Cops are funny, when they see the potential of having to write a lot of tickets they always opt for the verbal warning, typically. This is true unless, as a comedian on Def Comedy Jam once put it when talking about dealing with the cops, “You ain’t gonna have nuthin’ but a conversation unless you fuck it up!”
So, it’s about 6pm and it’s also the middle on rush hour for trains, planes, automobiles and bikes here in San Fran. We bikers for the most part, follow the law. However there are many of us that happily break the driving laws because we can. We shouldn’t be allowed to weave between cars, ride against traffic, run red lights, etc. but we do because well, what the hell, its fun and gets you through traffic a lot faster than being obedient.
The more I ride the more I have become very aware of my surroundings and riding home in rush hour traffic your spidey-sense is going off constantly. You are always looking out for danger not so much looking out for the cops.
The wiggle is well known by bikers as the fastest way to get from Market street to the Panhandle. Drivers know this route as well and for the most part avoid it which makes it rather stress free most days. Well this past friday was like every other one and the ride home along the wiggle was uneventful until we hit Scott and Fell Streets. There was about 4 of us that made it to the intersection and like every other day, every biker makes a left onto Fell Street, a oneway, whether the light is green or red. Remember, we break laws cause can.
We all turn left completely ignoring the “no turn on red” sign and halfway down the block stood one of SF finest waving at us to the curb and doing his best to pretend that what was about to happen wasn’t going to be 1omins of his life that he’ll never get back.
We pull over and get off our bikes and the cops proceeded to ask us one at a time, “Do you know why I stopped you?”
Guy #1: Red light
Me: “We turned against the red”
Guy#3: “I don’t know.”
Girl#1: “Red Light.”
Cop: “Let me see your ID. The rest of you can go.”
Like I said, we break the law because we can, that doesn’t mean we don’t know that law. Well most of us anyway. So you are all smart people no need to tell you who got the ticket. It was a very large waste of time and all I learned two things: 1-my theory about Cops is extremely true and 2 – from now on I will turn my spidey-sense up to 11.
DjD
DjD. 