Dave_Schuldt Posted June 10, 2003 Posted June 10, 2003 Press Release Contact Dennis Peterson 206-364-8216 Release Date June 6, 2003 Lake Forest Park Police enforcing Burke Gilman Trail Regulations Lake Forest Park Police will be enforcing all of the regulations on the Burke-Gilman Trail. The police will be enforcing all of the regulations. These include the 15 miles per hour speed limit, the Stop and Yield signs, the requirement to let people know when passing and the Lake Forest Park regulation requiring bicyclists to wear helmets. There is a $67 fine for failure to obey the trail regulations. For more information please contact Lake Forest Park Police Department 206-364-8216. Quote
lunger Posted June 10, 2003 Posted June 10, 2003 many of these 'required actions' are common sense, but enforcement by those guys is a crock of Lake Forest cares for your safety and is willing to fine you $67 to ensure it!?! bewildering. Quote
Toast Posted June 10, 2003 Posted June 10, 2003 While in principle I'd like to say, Fuck the Pigs, if you're riding fast, you should be riding on the road anyway. Quote
Sloth_Man Posted June 10, 2003 Posted June 10, 2003 Yeah some of them jersey boys on the BG seem a lot like Californians in rush hour to me. Take heart though jersey boys apparently have difficulty reproducing. Quote
Alasdair Posted June 10, 2003 Posted June 10, 2003 Toast said: While in principle I'd like to say, Fuck the Pigs, if you're riding fast, you should be riding on the road anyway. Then I will say it for you. Fuck the Pigs. That is the biggest crock of shit I have heard in a long time. Giving a bike a ticket for not wearing their helmut on a fucking bike path is retarded. Quote
Ned_Flanders Posted June 10, 2003 Posted June 10, 2003 Sloth_Man said: Yeah some of them jersey boys on the BG seem a lot like Californians in rush hour to me. Take heart though jersey boys apparently have difficulty reproducing. You gotta love those jersey boys. Quote
Gordonb Posted June 10, 2003 Posted June 10, 2003 Alasdair said: Toast said: While in principle I'd like to say, Fuck the Pigs, if you're riding fast, you should be riding on the road anyway. Then I will say it for you. Fuck the Pigs. That is the biggest crock of shit I have heard in a long time. Giving a bike a ticket for not wearing their helmut on a fucking bike path is retarded. I don't know, two of my worst accidents on a road bike were on the BG trail. One time a woman with earphones on didn't hear my call and turned right from the left sholder of the trail, the other some dude was admiring the view and right as I approached he picked up his bike, placed accross the trail so he could cross. I don't think bike riding gets much more dangerous than the BG. Quote
Off_Route Posted June 10, 2003 Posted June 10, 2003 DS, Thanx for the heads up. Last week, when adding the LFP leg of the BG to a mid-day ride, I found few other people out there. Thus, my bike generally visited speeds under 15mph only when blowing through the stop signs. I suppose the same trip tomorrow might be the target of radar guns and a dragnet of bicycle cops. Ouch! mC Quote
chelle Posted June 10, 2003 Posted June 10, 2003 Sloth_Man said: Yeah some of them jersey boys on the BG seem a lot like Californians in rush hour to me. Take heart though jersey boys apparently have difficulty reproducing. Usually reversed by wearing boxers and loose pants, not wearing bike shorts or riding much for about 6 months. Quote
Alpine_Tom Posted June 10, 2003 Posted June 10, 2003 Alasdair said: Toast said: While in principle I'd like to say, Fuck the Pigs, if you're riding fast, you should be riding on the road anyway. Then I will say it for you. Fuck the Pigs. That is the biggest crock of shit I have heard in a long time. Giving a bike a ticket for not wearing their helmut on a fucking bike path is retarded. Well, bike hemets are required by law in King County (though not, currently, in Seattle.) Is there a reason that a helmet ought to be less necessary on the trail? Or is it just a "freedom-of-expression" thing? I haven't ridden on the BG trail in years, myself; it's always crowded with dog-walkers and inline skaters and macho guys riding next to their sweet li'l girlfriends. It's far easier and quicker to ride on Stone Way/Lake City Way. Quote
glen Posted June 10, 2003 Posted June 10, 2003 Ask the guy who got taken away from the BG near the U on a stretcher how he feels about helmets (he wasn't wearing one). Life is a lot better when you don't drink every meal from a straw. Personally, I cracked my helmet during a fall on sunday that I didn't see coming. If I hadn't had a helmet on, a concussion would have been the best I'd have been looking at. You are an idiot if you don't wear a helmet when you are riding- especially on the BG. On the other hand, it is quite amazing how many laws it takes to protect us from ourselves- ie to protect our freedom. I'd have a hard time keeping my road bike under 15mph. Question: Is the 15mph speed limit chosen to coincide with the SNELL speed safety rating for bike helmets or is it just coincidence? Quote
Alasdair Posted June 10, 2003 Posted June 10, 2003 I dont always choose to wear one, and that is my choice. I dont really think there should be any laws that protect a person from hurting themselves. Laws to stop people from hurting others are a good idea, but simply to protect us from ourselves is stupid. I wear a helmet on group rides, and much of the time when I am on the roads of Seattle. When I am on the BG early in the morning on my way to work and there is no one else there I usually just wear my wool hat. There is no reason for the cops to give me a ticket for that. Quote
