Bicycle Lane rules

[sleek7]

Originally Posted by Jim Goose

Ok in case you missed it... and seriously get over it...
An emergency vehicle/ police car can break the road rules in the course of their duties....
Just because no one else was there doesnt mean a thing..

This continual cop bashing and whinging that they can flout the road rules is getting seriously old and very boring.

Jim, dont like the thread? Then stop reading it. Seriouly no one is forcing you dude...

[aussie muscle]

Originally Posted by pottery beige

leave him alone was eating his maccas.....

the copper in Narooma always parked in the no stopping zone while getting his lunch.

[Jim Goose]

Originally Posted by sleek7

Jim, dont like the thread? Then stop reading it. Seriouly no one is forcing you dude...

And people have responded to the orginal post and then other info about being given a ticket by same cop was added later....
Sorry if you dont like the answer given, which appears to be redily apparent.
Its also apparent the thread was started as a whinge about police...
Again if you dont like the answer, dont ask the question...

[sleek7]

Originally Posted by Jim Goose

And people have responded to the orginal post and then other info about being given a ticket by same cop was added later....
Sorry if you dont like the answer given, which appears to be redily apparent.
Its also apparent the thread was started as a whinge about police...
Again if you dont like the answer, dont ask the question...

urgh, have had enough of arguing with you. The only person here who considers this a cop bashing thread is you...

[Ben73]

Originally Posted by sleek7

urgh, have had enough of arguing with you. The only person here who considers this a cop bashing thread is you...

Any thread where you mention the word "Police" Jim will come in and say "Stop cop bashing they can do whatever they like and break whatever rule they want"
Its Never really adds anything to the topic.

Cops should be able to break laws to do their job. There job is to make the community safer.

But breaking rules for no reason is just pathetic.
As someone else said blocking half a bike lane is forcing bike into the traffic lane. Which could result in many dangerous situations.
Car hitting cyclist. Car swerving around cyclist and having a head on with oncoming traffic. There is an endless number of dangerous situations that could arise from this cop parking there.
But I cannot see why he couldn't move his car over 1 metre!!! How is that going to affect his duties.

[vztrt]

Originally Posted by Ben73

Any thread where you mention the word "Police" Jim will come in and say "Stop cop bashing they can do whatever they like and break whatever rule they want"

I might go start a 'The Police' thread in the entertainment section.

[Dave3911]

Originally Posted by Pedro

Firstly, if you’d bothered to take notice of sleek7’s diagram, the car was straddling the bike lane and in doing so would contribute to a possible life threatening situation in that any passing cyclist would be forced to veer to the right and possibly collide with a car travelling in the same direction.

I absolutely love the fact that my suggestions are being called laughable, by the same person who says that a vehicle parked 1/2 into a bike lane is so dangerous that it automatically, by default, threatens life and limb to all bicycles. Your use of language is laughable, "forced to veer" - you've got to be kidding? Bicycles are fitted with brakes and have riders who should be competent enough to see a stationary vehicle, which is only partly obstructing their lane, on a straight stretch of road. We aren't talking a blind bend here, with a car going in excess of 100km/hr.... we are talking a straight bicycle lane with a bicycle doing what - 15? 20? 25? Lets not get carried away about the percieved "danger" caused by this police officer. Lets also not foget that bicycle lanes in Victoria are wide enough for two Bicycles to ride next to each other. Looking at the diagram provided by the OP, I am confident a bicycle could either drive past easily without obstructing the driving lane or have enough time to come to a complete stop. Maybe a little inconvient to a bicycle rider - but hardly life threatening.

Originally Posted by Pedro

And Dave 3911’s quote from “Road Safety Road Rules 2009” regarding police car parking … “(a) the driver is taking reasonable care” is self defeated. How can that parking position be construed as such?

Easily - as long as you dont go all drama-queen about how "dangerous" it was. The law doesn't say the police have to do it without risk - it just has to be reasonable to the cirucmstances.

Originally Posted by Pedro

And further … “Is it not possible that this particular police officer had just finished with a lucky customer and was finalising paperwork on the side of the road?”

