policing bikes

So this "methodology change" thing still has me thinking.

While we'd all like to think we are above average road users.... There
are still going to be things that some riders do that are silly, that
they *should* be picked up for.

But what are they?

I'm thinking it's mainly stuff that relies too much on things outside
the rider's control, too much on their reflexes and ability to make
split second decisions, and too much on everything being perfect. IN
other words, riding too close to the margin.

The big ones for me are
- tailgating. Yeah, bikes have good brakes, yeah you can see further
(unless it's a 4WD you are behind) but I think travelling too close
behind, especially on the quarter of the car rather then dead behind, is
foolish.

- Splitting moving traffic. I was really reminded of this a few
minutes ago, riding on the M6 towards home, traffic banked up for
ages, the left lane moving a bit, middle lane moving less, right lane
not moving at all. Cars were diving into the left from the middle and
a bike that was splitting the moving traffic was nearly cleaned up.

Any others? If "no motorcycle should ever be pinged for anything" is
not an option, what behaviours are most likely to lead to crashes in
your opinion?

Zebee

 

Police the villains that stand on their pegs trying to fart. There's an
element of risk that the rider might wobble outside their lane,depending
on the level of strain they have to exert.

Seriously, one thing that riders should think twice about is riding up a left
or right turn only lane trying to cheat and cut-in front of the lanes
going straight.Not too risky when the traffic's stationary but outright
dangerous when everything;s on the move. I've seen some close calls in
recent years. Drivers braking hard trying to avoid the "bike outta
nowhere".


vifer

 

**** you and your policing bikes, there are enough restrictions and rules in
this John Howard democracy.

Just stop it Zebee

 

In aus.motorcycles on Sun, 7 Sep 2003 20:40:26 +1200

part of the stuff John is collecting about police methodology.

That police will, well, police, is a given.

*how* they do it - what they are looking for and what they'll think is
marginal and what they'll jump on, that might be changeable.

The trick, I think, is to educate them about how b ikes are different
from cars, and what to look for.

THey know cars, very few of them know bikes.

There's no way on God's earth we can stop them booking bikes, but what
can be done so they book the *dangerous* ones. What is dangerous, and
more importantly how can they be spotted?

Ain't no doubt that it isn't going to be even near perfect. No system
is. There will be things missed, and people booked who shouldn't be,
but how close can we get to a system that concentrates on the definitely
dangerous rather than just on speed?

Zebee

 

In aus.motorcycles on Sun, 07 Sep 2003 09:53:42 GMT

Well.. you won't get off the speeding fine, but you might get off the
dangerous driving one!

Already happened to a bod in Vic who was done for doing high speed in an
overtaking manouvere (in a car). He argued that the less time he spent
on the wrong side of the road the better, so it wasn't as dangerous as
it would have been closer to the limit, and the judge agreed. Still got
done for the speed, but he got off the drive dangerous.

Zebee

 

Time, Place, Circumstance is often used by Police.

But lane splitting moving traffic is asking for it, even a slow speed spill
can be dangerous as the other lane can run you over. Stationary, yes. up to
a maximum of 40kph.

They are policable.

Breakdown lanes, cycle lanes are all useable by bikes, up to 40kph. if the
traffic is still moving, there's no point of using them, or lane splitting.
simple and easily applied logic. This WILL save lives. I wager (not at all
researched) that most lanesplitting crashes (and fatalities) are caused by
supersonic lanesplitting with moving vehicles. if it's moving, it can leap
out at you. if it's all happening slower, you can perceive a 'leaper' before
he/ she leaps.

Chris

 

Yep, not to mention that it puts the person being tailgated under
pressure which could cause them to error, and "you" to splat.

Yep, and any overtaking at a speed that is more than 20% that of the
vehicle being passed.


Add to that,

- Undertaking in all cases

- Unsafe driving on twisty roads, repeated moving into oncomming lane
around blind corners (a favourite on the GOR at Christmas time,
usually takes a few lives)

- Excessive noise from exhaust

- Excessive emission/smoke from exhaust

- looking like a Chappel Street poser ;-)


Tim.

 

Don't start that shit- Police have no quotas.

They have to make a certain number of contacts a day. licence checks,
speeding pulls etc.

It's there so we aren't paying them to sit on their ass all day.

That's just more urban-myth shit.


Chris

 

so they have a quota , it may not be accepted as such there is as you
have admitted ,

you just admitted a given number of contacts required , that's a quota.

 

yep and I dont speed

 

What the **** is going on here????
Is this a STAR CHAMBER???
Presently?? or supposedly, the role of the police is to
enforce the law.... NOT TO MAKE IT! especially not
in a back-room discussion with those who think that
they know better.
Rockit

 

Oxymoron.

 

Leave trikes outta this please Nev!

 

In aus.motorcycles on Mon, 8 Sep 2003 10:58:57 +1200

Way back when I worked for the Adelaide City Council, the bombers didn't
have quotas. The council knew roughly how many tickets a particular
area would usually generate, and if a parking cop was generating lots
more or lots less than the usual, they'd want to know why. I think the
monthly totals had to be reasonably similar.

Sometimes it was because a parking restriction had changed, sometimes it
was because of building works or a change of use of an area. They were
mainly concerned about bombers skiving or taking bribes.

Zebee

 

In aus.motorcycles on Mon, 8 Sep 2003 11:00:19 +1200

Hey! Works in Chechnya and the Congo and Liberia!

Zebee

 

"Chris Coote" wrote

You left out footpaths and council parks. And breakdown lanes can also be
used by cars as easily as bikes.

Theo

 

would adding a "Whoosh!!" to a KP post be tautological?

Moike

 

Zebee Johnstone wrote in message ...

(snip)
Lanesplitting at speed and overtaking on the left (or in the emergency lane)
are bike-specific things that I think are very dangerous for the rider [not
a big concern provided it's not me or mine] and make car-ys hate us [which
DOES concern me].
Not indicating is becoming endemic where I ride but that's not bike
specific.

It's not a police issue but I want to slap blackboard-monitor do-gooder
pricks who block the lanesplit but don't actually lanesplit themselves.
(And the ones who lanesplit to the front and then pull in front of another
vehicle)..... (And the ones who pass you in your own lane...)
Clem

 

I don't get it.

Theo

 

well, I haven't lane split that many times, but I haven't been fined
either. So my Net Cost per lane split is ZERO (no rounding).

Just curious about why Clem doesn't like people splitting to the front.

Mike