Preamble- Finished work. Mounted bicycle on pavement. Turned on lights. Looked around for traffic, waited for bus to pass, rolled onto road.

Cue signalling from near-retirement bobby who’s opening comment, and following lecture, included using the phrase “you’re a grown man” three times “you should know better” twice and much tut-tutting about me cycling on the pavement.

No contention to his presumption of the situation, whatever. Usually an “off the pavement” when i’m riding the BMX suffices.

We all know conversing with PO’s against their agenda is pointless.

What has sent me seething with fury was the condescension and pithy self-righteousness used while lecturing me about how to behave as an adult.

*sigh*

you should’ve asked him why so many drivers who kill cyclists get off scott free.the law does sweet fa.

You should have asked why he wasn’t out catching real criminals.

But he didn’t write you a £50 ticket? Result!

That’s a surprise, I was planning to have my tea then come back to an “ultra-flame” along the lines of

Idiot in “gets told of by police officer doing his job shocker”.

Obviously not, good, let’s continue along this path>

I don’t “converse” with police. I say what I need to at the beginning of discourse and that is it. In order to hold back the tidal wave of belligerence that comes so naturally to me in such situations.

Never had a condescending lecture for drinking, swearing or *smoking* in public. The only time, in 12 years of hardly following the letter of the law, that i’ve been spoken to in that manner has been cycling related incidents. From nearly running over jaywalkers to vandalising a car parked on a corner, it’s pretty much boiled down to :

“You’re an adult. What on earth are you doing trying to stay alive?”

*sigh*

We all know conversing with PO’s against their agenda is pointless.

Yes it is, so don’t bother unless you are prepared for it to go all the way.

You got caught riding on the pavement by the 5 oh and he made you feel silly enough to post on here, he wins! Suck it up 🙂 😉

I’d have just rode off.

I’d have said I’m not riding on the pavement, I’m riding off the pavement. It’s no different from driving my car over the pavement to get out of the driveway. Starting off the road just makes sense for absolutely everyone concerned.

This has got me thinking, in a battle of verbal wills between a belligerent big hitter and equally so inclined copper who would lose interest first ? 😉

Screw you yossarian, i debated at the traffic lights whether I am the sort who has no other course of rebellion than to pop on ones local forum for a moan.

You are right, I have lost.

welcome me in your midst whingers, for I am one of you.

Loco, it’s a long haul to win the “cycling on the pavement” conversation with them.

It would get to the point where “public disorder” etc was mentioned as which point only the hardcore will continue.

As said above, unless you are feeling really contrary, on point and belligerent, and both factually and morally sound, take the lecture.

Edit BIG EDIT: Wrightyson… He was holding my handlebars! *lolcats etc*

I just wanted to get home this time.

And he’ll be at home boring his wife to death with it too. I can just see his pursed lips and smug little smile. You have fuelled him. Do a 360 next time before you get going.

She’s not in yet, yossarian. 🙂

Well, that’s when I got the vigilante thoughts ’cause, well, who wouldn’t think about bombing past him on the pavement.

Cue benny hill.

Bet he reads the daily fail. Fascist scum.

I’ve got a mate who’s a cop & he tries to berate me for daft things but I just tell him to ‘STFU you silly ****’ & he just laughs!
Suppose it’s different when he’s not your mate though!

This has got me thinking, in a battle of verbal wills between a belligerent big hitter and equally so inclined copper who would lose interest first ?

It depends how fast the conveyor belt they are on is moving.

Cue signalling from near-retirement bobby

I’ve also found the near-retirement officers are more jobsworth – but not as bad as the off-duty ones. You have to be pretty fanatical to want to tell people off in your spare time as well 😉

I was told off (after he almost ran me over) by an off-duty PC for having non-operational lights. They were dynamos, so of course they stopped as soon as he stopped me.

I am very firmly in the “I will do what I want, and if it criminalises me, so be it”

As versus the “Oh, there’s a law/legislation against it, I had better not”.

My moral compass is my lawmaker.

The only difference is what you get caught for.

And it’s always been cycling, in some form or another, never anything else.

Bloody plebs

I could be wrong, but off-duty coppers telling you off are apparently very naughty themselves.

I am very firmly in the “I will do what I want, and if it criminalises me, so be it”

As versus the “Oh, there’s a law/legislation against it, I had better not”.

My moral compass is my lawmaker.

The only difference is what you get caught for.

You are me, and I claim my £5. 🙂

be careful out there

Just don’t do what a mate did and ask if there was nothing more important going on….

Ask him if he’d to it to a car driver.
Then if he doesn’t let go, phone 999 and say you’re being held against your will.

Police are important. Laws-generally-are important. Enforcing them, even more so.

I’ve moved on. I’ll go annoy the fatty security guards at the council buildings tomorrow to make up for it.

fwiw, you only really have one “debate” with them in your life i think. Whether or not you do what you are told.

From “Aye, but, self defence eh” to “No, it’s not open, it’s re-sealed” and “Am I being cautioned?” the only success is frowny-eyed-silent-winning.

Do you have a relative who’s username would begin with a T?

Were you on your way to a succulent chinese meal?

Alas, I did not know the Tango Juliet well enough to become his protege.

Besides, I don’t really do arguments.

If you can’t do the time…. 😉

No no, I wasn’t thinking of him. Someone who might have some of the same ‘service users’ as I do in a town in the Peoples Republic of Scotland. Never mind, I’m probably thinking of someone else.

chief police officer asking drivers to share the road safely (Melbourne, Aus)

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/ken-lay-supports-cyclists-right-to-be-on-road-20140227-33itx.html

sorry long ad – helmets are mandatory so they get emphasis – it may take a long long long long long time for this message to filter down

chief police officer asking drivers to share the road safely (Melbourne, Aus)

Wow – where’s the “like” button? That is a brilliant video and really deserves wider circulation – I wish we could get one of our senior cops to do that. To be honest the helmet comment is just in passing and totally forgivable in the context – I was expecting a lot more on that given your comment.

orry greatape, it was beyond early this morning when I made that assumption.

All my collaborative “service users” live in the first half of the alphabet.

What are we talking about again? Put Public Enemy on for crying out loud.

a couple of years ago, a mate and myself were out on the bikes. as we got to the end of a b/w where it joined the road, I rode up onto the path to let some traffic come past before carrying on. a police car was coming in the opposite direction, it slowed down and the young copper lent out of the window and yelled ‘oi fella, get off the path’
I shouted him to stop, which he did, he got out of the car and walked over to where we were. I then fired into him telling him that ‘fistly I was not his fella, and he, being a public servent should call me sir, and secondly, that we were waiting for traffic to pass, so that we could safely get on the road. I then asked him for his name and number, and told him that I would be contacting his commanding office regarding his attitude. we then rode off feeling quite smug….. 😀

Nice one. I’m surprised you weren’t tazered.

There was a time when we used to do a wednsday night ride.
These night rides used to end up in a village pub.
The village pub didn’t shut until very late.
One night/ early next morning about ten of us got pulled over by the village dibble hanging out by the village green in their bibblemobile.
After half an hours questioning along the lines of what are grown adults doing riding bikes away from the pub instead of driving home the bored officer failed to find anything we were doing was against the law and got back in his car.
Every week after that we had a police escort back across the county border from dibble and his mates.
We all thought that was fantastic as we never got any grief from the local drunk drivers with a police escort. 8)

Village 5 O are awsum sometimes.

Ton, That would make a lovely, subtitled, silent film accompanied by plunking plonking piano man music.

Pay peanuts…………. Expecting far too much? I think so, tossers in all walks of life.