California Highway Patrol helicopter used to track bicyclist running a red light

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y_p_w

y_p_w

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UG_Passat said:
Maybe the bicyclist needed to run that red light for a Strava PR?

This goes back to the respect for bicyclist struggle. Bicyclists demand respect for using the road. But Bicyclist advocacy groups say in order to gain and maintain the respect, they need to follow all traffic laws. Some bicyclists never got that memo and think they are exempt from said traffic laws.

Here's an example:
www.sfgate.com

S.F. bicyclist charged in pedestrian's death

A bicyclist who hit and killed a pedestrian when he ran a red light along San Francisco's...
www.sfgate.com www.sfgate.com
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Well - there was the guy who went head-on in this stretch of road known for having an uninterrupted downhill. I'm not sure they list the downhill any more after the guy killed himself going about 50 MPH (the posted speed limit is 30). All they seem to have now is the uphill. I've hit near 50 MPH on a bike, but in a place where the speed limit was 50 and almost perfectly straight where I slowed down before turning. There is no way I would have even thought of going that fast down South Park Drive. It's not technically in Berkeley except maybe 30 feet at the end.

South Park Drive Gate to Gate​

Ride Segment Berkeley, CA​
  • Distance 2.26km
  • Avg Grade 9.0%
  • Lowest Elev 269m
  • Highest Elev 472m
  • Elev Difference 203m

www.berkeleyside.org

Parents sue cycling website for complicity in son's death

The parents of a man who was killed while riding his bicycle in Tilden Park in 2010 is suing Strava, the social media cycling organization they believe contributed to his death. William and Kathleen Flint filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Strava in San Francisco Superior Court on Monday...
www.berkeleyside.org www.berkeleyside.org
William Flint II, known as Kim, died June 19, 2010 around 2:00 pm when he hit a car while riding his bicycle down South Park Drive in Tilden Park. Flint, 40, had been going around a curve when his bicycle drifted into the other lane, according to East Bay Regional Park police.​
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Flint may have been trying to recapture a speed record that he had set – and then lost – on the Strava social media site. Strava allows cyclists to clock their times and speeds using GPS and upload them to a website. Cyclists can then compare their performance with that of other cyclists. Those who go the fastest can win “KOM” or “King of the Mountain” titles.​
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Kim Flint had raced down South Park Road on June 6, 2010 in 2 minutes and 7 seconds, reaching a top speed of 49.3 miles per hour, according to his Twitter posts. The speed limit on South Park Drive, which is a steep grade, is 30 miles per hour.​
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“49.3 mph, on a bike. How I find religion on Sunday morning,” wrote Flint on June 6.​
 
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ctechbob

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fsdork said:
Yeah, they were clearly wasting their time with this guy.

"Montiel added that officers found methamphetamines and drug paraphernalia on the suspect, who also had an outstanding felony and misdemeanor warrants."

Traffic stops for relatively benign offences can generate leads relating to more serious crimes. As the spokesperson alluded to in the article, if the cyclist had stopped as directed, and the traffic offence was all that was going on, he may well have just been sent on his way with a warning.
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He wouldn't have been let go with a warning. Most all departments require that you ID and run through NICS every person you stop on a traffic stop of any kind. He would have returned as wanted and been locked up.
 
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fsdork

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ctechbob said:
He wouldn't have been let go with a warning. Most all departments require that you ID and run through NICS every person you stop on a traffic stop of any kind. He would have returned as wanted and been locked up.
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Hence the portion in blue. As in, if there were no warrants, meth, etc.
fsdork said:
Yeah, they were clearly wasting their time with this guy.

"Montiel added that officers found methamphetamines and drug paraphernalia on the suspect, who also had an outstanding felony and misdemeanor warrants."

Traffic stops for relatively benign offences can generate leads relating to more serious crimes. As the spokesperson alluded to in the article, if the cyclist had stopped as directed, and the traffic offence was all that was going on, he may well have just been sent on his way with a warning.
Click to expand...
 
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ecotourist

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British Columbia, Canada
A very dangerous situation was a cyclist who dashed across my path as I turned left in heavy traffic on a late green/yellow light, riding against the walk light on the crosswalk. You don't expect a cyclist to suddenly appear like that, let alone on the cross walk. He was going the same direction too so he came up from behind me. And because of the heavy traffic I was having to watch for an opening in the oncoming traffic, not look behind me. I suspect he had no idea how dangerous it was, and would do it again given the chance.

Cyclists here switch back and forth from pedestrians to vehicles, and as in this case sometimes combine the two ideas.

It's a wonder more of them aren't killed.
 
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