Calling the Police to Report Vehicles Parked in the Bike Lane

On Tuesday, March 17, 2015 at 2:33:53 PM UTC-7, sms wrote:
On 3/17/2015 1:45 PM, David Scheidt wrote:

Why? Because he's not tolerating oother people being a 'big stupid
jerkoff'?

Cars parked in the bicycle lane should be towed away since they force
cyclists to go into the traffic lanes to pass which is very
dangerous--more dangerous than no bike lane at all.

The fine is only $45 plus various fees and surcharges which bump it up
to around $100. The fine should at least be as much as parking in a
handicapped space.

I still can't get past the part of the story where a sheriff appeared in five minutes -- or that the police/sheriff responded at all. Did you say that there was a murder in progress in the bike lane?

-- Jay Beattie.

On 3/17/2015 2:40 PM, Ian Field wrote:


"sms" wrote in message
...
Whether I'm riding or driving or even walking, when I see a vehicle
parked in the bike lane I call the non-emergency police number
(programmed into my phone for all the local cities). Since the police
are rather bored in many Silicon Valley cities, they will always send
someone out to ticket the vehicle. I called yesterday and the sheriff
showed up in less than five minutes with lights flashing. I expect
that this may make it into the local weekly newspaper's crime report.

In the UK; the police generally CBA about most things - and that would
be even further down their list.

Its not difficult to trim the ends off handlebar grips to expose the
rough ends of the handlebar steel tube.

In San Francisco, Oakland, or San Jose it would be hopeless to expect
the police to respond to something like this but in the smaller cities
the police are good about coming out if they have nothing more urgent.

OTOH, in San Jose I was in Home Depot one evening, about 8 p.m. on a
Sunday (an hour before closing), and they had stacked huge piles of
their orange buckets in front of one of the exits which is totally
illegal since it's a fire exit. It also made it a pain to leave the
store after paying since it was the most direct way out to the parking
lot. I told the manager "you know, you're not supposed to block the fire
exit" and amazingly she gave a smart-ass response along the lines of "so
call the fire department if you don't like it." Bad answer. I called the
fire department non-emergency number and asked if, on Monday, they would
call the store and inform the manager about the law regarding blocking
exits. They said "no, we're coming now." I told them that it was no
emergency but they wouldn't listen and insisted on coming. I guess it
was a slow night. Five minutes later two fire trucks show up and four
firemen cleared the exit.

On Tuesday, March 17, 2015 at 9:06:30 PM UTC-4, jbeattie wrote:
On Tuesday, March 17, 2015 at 2:33:53 PM UTC-7, sms wrote:
On 3/17/2015 1:45 PM, David Scheidt wrote:

Why? Because he's not tolerating oother people being a 'big stupid
jerkoff'?

Cars parked in the bicycle lane should be towed away since they force
cyclists to go into the traffic lanes to pass which is very
dangerous--more dangerous than no bike lane at all.

The fine is only $45 plus various fees and surcharges which bump it up
to around $100. The fine should at least be as much as parking in a
handicapped space.

I still can't get past the part of the story where a sheriff appeared in five minutes -- or that the police/sheriff responded at all. Did you say that there was a murder in progress in the bike lane?

-- Jay Beattie.

Not only did he respond, he responded in about FIVE miutes. Even more unbelievable is that he responded with lights flashing!

Cheers

On 18/03/15 10:57, Peter Howard wrote:
On 18/03/2015 7:40 AM, Ian Field wrote:


"sms" wrote in message
...
Whether I'm riding or driving or even walking, when I see a vehicle
parked in the bike lane I call the non-emergency police number
(programmed into my phone for all the local cities). Since the police
are rather bored in many Silicon Valley cities, they will always send
someone out to ticket the vehicle. I called yesterday and the sheriff
showed up in less than five minutes with lights flashing. I expect
that this may make it into the local weekly newspaper's crime report.

In the UK; the police generally CBA about most things - and that would
be even further down their list.

Its not difficult to trim the ends off handlebar grips to expose the
rough ends of the handlebar steel tube.

Wot is CBA? "care bugger all"? "couldn't be arsed"? Just curious.
PH

DILLIGAF?

On 3/17/2015 6:06 PM, jbeattie wrote:
On Tuesday, March 17, 2015 at 2:33:53 PM UTC-7, sms wrote:
On 3/17/2015 1:45 PM, David Scheidt wrote:

Why? Because he's not tolerating oother people being a 'big stupid
jerkoff'?

Cars parked in the bicycle lane should be towed away since they force
cyclists to go into the traffic lanes to pass which is very
dangerous--more dangerous than no bike lane at all.

The fine is only $45 plus various fees and surcharges which bump it up
to around $100. The fine should at least be as much as parking in a
handicapped space.

I still can't get past the part of the story where a sheriff appeared in five minutes -- or that the police/sheriff responded at all. Did you say that there was a murder in progress in the bike lane?

Traffic and parking tickets generate revenue. Investigating crimes does
not. Plus, fortunately, there is very little violent crime here to work on.

The police blotter in the local weekly paper has featured such reports
as 1) someone damaging a vehicle with slices of bologna, 2) someone
writing obscenities on a Chili's restaurant's table with catsup because
he was upset at how his hamburger was prepared then trying to leave
without paying.

On Wednesday, March 18, 2015 at 6:48:10 AM UTC-7, sms wrote:
On 3/17/2015 6:06 PM, jbeattie wrote:
On Tuesday, March 17, 2015 at 2:33:53 PM UTC-7, sms wrote:
On 3/17/2015 1:45 PM, David Scheidt wrote:

Why? Because he's not tolerating oother people being a 'big stupid
jerkoff'?