Hello Dave, if that was the case, wouldn’t an intelligent police officer move his car to the left of the carriageway to complete his paperwork and not leave it parked in a dangerous position?

I was just offering hypotheticals. Your also making an assumption that the position is dangerous - I don't think it is dangerous at all. I also am giving the police officer the benefit of the doubt and not taking everything the OP says as gospel - quite often time is exaggerated in stories, as we dont walk around with stop watches 24/7 - well, at least I dont, do you?

Originally Posted by Ben73

But breaking rules for no reason is just pathetic.

And your 100% sure in this case that there is no reason? I'm not.

The pure fact of the matter is that this thread is just another person who got in trouble for doing the wrong thing - trying to put the blame back on the person who caught them out in the first place.

[Giant Cranium]

so what did you get the fine for?

[Jim Goose]

Originally Posted by sleek7

urgh, have had enough of arguing with you. The only person here who considers this a cop bashing thread is you...

Maybe if you read all the replys you would see people are saying the exact same thing... Police can break the road rules... you got a fine from the cop and now your having a whinge about it. DO I have to quote all the replys who say the same thing?

If it was a taxi driver would you be here having a whinge.. oh those damn taxi drivers parked in the bike lane again!!?

I seriously doubt it..

And again you got a reply which you didnt like and you still persist in having a go at myself because you didnt like the answer.

[geckoGT]

As a cyclist myself I can assure you the parking of the cop car hardly appears dangerous. If I was to ride past it I would slow down, cover my brake levers and ride past, no problems. Cyclists face this problem every day when they ride past parked cars on single lane roads. I highly doubt there was any risk, I mean traffic was flowing so fast the OP had 10 minutes to sit there and observe whilst stuck in traffic.

As a member of the emergency services I can tell you this, we often use legislation and park where cars normally can't, for operational reasons. Everyone here is guessing what his reason is, no one knows. Perhaps if the OP is so concerned he could lodge a proper complaint so that it can be dealt with properly. Rather than this kangaroo court that amounts to nothing more than cop bashing.

[Ben73]

Originally Posted by Dave3911

I absolutely love the fact that my suggestions are being called laughable, by the same person who says that a vehicle parked 1/2 into a bike lane is so dangerous that it automatically, by default, threatens life and limb to all bicycles. Your use of language is laughable, "forced to veer" - you've got to be kidding? Bicycles are fitted with brakes and have riders who should be competent enough to see a stationary vehicle, which is only partly obstructing their lane, on a straight stretch of road. We aren't talking a blind bend here, with a car going in excess of 100km/hr.... we are talking a straight bicycle lane with a bicycle doing what - 15? 20? 25? Lets not get carried away about the percieved "danger" caused by this police officer.

Ever noticed how SOME cyclists don't use their brakes at all.
Not long ago I saw a cyclist approaching a parked car. he didn't use his brakes, or check his surroundings, he suddenly veered into the driving lane and almost got cleaned up by a 4x4 ute who had to swerve into the other lane.

I better stop there, other wise people will claim I am cyclist bashing for recalling a situation I saw.

I ride mountain bikes. But I stay away from the road as much as I can.

[geckoGT]

Originally Posted by Ben73

Ever noticed how SOME cyclists don't use their brakes at all.
Not long ago I saw a cyclist approaching a parked car. he didn't use his brakes, or check his surroundings, he suddenly veered into the driving lane and almost got cleaned up by a 4x4 ute who had to swerve into the other lane.

I better stop there, other wise people will claim I am cyclist bashing for recalling a situation I saw.

I ride mountain bikes. But I stay away from the road as much as I can.

I saw a motorist driving without lights on at night in wet weather, and

I saw a motorist tailgating another at 100 km/h, and

I saw a motorist speeding through a shopping precinct and just about clean up a pedestrian at a crossing, and

I saw a motorist spin his wheels and almost lose it in a roundabout, and

I saw a motorist lane change without indicating and cut off a truck, and

I saw a motorist pull out of a side street into the path of an ambulance with its lights and siren on, and

I have a whole lot more but I am bored now and think you get the point. They were all stupid things I saw motorists do today.

