Under Cover Policing the Bike Lane
Observed by scottossington on Fri, Nov 20 2009
So i was toiling away in yeah olde bike store on Friday, when I glanced outside and noticed a car parked in the bike lane. I thought nothing of it. A lot of times cars park for a couple of minutes to answer a phone call or pick up a son or daughter from the local high school. I have learned in the past that by the time I get out there to tell them to move, they have already moved on. I usually give them a couple of minutes before I ask them to move on.
Well this feller was taking his good old time getting the heck out of the lane so i decided to take action. I have also learned from past experience that getting angry with people never works, so I put on my best pleasant face, the one that I keep behind the counter for bike lane parkers and went to have a chat.
He rolled down and looked at me with disinterest. The first thing that I noticed was that he was reading a book so I knew that he was going to be there for a while.
"Hi, you're parked in a bike lane, would you be able to move."
"No"
"Do you really have to park here?"
"I am working," he said. It was then that it donned on me that he was an undercover cop.
"What you working at?" I asked.
He wrestled around in his seat until he was able to liberate his wallet from his pants and flipped me his badge.
"Well do you have to park here?" I asked, knowing full well he could park anywhere he wanted.
"I'm working."
So I left it at that. I walked back into the shop with visions of me pounding his head off his steering wheel, screaming, "Fucking pig fucking pig!!!" over and over again. I have no idea what he was working on except getting through the next chapter of his book.
So I could only do what anyone could do on these occasions. I got my camera and took a couple of pictures. If you notice the second picture has a cop car in the background. For a few seconds I thought about calling him over, but I knew he would be just as disinterested as the first cop.
Infuriating is not the word that I could describe at how I was feeling, but I did get some satisfaction of knowing that I could at least put his car on the Interweb and hopefully some kids who might be busted for smoking weed would see him first and get away.
The worst part of this is that it was two days after the Police Service Board considered Allen Heisey's deputation to enforce the bike lanes more as well as double the fines for parking in the bike lane.
Fucking pigs.
6 Comments
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Posted on Wed, Nov 25 2009 at 08:45 AM
"So I left it at that. I walked back into the shop with visions of me pounding his head off his steering wheel, screaming, "Fucking pig fucking pig!!!" over and over again. "
Haha what are you some kind of bike lane vigilante?
Yeah you sound like a real stable individual... having day dreams of assaulting a police officer over a bike lane you're not even riding on at the moment!
My only suggestion to you is to see your doctor quick and get yourself put on medication, because you're obviously a serious headcase!
Posted on Wed, Nov 25 2009 at 10:19 AM
I think you've got the guts and drive. Taking the time to correct other people by pointing out where they're wrong in a pleasant way works and it's something we should be doing to improve our living conditions. There no sense living in a shell when you live in a city. Police, just as well as citizens need to co-operate. I think you did just what any officer would do without hesitation. Point out the infraction and demand a reason, if any and not that it matters, for the incident. They just happen to be the ones able to enforce it and really don't like it the other way around. I appreciate what emergency personnel does in this city, but they need to practice what they preach.
I'm a cyclist and a motorist and have seen this from both angles. The Toronto Sun has an interesting quote from Pam McConnel, vice-chairman of the police services board.
Officers, she said, are held to a higher standard than other motorists and must follow the rules like everyone else.
"There are no laws that are for the average citizen that are not for the officers. It is quite the opposite,"
(see:http://www.torontosun.com/news/torontoandgta/2009/11/25/11915471-sun.html)... I don't think she knows what she's saying..
But it happens. Emergency personnel have exemptions we can only dream about and though I agree with those exemptions while attending an emergency, they're often misused. Last week I saw an OPP cruiser at a red light with the officer driving and checking his Blackberry with one hand as he proceeded through the intersection once the light changed. Clearly not an emergency and clearly not an excuse to endanger everyone else by not paying attention to the road in front of him. We have to point this out. We have these regulations for safety reasons and they need to be observed by everyone, including Police. We can't have an officer use something like " I'm working " as a valid excuse.
Good luck!
Posted on Thu, Nov 26 2009 at 01:41 PM
I say what I feel and I feel you are a troll who hates cyclists and makes dumb comments on bike related sites. Your name says it all don't it. As well as your disgusting use of a picture of a cycling fatality. Your a tough guy all right. I suggest you take a look in the mirror and ask yourself if being a troll who cares only for themselves is worth the time and effort. Bad troll.
Posted on Thu, Nov 26 2009 at 05:44 PM
"Fucking pig fucking pig!!!"
Fucking moron. You have NO idea why the cop was really there -- maybe he was waiting for a child molester to come home so he could nab him and your little asshole maneuver cost him the opportunity. The world doesn't revolve around you you small-minded, ignorant, self-centered prick.
Posted on Tue, Dec 01 2009 at 12:30 PM
"Anti-Bike" isn't the only troll who hates cyclists and makes dumb comments on bike related issues here. "getagrip", try a long hard look in the mirror and ask yourself if being a troll who only cares for themselves is worth the time and effort. What did the cycling community ever do to you to make you so vengeful and spew such hatred for them???
Posted on Thu, Dec 31 2009 at 03:40 PM
I think some of you cyclist are taking this a little too far. I cycle to get to work every day and back and I for one bit don't mind that the police or paramedics park in the bike lanes. So what if they are getting something to eat or a coffee? What? You don't know how to ride around a car??? Why don't you loud mouthed chickens do their job for a while and we'll see how you feel. You have nothing better to do but trash others for their actions. Get a life.