The last couple of days the news has been all atwitter (no reference intended) about the "crackdown against cyclists" being pursued by the NYPD. The whole thing strikes me as incredibly stupid, not only the role played by the NYPD and whatever bureaucrat is using them, but also the reaction by cyclists. I have no problem with being held responsible to the same laws as autos, or with reasonable enforcement against those cyclists who endanger others by ignoring the law. The actions the NYPD are taking are the result of a highly publicized campaign to target cyclists in the city. On the other hand the reaction I have seen in most of the cycling community is just as irrational.
Targeting any particular group with legal prosecution violates the intention of rule of law to maintain order in a society, it creates unfair disorder. The real folly on the part of the NYPD was the "speed trap" that they setup in Central Park to catch speeding cyclists. Why weren't autos included in the prosecution? It seems now that they were not even enforcing a valid speed limit. They were ticketing people for exceeding 15 mph on a city street with a 25mph speed limit. The parks department admitted that the 15 mph was an archaic limitation which was not even posted on the street, but rather on the walkways and paths along with other restrictions like"stay off the grass, clean up after your dog, etc". The resulting outcry from the cycling community resulted in NYPD searching out all those who received tickets to give each of them a personal apology and rescind the summons. Cyclists all over the blogosphere and forums are likening themselves to persecuted minorities the world over. In one case a writer compared their situation to that of Afro-Americans during segregation.
The only conclusion I can reach from all this is that people in NYC are f@#%ing crazy! Is a speed trap against cyclists a credible use of public funds at a time when cities are struggling to stay afloat? What kind of self-ingratiating fool would compare a speeding ticket to rape,cross burning and lynching?
Somebody needs to locate the bureaucrat who authorized the funds to pursue this crackdown and fire the SOB. The cycling community should be focused on the waste of money and violation of public safety created and quit feeling sorry for themselves because some incompetent dumbass doesn't like them.
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