Supporting eco-bicyclists

One news article reports "riding a bicycle is the new black".
Maybe so.
It's possible that many more people are on bicycles these days,
and more will join,
because of climate crisis information we are getting,
because gas prices are too high,
and because once you get on that bike,
you realize how much fun it is.

How might Bike Amici support new and returning bicyclists?

Would bicycle education be a good focus?
How many people know, for instance, that
statistically it is more dangerous to ride on the sidewalk?
How many people know, for instance, that
yes, bicyclists are supposed to stop for stop signs,
and definitely for stoplights.

And who knows what their rights are when they are
stopped by a police officer when they are on a bike?

Ecology and Biking

Most people would agree:
bicycles are OK for the environment.
It doesn't take a lot of energy to make one.
It takes human power to drive one, and if the human is a vegetarian or vegan, it's pretty close to a zero carbon emission vehicle. On the other hand, a recent study says that carnivorous people could do the world a big favor by going vegetarian: that would be better than switching your car for a Prius.
Hmmm, what about switching your car for a bicycle? I wonder...

For those of you who have given up your cars, a hearty congratulations.
For people somewhere else on the car - no car continuum, continue, please!
As for me, I enjoy bicycling more than motoring, but I do both.

Send me your story of your journey from car to bicycle and I'll post it.
We can support each other as good friends do.
Bicycle Friends
Bike Amici

I think people should always obey police. They have a hard job.

It's true, police have a very difficult job. I wouldn't want it. And there are some people who are very good at it.

It's tough being a musician, too. But that's no excuse for dropping notes in a concert. People don't go to a concert and walk out saying "wow, that was really bad, but really it's hard being a musician, so it's ok that the soloist forgot where he was and dropped a bunch of notes and made the orchestra start over."

Policing is a profession and we can expect professional behavior. Can't we?

If they break their own rules, or seem to be going over the edge...

What would you do if you were walking peacefully down the sidewalk and a cop came over to you, yelled at you and said to get down on your knees?

I honestly don't know what I'd do.

I guess since there are signs up there now, the police were right, that road IS too dangerous for bicycles.

Fair enough.

And yet: it was not posted at the time, unless you think that bicyclists are pedestrians. I guess some people are confused on that point. Officer W... testified that he was trained that that sign applied to bicyclists, and that bicyclists weren't allowed. It's interesting that this was his first opportunity to find out the difference between pedestrians and bicyclists. I think that speaks for the need for some education for local police viz a viz bicycles:what they are, what rights bicyclists have.

So the question really is: can an officer stop a bicyclist from bicycling on a road, a road that does not have a no-bicycles sign, a road that is legal for a bicyclist to be on, ONLY because the officer's personal opinion is that it's too dangerous? We're not talking about stopping children doing trick riding, we're not talking about bicyclists taking risks or deliberately interfering with traffic here. We're talking about bicycling according to the laws of the road, legal cycling.

What lawful order did Stephan fail to comply with?

Good question. That's not specified.

It's his word against theirs. Where is the video?

Good question. Where is the video? One was requested. There are a lot of security cameras at the airport. You'd think one would have caught this. Apparently not. Apparently the tape showed nothing. Well, the exact wording on Seargeant K's police report is:

I checked camera footage. Cameras number 420, 305, 54, 191 and 188, which did not show anything prior to the incident.

The words "prior to" are interesting.

Also, I don't know what those cameras point at, but Seargeant K testified in court that he was told by his officers that the incident happened in the alcove of a building. It happened on Outbound Roadway.

I read that Stephan biked away from the officers. That's fleeing an officer, that was wrong.

First, Stephan had not been advised that he was under arrest. I think (correct me if I'm wrong) Minnesota law says a person who has not been informed s/he is under arrest may leave.
Second, I'm sure that "fleeing an officer" refers specifically to driving a motorized vehicle.