Park police disturbs me

[Irulan]

Yes, but the context of my post was cyclists traveling at the same speed as cars. Why would your 80 yo mom need to pass the cyclists in that case?

Also, left lane implies two lanes going in the same direction. If your mom is afraid to drive he left lane-that is going the same direction as the right lane-perhaps your mom shouldn't be on the road at all.

I guess we are going to get all nitpicky here... somewhere I missed that there were two parallel lanes, and I was picking up the concept of a group of bikers blocking/filling a single lane on a two lane road, in general. Stupid me I guess.

[ilima]

I guess we are going to get all nitpicky here... somewhere I missed that there were two parallel lanes, and I was picking up the concept of a group of bikers blocking/filling a single lane on a two lane road, in general. Stupid me I guess.

Not stupid. I've actually been to Stone Mountain. Unless there's a big laser light show thingy going on auto traffic is pretty light--at least it was 10+ years ago when I was last there.

[Pedal Wench]

When we ride in the park, we're typically two across, but to be honest, where there are two lanes in each direction, we'll take the whole lane. In that situation, I feel it's safer for the cars to move to the outside (same direction) lane to pass us, than for them to try to move over slightly and pass us with another car next to them. (Car in outer lane, car sharing inner lane with us.) The traffic is typically very light, especially later in the day. It's a closed loop - there is no through traffic, and all cars have to pay to enter the park - bicycles and peds are free.

The group in question probably was going too fast. But just like a pedestrian shouldn't step out into a line of fast-moving cars, the policeman shouldn't have done the same. Yes, an animal could have done the same, and there wouldn't be an issue - that's an accident. This was intentional.

[ZenSojourner]

When we ride in the park, we're typically two across, but to be honest, where there are two lanes in each direction, we'll take the whole lane.

Hmmm, except . . . apparently the rule is that bikes are to ride single file.

From the Stone Mountain FAQ:

http://www.stonemountainpark.com/faq/

Bicycles can be ridden along the roadways inside the Park. There is a dedicated bicycle lane on Robert E. Lee Blvd., on the back side of the mountain. Bikers must ride single file and follow all traffic laws.

You're not supposed to be riding two abreast, let alone spreading out and taking the whole lane.

The group in question probably was going too fast. But just like a pedestrian shouldn't step out into a line of fast-moving cars, the policeman shouldn't have done the same. Yes, an animal could have done the same, and there wouldn't be an issue - that's an accident. This was intentional.

The flouting of park rules is also obviously intentional, and not only intentional, but repeated. I don't see that the officer had much choice in the matter.

[Eden]

The flouting of park rules is also obviously intentional, and not only intentional, but repeated. I don't see that the officer had much choice in the matter.

I agree with Sadie Kate - even if they were intentionally flouting the rules there is such a thing as responding with unnecessary force... I would like to think the officer didn't know what the consequences of stepping out in front of the cyclists would be, rather than the officer intentionally endangering the cyclists for a minor traffic infraction. It would have been more appropriate to wave them off of the road to ticket/warn them or used lights etc in a squad car to pull them over as they would with any other traffic stop. (I find it hard to believe that officers risk their lives by stepping out in front of cars!)

On another matter - what is the point of requiring cyclists to ride single file if they are traveling the speed limit.... the whole reason for making them do so is to make them easier to pass. If they are traveling the speed limit no one should be passing.....

[ZenSojourner]

I agree with Sadie Kate - even if they were intentionally flouting the rules there is such a thing as responding with unnecessary force...

Stepping into the roadway to wave someone to a stop is not responding with unnecessary force.

Wow! We've got a bunch of people ignoring the traffic regulations, and cops only trying to do their jobs. I'm sorry, but there is absolutely no excuse for this behavior. If you think the rules are unreasonable, lobby to have them changed. But in the meantime it is NOT ok to keep breaking them and expect the cops to do nothing. And standing at the side of the road trying to wave a peloton traveling 30+ mph off to the side of the road amounts to nothing.

I've seen this attitude among cyclists so many times before. Club rides blasting through stop signs. Cyclists passing to the front of traffic at stop lights, or even running the light. I once watched a peloton "take the lane" - not just ONE lane, but ALL the lanes, going the WRONG WAY DOWN A ONE WAY STREET during a sponsored ride. When I asked someone I had recognized riding in the pack later that day why they had done it, he said, "Why not? There wasn't any traffic and it was shorter than the marked route on the ride".

They always justify it saying "it doesn't make sense, there was no traffic, it takes more energy to stop a bike and start again than it does a car, a bike's not the same as a car" etc etc etc.

It seems there's a significant contingent of cyclists that want the same rights as motor vehicles, but don't want to have to obey the same rules and laws.

[SadieKate]

Stepping into the roadway to wave someone to a stop is not responding with unnecessary force.

We weren't there to know exactly where this officer stepped, but stepping into the path of oncoming traffic can be dangerous to the traffic and the steppee.

We have no idea if this cop was doing his job properly.

[Tuckervill]

You're new here, ZenS, so I want you to know that none of the people you describe in your last paragraph are posting here. You should do a search on the topic, and give a little more credit to people who have been here longer, and who have fought some of the battles with cars and governments over this issue.

I don't see why the single file rule applies on a 4-lane road. It's probably illegal to pass any vehicle in the same lane if there is a perfectly good, open lane in the same direction just to your left, anyway.

That cop was just an idiot to step out in front of the peloton and cause a wreck. Trying to stop a peloton is kind of like trying to stop a freight train. The lead riders might be able to see what's going on, but the rest of them are going to pile up behind because they aren't given the same opportunity to see and hear what's happening up ahead. Shorter reaction time. If the cop really couldn't predict the consequences of his/her actions, maybe this is not the right field.

The peloton should stop when asked, immediately. Not cooperating with the police only leads to more problems. But, it doesn't appear they were asked in this instance.

Karen

[PamNY]

Stepping into the roadway to wave someone to a stop is not responding with unnecessary force.

ZenS, in my brief career as a bike rider, I have been stopped by cops about five times. The reasons are special events, movie shoots and the like which require bikers to dismount. This is common where I live. At no time have I ever seen a cop step in front of a bike. They use dramatic, unmistakable hand gestures. To step in front of a bike rider, even a pokey one like me, would be dangerous to the rider, the cop and whoever is behind the cyclist.

Pam

[kacie tri-ing]

It makes me sad that people in the back got hurt (I still have an injured DH at home, and it is really tough to recover from crashes at that speed. One small decision can be hospital, surgery, PT, and lots of pain!). They could have been new to the ride, and likely had little influence on what how the ride was being led.

You would think that with SO many cyclists at Stone Mountain the police would have some experience with stopping them properly and safely to talk to them. Plus, those hills are insanely fast....I don't think I could stop if I were going down them alone....I mean, they are really fast. I could however stop VERY easily going up those hills