Cars parked in the bicycle lane should be towed away since they force
cyclists to go into the traffic lanes to pass which is very
dangerous--more dangerous than no bike lane at all.

The fine is only $45 plus various fees and surcharges which bump it up
to around $100. The fine should at least be as much as parking in a
handicapped space.

I still can't get past the part of the story where a sheriff appeared in five minutes -- or that the police/sheriff responded at all. Did you say that there was a murder in progress in the bike lane?

Traffic and parking tickets generate revenue. Investigating crimes does
not. Plus, fortunately, there is very little violent crime here to work on.

The police blotter in the local weekly paper has featured such reports
as 1) someone damaging a vehicle with slices of bologna, 2) someone
writing obscenities on a Chili's restaurant's table with catsup because
he was upset at how his hamburger was prepared then trying to leave
without paying.

Wow, things have changed. I worked ambulance on the East Side in the '70s and handled lots of shootings and stabbings. There were times when I was dodging random bullets. Have the gangs turning in their stock-options and retired?

-- Jay Beattie.

On 3/18/2015 9:37 AM, jbeattie wrote:

Wow, things have changed. I worked ambulance on the East Side in the '70s and handled lots of shootings and stabbings. There were times when I was dodging random bullets. Have the gangs turning in their stock-options and retired?

The east side is very different than the west side suburban communities.
See http://www.safewise.com/blog/50-safest-cities-california/. I'm in
#12. Unfortunately, we've had a big increase in burglaries recently.

The east side is still bad. Downtown San Jose is still bad. San Jose has
a drastically reduced police force because experienced officers leave
for better paying jobs in other cities and the city doesn't have the
money or the ability to replace them.

"Peter Howard" wrote in message
...
On 18/03/2015 7:40 AM, Ian Field wrote:


"sms" wrote in message
...
Whether I'm riding or driving or even walking, when I see a vehicle
parked in the bike lane I call the non-emergency police number
(programmed into my phone for all the local cities). Since the police
are rather bored in many Silicon Valley cities, they will always send
someone out to ticket the vehicle. I called yesterday and the sheriff
showed up in less than five minutes with lights flashing. I expect
that this may make it into the local weekly newspaper's crime report.

In the UK; the police generally CBA about most things - and that would
be even further down their list.

Its not difficult to trim the ends off handlebar grips to expose the
rough ends of the handlebar steel tube.

Wot is CBA? "care bugger all"? "couldn't be arsed"? Just curious.

You're in the right ballpark.

"sms" wrote in message
...
On 3/17/2015 2:40 PM, Ian Field wrote:


"sms" wrote in message
...
Whether I'm riding or driving or even walking, when I see a vehicle
parked in the bike lane I call the non-emergency police number
(programmed into my phone for all the local cities). Since the police
are rather bored in many Silicon Valley cities, they will always send
someone out to ticket the vehicle. I called yesterday and the sheriff
showed up in less than five minutes with lights flashing. I expect
that this may make it into the local weekly newspaper's crime report.

In the UK; the police generally CBA about most things - and that would
be even further down their list.

Its not difficult to trim the ends off handlebar grips to expose the
rough ends of the handlebar steel tube.

In San Francisco, Oakland, or San Jose it would be hopeless to expect the
police to respond to something like this but in the smaller cities the
police are good about coming out if they have nothing more urgent.

An anecdote floting around the internet:- a householder reported a burglar
in the act of ransacking his shed, the police told him "no officers
available". After pausing a while, the house holder called again and
reported he'd shot and killed the burglar.

Within minutes, the property was surrounded by police cars with lights &
sirens blazing, they caught the burglar red handed and promptly arrested
him. The police chief demanded to know of the householder; "I thought you
said you'd shot and killed the burglar" - the householder replied; "I
thought you said you didn't have any officers available".

On Wednesday, March 18, 2015 at 9:53:22 AM UTC-7, sms wrote:
On 3/18/2015 9:37 AM, jbeattie wrote:

Wow, things have changed. I worked ambulance on the East Side in the '70s and handled lots of shootings and stabbings. There were times when I was dodging random bullets. Have the gangs turning in their stock-options and retired?

The east side is very different than the west side suburban communities.
See http://www.safewise.com/blog/50-safest-cities-california/. I'm in
#12. Unfortunately, we've had a big increase in burglaries recently.

The east side is still bad. Downtown San Jose is still bad. San Jose has
a drastically reduced police force because experienced officers leave
for better paying jobs in other cities and the city doesn't have the
money or the ability to replace them.

Incroyable -- I would think that SJ would be flush with the rejuvenated downtown and high property values.

Saratoga is number one? What about Los Gatos? Gangs of polo-shirt wearing thugs snapping their fingers? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2ClSABkDp8 Russ Tamblyn dancing in a threatening manner? Don't tell me my home town has gotten tough since I last visited a few years ago!

After burning out working ambulance in San Jose (I worked 60 hour weeks during my first semester at SJSU), I retired to West Valley Ambulance in Los Gatos. We also covered Saratoga. By the way, AAA was the company in in your 'hood -- a lot of bright orange Cadillac/Miller Meteor ambulances. http://www.professionalcarsociety.or...ead.php?t=4871 (The guy who posted those shots is someone I worked with for many years and of whom I have many fond memories).

Working ambulance in Saratoga/LG was a breeze! People with gas who thought they had heart attacks and people choking on steak at La Hacienda. The only hard work was scraping people off HWY 17. My co-workers always gave me a hard time about commuting by bike and only driving at work -- in an ambulance or a removal car (we also did removals for the funeral home). Real men drove cars.

-- Jay Beattie.