I almost posted that a few weeks ago when the story broke.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Yeah, weren't licensed. You need a license to cycle in Perth Amboy. I can't help but think based on the license requirements, those people are being targeted, not the good ones of course. Fee is cheap, 50 cents a year.

No. Bicycles need a license, not bicycle riders.

C. The rider of a bicycle shall not allow it to proceed in a street by inertia momentum, with his feet removed from the pedals, nor remove both hands from the handlebars while riding the bicycle, nor practice any trick or fancy riding in a street or carry another person upon the bicycle.

Okay....? So when coming up to a stop sign, have to cycle hard and hit the brakes, can't coast in to it?

Huh? The law sounds stupid in that most bikes use handbrakes, not pedal brakes. However, that doesn't say you have to pedal into the stop, just that you can't take your feet off the pedals. On anything more than a very simple bike the pedals can stop without stopping the wheel. I doubt it's much of a concern, people simply riding aren't going to be taking their feet off the pedals anyway. This is basically saying no stunts in streets--I'm fine with that.

I cycled a good deal as a teen. It was how I could get to the town when I wasn't old enough to drive. I was active enough and cycling was fun. Then it became more sport down the road for me. Now, on a sidewalk, I can see not cycling 20 to 30 mph... but who are really going to do that on a sidewalk? Otherwise, how can anyone ride a bike too fast? Mark Cavendish need to worry? And it should be noted there is no number applied to that code... "No bicycle shall be ridden faster than reasonable..." You use the word "Shall" and follow it up with some bullshit word like "reasonable"?!

Officer: Get your hands into a reasonable position in reasonable amount of time!

Of course people can ride a bike too fast! Back at the university I saw a lot of people biking too fast for conditions. Bikes were often a hazard.

Hence the targeting power, as an Officer can say anything is "unreasonable". If this story tells me anything, it is these kids need a park to play in. Of course, if there was a park, there would be another ordinance of limits of the number of people in a group on bikes.

A park to play in would help, but parks are generally not very suited to bikes.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

I guess I was somewhat lucky since I lived in a suburban (exurban?) area. Playing sports in the street wasn't a problem for us kids, or the adults. We'd move aside when the occasional car came along. Same for biking, doing wheelies, etc. Neither helmet, nor license was required.

It comes down to traffic density and how willing the kids are to clear the street.

Cars rare, the street quickly cleared, it's not an issue. Cars not so rare, streets not so quickly cleared, it's an issue. Higher population densities in the inner city will mean higher traffic densities and thus automatically make it more of an issue. While I can see targeting happening it certainly could simply be a case of the cops targeting where there's been a problem.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

So, with this thread in mind, I provide the counterproof. Driving into cyclists while white. (It's a gifted link, so you can read it even if you don't get WashPo... you owe me!!!)

Around 11:30 a.m. on Sept. 25, members of an eight-person cyclist group training for the Ironman Texas triathlon saw a black Ford pickup swerve into their lane and get ahead of them near Waller, Tex., according to one of the riders. The driver allegedly accelerated the truck on Old Highway 290 and harassed the group, spewing them with black exhaust in what’s called “roll coal” — a practice in which drivers of diesel pickups intentionally engulf pedestrians, cyclists or other motorists in black smoke.

But the driver drew close, and his Ford Super Duty truck collided with six of the eight riders. Chase Ferrell, who was riding near the group that was hit, told KRIV that he “heard a lot of crunching” and “tires screeching.”

The teen's lawyer insists the kid was just inexperienced. Yes, that is the lawyer's job.

But lets get to the being white part.

Although four of the riders were hospitalized for their injuries, the 16-year-old was not arrested. Instead, the boy’s parents showed up, and police let the teen leave after they had finished questioning him.

Sure, no one died... but is that bar now?

This does lead to the question, well, he is a minor, how do we know he is white? Good question. Roll Coal big with non-whites?

Now he's been charged with 6 felonies. Not arrested at the scene doesn't mean there's no justice. Police should only arrest at the scene if either guilt is totally obvious or there's flight risk. Arrests are a step, not an objective!