Oh, by the way, I saw one cyclist run a red light.

My point, every road user, be they cyclist, motorists, motorcyclist, truckie or mobility scooter, all have good and bad. To be honest, the good/bad ratio is probably no different in each group, it is the same all the way through. I guess it is just a question of where you prejudice is centered and therefore what attracts your attention.

By the way, how can you tell if a cyclist uses his brakes? They don't have brake lights and you would have to have amazing vision to see the calipers move a few mm's.

Perhaps the 4WD could have payed more attention and seen that the cyclist was going to have to go around the parked car, therefore giving him a bit more room. Perhaps a bit more attention from the motorist and consideration for the cyclist may have prevented this incident. From what I have seen, many of these incidents stem from the fact that the motorist fails to give sufficient room, often when they have a clear lane beside them that they cold use. Instead they pass so close they almost take out the cyclist with their side mirror. I don't know, I was not there but I am just putting the idea out there.

[GasoLane]

Something like this was mentioned in a Syd newspaper about parking inspectors (or Rangers as I think they now like to be called) parking in a no stopping zone whilst writing tickets for cars doing the same thing.

The answer was basically that the Police, and Parking rangers, can park anywhere and anytime they like whilst carrying out their official duties.

[DBourne]

Gecko, dead set can you run for PM next election?

[sleek7]

Originally Posted by Jim Goose

Maybe if you read all the replys you would see people are saying the exact same thing... Police can break the road rules... you got a fine from the cop and now your having a whinge about it. DO I have to quote all the replys who say the same thing?

If it was a taxi driver would you be here having a whinge.. oh those damn taxi drivers parked in the bike lane again!!?

I seriously doubt it..

And again you got a reply which you didnt like and you still persist in having a go at myself because you didnt like the answer.

Jim gtfo your high horse mate. You seem to have a taken up a hobby of posting narky replies directly to me ever since discovering my post about a fine. You're not a cop are you? or do you perhaps have a cop in the family? maybe you have a friend whos a cop... you seem to take it fairly personally with your defensive posts.

If you can go back and read the OP, you will see I have asked a question about the parking methods of a cop, not once here have i complained about the fine, I will be paying it, no denying that.

But please then, keep attacking me. It seems that your objective is to have the thread closed anyway for 'cop bashing'...

Oh and If it were a taxi I probably wouldn't have noticed as they are specifically allowed to park in the bike lane for a short amount of time to pickup/drop off passengers... but you already knew that right?

[geckoGT]

Originally Posted by sleek7

Oh and If it were a taxi I probably wouldn't have noticed as they are specifically allowed to park in the bike lane for a short amount of time to pickup/drop off passengers... but you already knew that right?

But the ten minutes you sat there observing is not a short time dropping off or picking up passengers. If a taxi was there isntead of a cop, would we be hearing about that?

The simple fact is you asked if it was illegal and the clear answer that has been given is that it may not be, depending on the circumstances. That is the limit of the answer that you are going to get here. The only way you are going to get a more accurate answer is to lodge a compalint with the police and allow them to investigate it. Once a complaint is recieved it will be forwarded to the respective station officer who will make contact with you to discuss the complaint. He will then ask the officer involved to address the complaint and give all the details why he was parked like that. The station officer will then make a decision as to the legality of his actions and take disciplinary action against him if required. That is the only way you can have your concerns addressed, any discussion here without that information is a pointless exercise.

By the way, I am not a cop. I do however know the process because I am a paramedic and have been through this process a few times, both as the officer involved and as the station officer investigating the complaint. I know how the system works and I know the police have a very similar system to us.

In my opinion, people here have given good information regarding this and proven that it may have been legal. This is the limit of where this thread can go and now it seems it is going to turn into a cop/cyclist bashing thread. That is a situation that all these threads get into and many of us here are quite tired of it, it does get very old very quickly.

I think since the limit has been reached regarding the OP's question and the future of the thread is unlikely to be good, it is time to close it down.

[Auslandau]

Yep it was me ..... I did it.