kylejack Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Funeral processions pay for police escorts. And protests do not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
little frau Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Because they have paid police escorts and permits, funeral processions do not break traffic laws when they drive through stop lights. CM riders blatantly disregard traffic lights. Big difference. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
august948 Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 And protests do not.CM blurs the line a bit by being a regularly scheduled event. The problem is that you can fairly easily determine a responsible party to foot the bill for a funeral procession. For CM not so much. Therefore the city will end up footing the bill in the interest of public safety. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barracuda Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 Since when did running red lights and breaking other traffic rules become First Amendment rights? I think the bigger reason is that it simply isn't practical for a massive group of riders to stop at every light. It's rather like a train, where the group stretches across many city blocks, and it's no longer a group ride if there are separations at each traffic light. This was less of a problem when I used to ride CM 3 or 4 years ago, as there were maybe 100 to 300 people. With over 1000 people it is a bit more unwieldy, and if it was an officially organized the event it would probably make sense to break into separate groups at the outset. As for the driver angst, I do think folks could stand to chill out a bit. Like sevfiv said, this is a once-a-month event taking place over a couple hours on a Friday evening. It's not blocking rush hour traffic, and given the challenges of bicycling in this city, it's a reminder that there are other forms of transportation and brings attention to our poor infrastructure for cyclists on a day-day basis. The challenge is that the success and popularity of CM also makes it more prone to criticism. Popularity ruins a lot of things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylejack Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 (edited) Since when did running red lights and breaking other traffic rules become First Amendment rights? Since people started marching in the streets for a cause, many many years ago. Another example of this in action is when Quanell X arranged a march through River Oaks for the George Zimmerman verdict. It's normally not legal for pedestrians to walk in the street, but he notified HPD of their plan and they coordinated a safe event with him, at no cost. Edited January 12, 2014 by kylejack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylejack Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 (edited) Because they have paid police escorts and permits, funeral processions do not break traffic laws when they drive through stop lights. CM riders blatantly disregard traffic lights. Big difference. Incorrect. Funeral processions and parades pay for permits. Exercises of free speech or expression do not. I cite another example in my above post. You don't have to take my word for it. A speaker came to City Council to discuss Critical Mass a few weeks ago. A Council Member asked the Mayor if Critical Mass had to pull permits like a parade and she answered in the negative. http://houstontx.swagit.com/play/10222013-604(Click Public Comment, then fast forward to 43:20. The man's original comment begins at 38:20.) Edited January 12, 2014 by kylejack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronTiger Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 You don't have to take my word for it. A speaker came to City Council to discuss Critical Mass a few weeks ago. A Council Member asked the Mayor if Critical Mass had to pull permits like a parade and she answered in the negative.The mayor's not a federal judge, but she's right. However, the police don't appear at protests for their exclusive benefit of protesters, it's to keep the peace. Running lights with the crowd won't get you arrested, but if some clown thinks it's okay to vandalize cars during the event, then he WILL be arrested, because the cops will be there. And since the police are there, that tends to discourage obviously illegal things anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
august948 Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 Since people started marching in the streets for a cause, many many years ago. Another example of this in action is when Quanell X arranged a march through River Oaks for the George Zimmerman verdict. It's normally not legal for pedestrians to walk in the street, but he notified HPD of their plan and they coordinated a safe event with him, at no cost. It's not legal for pedestrians to walk in the streets? Is that only on certain (busy) streets? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 It's not legal for pedestrians to walk in the streets? Is that only on certain (busy) streets? If there is a sidewalk available, pedestrians are breaking the law if they don't use it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylejack Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 (edited) The mayor's not a federal judge, but she's right. However, the police don't appear at protests for their exclusive benefit of protesters, it's to keep the peace. Running lights with the crowd won't get you arrested, but if some clown thinks it's okay to vandalize cars during the event, then he WILL be arrested, because the cops will be there. And since the police are there, that tends to discourage obviously illegal things anyway. Critical Mass in Houston already coordinates with the police. Members discuss the route with police ahead of time, and they station officers at major intersections. Edited January 14, 2014 by kylejack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylejack Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 (edited) It's not legal for pedestrians to walk in the streets? Is that only on certain (busy) streets? Like Ross said, required to use a sidewalk. And of course, no jaywalking across a street outside a crosswalk. Sec. 552.006. USE OF SIDEWALK. (a) A pedestrian may not walk along and on a roadway if an adjacent sidewalk is provided and is accessible to the pedestrian. If a sidewalk is not provided, a pedestrian walking along and on a highway shall if possible walk on:(1) the left side of the roadway; or(2) the shoulder of the highway facing oncoming traffic. Edited January 14, 2014 by kylejack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ig2ba Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 Like Ross said, required to use a sidewalk. And of course, no jaywalking across a street outside a crosswalk. Sec. 552.006. USE OF SIDEWALK. (a) A pedestrian may not walk along and on a roadway if an adjacent sidewalk is provided and is accessible to the pedestrian. If a sidewalk is not provided, a pedestrian walking along and on a highway shall if possible walk on:(1) the left side of the roadway; or(2) the shoulder of the highway facing oncoming traffic. It's not some archaic law on the books from the 1800s either. Assuming they are walking in the street, and not crossing it, I think the offense is "walking in road where sidewalk provided". Prostitutes are commonly charged with this when they are not actually caught act and the police want to charge them with something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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