After this past weeks critical mass got broken up by the oh so friendly police officers, a few of us decided to bail on the ride because it was getting out of hand and angry.
What went down afterwards though, made me loose pretty much all respect for the HRM Police (but, sadly didn’t really surprise me). We left, and rode away down another street, in the opposite direction of the cyclists who continued on with the ride, a few minutes later we were confronted by a police van with flashing lights that pulled out in the intersection blocking the entire right hand lane we were riding in. He made no actual attempt to stop us, or move out of the way, so we rode around him. At this point he pulled out behind us and revved his engine, and sped past us closer than any car really should. You know, that thing that asshole drivers do when they want to scare cyclist for fun.
I get that you had just dealt with a bunch of angry cyclists, but that does not give you the right to break traffic laws anymore (blocking traffic, speeding, reckless driving, etc) than the cyclists you were just yelling at, and it certainly doesn’t give you the right to endanger the lives of three cyclists. (Also, how did you even know we were at the Critical Mass? Or if we were one of the cyclists who were yelling back? Or were you just taking out your aggression on any cyclist you saw?) Obviously he must have known that he was breaking a few laws otherwise he wouldn’t have speed away through the yellow light so we couldn’t get his van number.
Hope that buzzing by three totally unprotected cyclists in you 2 ton van made you feel like a big man.
—Anon, for fear the police van will hunt me down and try to hit me, again.
This article appears in Jul 30 – Aug 5, 2009.
My son and I were going to attend this Critical Mass, but I’d had a weird feeling, so we didn’t go, and instead watched it as it happily streamed down Spring Garden by the Public Gardens. I’d heard that the police were starting to harass the cyclists more and more during these events. It’s only an hour or two one afternoon a month. Come on people, let us ride!
It’s an hour or two that disrupts public transit users who are trying to make connections at transfer points. Automobile drivers or pedestrians wouldn’t be permitted to block traffic so the bike riders can’t do it either.
Critical Mass riders frequently disregard traffic rules so I’m not surprised the police are finally stepping up enforcement.
And before someone tries to compare parades re. blocking traffic, parades have to submit a route plan to the city for their permit. Critical Mass-type rides in other cities often veer off the route, causing massing traffic headaches to those trying to detour around them.
Ride all you like…you have no business getting in the way of traffic flow no matter if you’re on a bike or in a car, or just walking down the street. These critical mass bikers do nothing to help their ’cause’.
Although, it doesn’t surprise me about the HRP acting like that. Most are just power hungry. I hate them. I’ve called them twice, once for assault and once for harrassment from the assaulter…they did nothing. They never do…except the easy stuff…and harrassing cyclists who chose to actually get away from the foolishness.
Um, I think the OPs point was that the police acted in an irresponsible and dangerous way towards cyclists that they didn’t even know where at the mass or not.
In fact it doesn’t even being to comment on the effectiveness of a Critical Mass in anyway, so perhaps you morons should actually read and understand a post before start responding. I pretty much guarantee if you almost got hit by a cop vehicle for no real reason (what this bitch seems to be about), you’d all be here bitching too.
What are you SNT, the comment police? We’ll talk about whatever we want to.
The OP is the moron here.
“confronted by a police van with flashing lights”? You mean they were WORKING? Maybe they sped past the OP because they had to get to somewhere in a hurry. How self-important the OP must feel that they think the cop’s actions were about them. Pfft. And yeah, they sped away so you couldn’t get their van number…not because they were in a hurry to get somewhere.
Critical Mass is a much more interesting topic to discuss than some tool whining about ALMOST getting hit by a police van.
It would’ve been nice to see one of those giant prairie combines going down SGR in the opposite direction and sucking in and spitting out all the critical mass tossers, bikes and all – that way they’d be critical mess.
Congrats to HRM Police for acting promptly and responsibly in taking action against these reckless and lawless bicycle vandals. If cyclists want to be taken seriously in this town they need to find another tactic. This is not it.
S the police use their van to block the street and in your pea sized brain, you couldn’t figure out they wanted you to stop? The when you go past it, the police pull in front of you and block the street again. It’s called a road block and yes, the police can put up road blocks and can exceed the speed limit when emergency equipment is activated, as long as they are cautious. Anyways the only douche here OB is you.
Was Professor Gates there?
Shit – if I hear that name one more time I’m axing my TV. The guy lives like a fucking block away from me too.
I did read, and I am sure most understood perfectly well the original post. But as Miles stated, the bikers getting in the general publics way to try to ‘protest’, is much more interesting to comment about. See, it got 8 more comments than this bitch would have had we not gone slightly of topic. And I’d hardly be bitching here, I’d be at the police station reporting whatever information I had about the Officers in question. Staff Sergeant takes complaints about the officers, very seriously. I’ve complained before. Don’t hesitate for a second to do so either, just because they are police, doesn’t mean they do not need to be kept in check. They are simply human like the rest of most of us. 😉
WTF is Critical Mass? A church service I MUST atttend?
Ha ha…it’s the biggest protest no one has ever heard of.
I once questioned a cop’s prerogative setting up a speed trap by parking his car on the wrong side of the road right in front of a no parking sign. Apparently, cops don’t have to lead by example.
And if he parked in a parking space, you would have bitched at him for taking up a spot.
Best was cop parking on Lacewood Drive in a paddywagon type vehicle, in front of a cross walk (so you couldnt see people entering the street as you approached the crossing) with his radar gun out. I did a nose dive brake screecher for no reason by him and when he looked out his open window at me I said “Oh, I thought there was some children entering the cross w23alk but I couldnt see for sure”… he left shortly after I am assuming…
Miles, there were plenty of parking spaces…. it was a residential street.
Lacewood Dr. People bitch when they don’t operate radar and allowing speeding cars, and bitch when they do because they nail you for speeding.
Sorry Kay, that was a general “you” not a personal one. My point was basically Bro Tim’s, they are damned if they do and damned if they don’t.
take a photo next time, Kay. you cannot be arrested for taking a photo. HRMPD are bound by the same laws of the road as citizens are.
An emergency or public works vehicle, or any vehicle working on their behalf is exempted from many traffic laws when actually performing their duties. A tow truck facing the wrong way to lift a car, a cop stopped in a no parking zone doing a speed check is not parked – there is a big difference between parked and stopped but no matter he/she is performing their job.
So please let these folks use the exemptions given to them unless you want to watch your house burn to the ground when you bitch the firetruck double parked out front or the ambulance didn’t swing across the road (facing the wrong way) and took the time to find a safe place to turn around as a loved one’s heart stopped ticking.