Dave_Schuldt Posted June 11, 2003 Author Posted June 11, 2003 I think the trail side residents are complaining about peaple speeding and blowing the stop sings, this makes if dangerous to walk or drive accross the trail. I would like to say to the speeders "Go catch a ferry and blast away in rural Island or Kitsap counties". Of course, the hills might be to big for them. Quote
nolanr Posted June 11, 2003 Posted June 11, 2003 I'm sure I exceed 15 mph on the Burke sometimes, but I slow down when it's congested or there's an intersection w/ poor visibility. I wear a helmet anytime I'm on my bike cuz I'd rather look dorky and avoid head injuries. Nice thing about the trail is there's no cars on it and you don't have to worry about being crowded off the side of the road or anything. If it's safe I don't see why you need to go slow. There should be a minimum speed limit on the Burke too, and they should ticket people that want to walk 4 or 5 abreast and take up almost the whole trail. Duh. Quote
EWolfe Posted June 11, 2003 Posted June 11, 2003 Dave_Schuldt said: Libral and proud of it! Uhhh, Dave? You are making conservatives look smarter with that kind of spelling... Quote
allthumbs Posted June 11, 2003 Posted June 11, 2003 MisterE said: Dave_Schuldt said: Libral and proud of it! Uhhh, Dave? You are making conservatives look smarter with that kind of spelling... Bwahahaha, another dumb fucking democrat. Quote
Fence_Sitter Posted June 11, 2003 Posted June 11, 2003 trask said: MisterE said: Dave_Schuldt said: Libral and proud of it! Uhhh, Dave? You are making conservatives look smarter with that kind of spelling... Bwahahaha, another dumb fucking democrat. Quote
Dave_Schuldt Posted June 11, 2003 Author Posted June 11, 2003 NY FORMER AUTO SIG- EVERY DAY I AM TRAINING TO BE THE WORST SPELLER ON THIS SITE. SO Quote
Off_Route Posted June 11, 2003 Posted June 11, 2003 Regarding the wisdom in choosing alternate routes, or different routes altogether, all points are well taken. For anybody wanting a ride off the city streets, taking a ferry to the Kitsap does provide a good alternative. The trip from Bainbridge to Kingston is a good clip, and it's easy to connect Edmonds to Seattle. The only steep hill 'tween to two ferry ports on the other side is one in proximity to Miller Bay, or somewhere like that, basically off the main way. It's not one to climb with most legs and most road bike gearing, but it is short. Really. Also agreed, the BG is dangerous course laden with moving and unpredictable human obstacles. Fact is, 15mph is still a fair clip, and it's not the first time BG riders have been compelled to slow to a stop for attentive cops as well as inattentive pedestrians. Still, given the perception of being on a bike trail free from surveillance, I'm one inclined to open it up when nobody else is around, and then opt to slow rather than stop at the backstreet and driveway stop signs. But with the news about yet another BG crackdown, I'll be one to continue wearing a helmet, while riding the BG like the urban speed trap it is. Snell-approved is good. The BG is good. Moving traffic violations are bad. Quote
Off_Route Posted June 11, 2003 Posted June 11, 2003 nolanr said: ...and they should ticket people that want to walk 4 or 5 abreast and take up almost the whole trail. Duh. ...and require a "Wide Load" sign be posted on all the 5-by-5's that seem to populate those groups...not that that would stop 'em from flailing around like drunken tourists on a trampoline all the while... Quote
Norman_Clyde Posted June 11, 2003 Posted June 11, 2003 Alasdair, I'll tell you why society has the right to require you to wear a helmet. Taxpayers like me don't want to float the bill for you to spend 30 years in the nursing home. Even if you don't flinch at the cost of all those adult diapers, you should at least flinch at the thought of needing them for the rest of your life. This is a fact that helmetless libertarians have to face, that they cannot exclude themselves from society's standards of compassionate treatment, even if they want to. Of the two bad bike wrecks I've come upon in Seattle, one was on the BG, at the sharp curve between Blakeley and the 45th street viaduct. The guy went off the trail to dodge somebody and hit the fence. He had a helmet on and still was knocked cold. There is no better investment I can think of than protecting your fragile brain with a helmet. Quote
Thinker Posted June 11, 2003 Posted June 11, 2003 Anybody see the bike (vs assumedly car) accident on Dexter a block north of Denny last evening (Monday) around 5:30 or 6 pm? Several emergency vehicles and more sirens in the distance. Looked pretty gruesome..... I simply can't justify the risk of commuting to work on a bike in Seattle. Quote
Dave_Schuldt Posted June 11, 2003 Author Posted June 11, 2003 Thinker said: Anybody see the bike (vs assumedly car) accident on Dexter a block north of Denny last evening (Monday) around 5:30 or 6 pm? Several emergency vehicles and more sirens in the distance. Looked pretty gruesome..... I simply can't justify the risk of commuting to work on a bike in Seattle. BULLSHIT, I SPENT 3 YEARS AS A MESENGER HERE W/O BEING SURIOUSLY HURT. IT'S NOT THAT BAD. Quote
Thinker Posted June 11, 2003 Posted June 11, 2003 Obviously you can justify the risk. My experience has been quite different. Quote
Attitude Posted June 11, 2003 Posted June 11, 2003 I cycle commute every day, year around in North Seattle. I've had more unpleasant incidents from other pinhead cyclists than motorists. Quote
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