First the good news. The City of Pasadena likes bikes. In fact, they like them so much that they actually closed the inner loop around the Rose Bowl to traffic last Thursday so that cyclists and pedestrians could use the road in peace. I was there, and it sort of rocked. One of the people taking advantage of this cool pilot program is seen above. And to the City of Pasadena, I have two words: More, please.
Meanwhile the City of Los Angeles continued it's war on common sense as it continues to enforce an obscure law requiring that bicycles are registered. In response, a group of Midnight Ridazz went down to the Central District to sign their bikes up. Sadly, they didn't trust Josef's cake which had a rough trip.
So, here's the problems with the law:
- Most cyclists don't know it exists.
- LAPD is enforcing a $50 fine, even though state law caps the fins at $10.
- Only two police stations hand out licenses, and one of them only two days a week.
- Not every station is enforcing the law, leading to charges that the LAPD is targetting poorer riders and Midnight Ridazz.
2 comments:
Um.
I've seen Midnite Riddaz or whatever they call themselves.
The reason they get harrassed is simple. They don't obey traffic laws.
No lights, no reflectors, riding 3-5 abreast, ignoring stoplights.
Cops are there for our safety. These demonstrators take them away from more important functions.
Of course you're going to get ticketed and fined.
Yes, we need real bike lanes and routes, and we need cops to enforce laws equally, and we should have statewide bike laws, not a hodgepodge of city ordinances.
But so long as we have militant groups taunting the cops, cops will treat all of us poorly.
Has anybody seen the movie Pleasantville??? Feel The Moral!
The movie in my opinion shows how amazing and picture perfect the world can be and should be! But with little Al Pacino's running around the streets are looking more like pandemonium. Pasadena is a town more of enforced safety so it is understandable how police ride around all day on bicycles. Put a bicycle police man in East La and he'll be robbed down to his antenna on his walkie talkie!
Much Love
-Frankie Rizen
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