Park police disturbs me

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Sounds like this racing pack of riders might just get all bikes prohibited from riding in the park if they keep it up. Is this fair to the other recreational bike riders? I truly cannot understand riding 30mph+ in a public park where someone might be walking their dog or pushing a stroller or some toddler might be running about. This is happening during daylight park hours, too.

[kermit]

It is a great park, also a CAMP ground. I imagine that campers have complained about almost getting run over. The loop that is probably being ridden on has great climbs (an *** kicker on a mountain bike) but loops around the campground. If I had small kids I would be worried about them getting hurt by a large peleton.

[Thorn]

What's the speed limit? Parks around here are 15-25mph....bicycles are required to obey the speed limit, as well.

While a single rider doing 30 can be dangerous if there are walkers and kids, a peloton doing 30 if the speed limit is reduced is no different than having a larger motor vehicle speeding down the road.

Unless the officer abruptly stopped in front of the cyclists, I think I have more empathy for the cop over the cyclists.

[Pedal Wench]

It is a great park, also a CAMP ground. I imagine that campers have complained about almost getting run over. The loop that is probably being ridden on has great climbs (an *** kicker on a mountain bike) but loops around the campground. If I had small kids I would be worried about them getting hurt by a large peleton.

The campground is by a road with a 25mph speedlimit and usually cars are zooming by much, much faster. However, the campground is far enough away from this main road and separated by a fence that there is no way or reason children should be anywhere near it. With RVs and boat trailers flying by on the main road, kids have bigger problems than bikes.

The road in question is four lanes, with the bikes taking the right lane and cars having the passing lane. Everywhere else, the road is one way with bikes getting an entire lane as a bike lane.

This is all a mess since my club sponsors a women's ride all winter long at this park since it's a relatively safe place to ride at night (after sunset) since there are street lights and there is no thru-traffic. There is a long downhill that we probably go well over the speed limit too. I wonder if they leave us alone because we're a much smaller group (this is our winter ride - we move out to the roads when we get enough daylight after work in the spring) or because we're women, or because in general, we obey the laws - slow significantly at intersections, have front and rear blinkies, etc.

I had a friend injured in the incident last week too. It sounds like the police stepped out expecting the group to be able to stop, but just as he shouldn't expect a car to be able to stop on a dime, the pelaton didn't have time to react. Yes, pedestrians have the right of way, but would you just step out in front of a car riding at the speed limit with no warning?

[SadieKate]

Sounds like you have a policeman who is unable to judge speeds or knows the simple laws of physics. That's a bit scary in a policeman.

Culpability on both sides.

And perhaps that group needs to work with the park officials. By the second physical block, it sure sounds like the group is consistently snubbing law enforcement.

[Cataboo]

Would it be all that much safer if a police officer drove his car behind a peleton with his siren blaring & lights flashing and followed them till they stopped?

I know loud sounds can momentarily freak me out when I'm riding and if I was going 30 mph down a hill, I'd like to say I'd recover before I crashed... but I'm not riding in peletons or a tight formation... Just tottering around at my speed, if I look away for a second or so I can sometimes hit a pothole or grate in the road.

[Zen]

Would it be all that much safer if a police officer drove his car behind a peleton with his siren blaring & lights flashing and followed them till they stopped?

I think that would be much safer.
The flashing light part, anyway. the siren would be a bit startling.
But at least you can't run in to something that's behind you.

[Irulan]

Are we talking Stone Mountain State Park or Stone Mountain THEME park?

[SadieKate]

Would it be all that much safer if a police officer drove his car behind a peleton with his siren blaring & lights flashing and followed them till they stopped?

Yes. Do you think the police set up road blocks for cars who are just speeding 5 mph over the limit on the highway? Or does it take a more serious offense such as running from the scene of a crime?