[*BCM*] Central Square Crackdown

[Robert Arnold]

I did actually revise that line, immediately after I sent the letter
to the list. But thanks for the suggestion. The line now reads: "If
that were the city we lived in, I could understand and even respect
such a crackdown."

To answer somebody else's question, the police are issuing tickets,
not warnings. At the intersection in question, there were about five
officers, all with ticket books in hand. They start writing before
they even pull you over. Mine is $20. Not a lot of money, but
insidious nonetheless.

rob

On 6/23/05, Chan Huntington <1.infelicitous.remark at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi rob,
> Its a good retort to an interesting problem.  I would just comment
> that, in the first paragraph, you might reword the "I wish that were
> the city we live in" line to not imply that you wish more motorists
> were killed by bikes.  I can't imagine that that would go over well.
> Good luck with the appeal,
> 
> 
> 
> On Jun 23, 2005, at 12:29 PM, Robert Arnold wrote:
> 
> > On the eve of June's Critical Mass, the Cambridge Police have begun a
> > major crackdown in Central Square, issuing tickets en masse for minor
> > infractions. But only for cyclists. If you care, please read the
> > letter below which I intend to read at my appeal hearing and offer any
> > suggestions. And maybe we can stop outside the courthouse tomorrow and
> > take up a chant.
> >
> > rob
> >
> > ***
> > If the City of Cambridge finds it necessary to unfairly target
> > cyclists such as myself who did, in fact, stop at a traffic light—and
> > only proceeded through the intersection because it was more dangerous
> > to remain where I was stopped than continue through—I imagine it's
> > their right. However, I wish to appeal the unfair circumstances of my
> > citation, and moreover, to protest the type of ridiculous crackdown
> > the Cambridge Police Department deems fit to impose. Perhaps, as this
> > crackdown suggests, cyclists are a hazard to the lives of the several
> > thousand motorists rocketing through Central Square on an hourly
> > basis. I'm sure the statistics will indicate that many motorists are
> > killed annually by wayward cyclists, thus necessitating such strict
> > police intervention. I wish that were the city we live in. The truth,
> > however, as anyone who reads the newspaper knows, is quite different.
> >
> > Even more than the spurious circumstances of my own citation, I'm
> > protesting the willing disregard for dangerous and potentially deadly
> > traffic violations that were occurring all around me even as the young
> > officer was issuing my citation. 1) Not five yards away from that
> > intersection, a car sat parked in the bike lane, forcing cyclists
> > (myself included) to make a sudden dodge directly into moving traffic,
> > ironically endangering themselves further to avoid being seriously
> > injured or killed by the parked car; 2) Directly in front of me, a
> > garbage truck pulled into the bike lane despite a heavy and highly
> > visible police presence; 3) All throughout the Square, pedestrians
> > were crossing mid-block and outside of marked crosswalks, forcing more
> > cyclists to dodge between cars to avoid injury to themselves and to
> > the individuals on foot. None of these flagrant and illegal actions
> > were subject to the same discriminatory crackdown. None of these
> > incidents, which I pointed out to the arresting officer, were
> > investigated or similarly cited. Indeed, the officer specifically
> > justified the garbage truck's right to be in the bike lane, never mind
> > our proximity to the site where, in July of 2002, Dana Laird was
> > killed as she swerved to avoid a similarly obstructed bicycle lane.
> > Nothing has been done to improve the safety of bicycle lanes through
> > Central Square, and yet it is the cyclists who are being targeted
> > above all others. The liability implications are staggering.
> >
> > That kind of hazy law enforcement, I hope you'll see, is ill-advised,
> > ill-mannered, and potentially illegal. What the City of Cambridge
> > fails to understand is that these behaviors mentioned above—behaviors
> > that the officers find it fit to justify or ignore—sometimes
> > necessitate the type of cycling practices the Cambridge Police are in
> > fact targeting. In my case, I stopped late for the light because I had
> > just swerved out of the way of the aforementioned parked vehicle in
> > the bike lane. This action forced me to begin braking for the light at
> > a later point than I would normally and, when I did stop, I had
> > already partially entered the intersection. Rather than make myself
> > vulnerable to crossing traffic, I waited until it was clear and safe,
> > and proceeded through the intersection at a slow, measured pace,
> > something pedestrians were doing directly in front of these officers
> > without reprimand. Not only did these officers stop me without cause,
> > they failed to defend my rights as a citizen to keep myself safe in a
> > hazardous and unpredictable traffic situation, a situation implicitly
> > sanctioned by the police because of their failure to keep the bike
> > lane clear and their failure, above all, to care for the lives and
> > physical well-being of upstanding citizens like myself who are guilty
> > simply of choosing to ride a bicycle.
> > _______________________________________________
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> > list at bostoncriticalmass.org
> > http://bostoncriticalmass.org/list
> 
>