• Welcome, Guest! We hope you enjoy the excellent technical knowledge, event information and discussions that the BMW MOA forum provides. Some forum content will be hidden from you if you remain logged out. If you want to view all content, please click the 'Log in' button above and enter your BMW MOA username and password.

    If you are not an MOA member, why not take the time to join the club, so you can enjoy posting on the forum, the BMW Owners News magazine, and all of the discounts and benefits the BMW MOA offers?

Do you park your motorcycle on the sidewalk?

ditto/PG Also, as a former education guy I can attest that some kids are far more "likeable" than others, just like adults... that kid, well:brow
 
Hello Greenwald,

"He's breaking the law......." So does every one of us every day when we go 26 MPH in a 25 MPH zone. As cops, we 'forgive' many transgressions in 8 hrs. of patrolling - speed, not signaling at least 150' (WI) before a turn, rolling stops, not turning into the correct lane - the list is endless. The bummer is there are no stats for all the violations we let go - only the ones we don't.

I assume you are a LEO, you have my respect and I know you have job to do. But don't give us that BS about breaking the law, I see every day that I am on the road police officers in their marked cars doing exactly what you have listed above. Plus not using turn signals, not turning on there head lights when their wipers are on (FL state law) Parking marked their take home cars in front of their homes (city code says no no) blowing through red lights etc. and paying no attention to others that do the same. Maybe you can explain that to us citizens.

Oh BTW, if I park my motorcycle on your front lawn am I in violation of something??? After all its not on the sidewalk...............

There are so many nit picking laws no one can obide by all of them, not even the cops and no one can enforce all of them, the jails won't hold us all.

Morning Gene.

To answer your two questions, I'm a retired LEO - 32 1/2 years on the streets - last 7 as a Motor Officer.

If you park on my lawn, yes - we have a problem. You're trespassing on private property and would be prosecuted.

As for 'my' sidewalk, it isn't really 'my' sidewalk. Municipalities have a statutory 'right of way' from the center of every street laterally past that grass between the curb line and sidewalk and including said sidewalk. Most people don't know that. Yeah - you can refuse to shovel the snow or cut that grass, but then the City will eventually do that for you and add it to your tax bill. Not recommended.

As for the rest of your comments, sort of validates my earlier commentary. :sick
 
If there were an emergency, do you really want the officer to have to run a block to get to his patrol vehicle, while you or your family is in danger. Sure it is fun to bash the police and the government, but I think most officers are really trying to be there for the citizens they protect.
 
Parking

Morning Gene.

To answer your two questions, I'm a retired LEO - 32 1/2 years on the streets - last 7 as a Motor Officer.

If you park on my lawn, yes - we have a problem. You're trespassing on private property and would be prosecuted.

As for 'my' sidewalk, it isn't really 'my' sidewalk. Municipalities have a statutory 'right of way' from the center of every street laterally past that grass between the curb line and sidewalk and including said sidewalk. Most people don't know that. Yeah - you can refuse to shovel the snow or cut that grass, but then the City will eventually do that for you and add it to your tax bill. Not recommended.

As for the rest of your comments, sort of validates my earlier commentary. :sick

Thank you Kevin for straight forward answers, the side walk and swale belong to the city here as well, but we don't have a problem with snow removal. I was planing to visit you and likely park on your lawn, but considering your having me prosecuted I decline to make the trip.

And yes, I believe we agree on several matters. Being retired gives us lots to time to watch, view and criticize others in this rapidly changing world. I guess its called people watching.

Have a nice day,
 
"Yes-sir-ree" !!!....

...that's what uh many of us have uh been uh doin! ........:lurk


....:buds......."travel'in" john
 
Thank you Kevin for straight forward answers, the side walk and swale belong to the city here as well, but we don't have a problem with snow removal. I was planing to visit you and likely park on your lawn, but considering your having me prosecuted I decline to make the trip.

And yes, I believe we agree on several matters. Being retired gives us lots to time to watch, view and criticize others in this rapidly changing world. I guess its called people watching.

Have a nice day,

Thanks!

And it is I whom is envious of where you live - southern Florida.

The best vacations of my life have been in West Palm Beach and Key Largo.

Nice corner of the world you live in - enjoy it. :wave
 
If there were an emergency, do you really want the officer to have to run a block to get to his patrol vehicle, while you or your family is in danger. Sure it is fun to bash the police and the government, but I think most officers are really trying to be there for the citizens they protect.

+1 ! :thumb
 
My question in this thread (which seems to have been overlooked thus far) is who put this kid up to this little prank? Though he is obviously a bright kid,
I don't believe that he came up with this on his own. I would bet money that his parents are very anti-establishment types and put the kid up to this
under the assumption that the officer would not "take a billy club" to a kid.

I personally fully understand the angst / disgust displayed by the officer, more than likely more toward the parents who put the kid up to this.

Ken
 
When I ride on the road, I want to be treated like a car, so when I park, I act like one.
 
Key Largo

Thanks!

And it is I whom is envious of where you live - southern Florida.

The best vacations of my life have been in West Palm Beach and Key Largo.

Nice corner of the world you live in - enjoy it. :wave

Golly Kevin this is a little off thread, but the world keeps getting smaller. You mention Key Largo, we may have meet depending when you were there. My wife and I owned and operated the Pilot House Restaurant and Marina from 1969 to 1978.

Actually we did not have any side walks in the Keys, except Key West, just park the bike any place you want. We never even took the keys out of the car for fear of lousing them.

If you want to stop by here you can park on my lawn, maybe it will kill some of the darn weeds that want to pop up.

Ride Safe,
 
Golly Kevin this is a little off thread, but the world keeps getting smaller. You mention Key Largo, we may have meet depending when you were there. My wife and I owned and operated the Pilot House Restaurant and Marina from 1969 to 1978.

Actually we did not have any side walks in the Keys, except Key West, just park the bike any place you want. We never even took the keys out of the car for fear of lousing them.

If you want to stop by here you can park on my lawn, maybe it will kill some of the darn weeds that want to pop up.

Ride Safe,

Don't know if it's still there, but used to vacation with friends at the Moon
Bay Condominiums in Key Largo. From there, dove Pennekamp Park, the USCG Cutter Duane and the Spiegel Grove wreck. Good times!
 
Moon Bay

Yeah Kevin, Moon Bay is on Blackwater Sound, just a little north of the cut, yes it is still there. The two ships you mention were scuttled after my moving back to the mainland but I know exactly where they are. A towing and salvage business was part of our marina operation, I have spent many hours in those waters. One thing I would like to note as a comparison, when we moved down there in 69 there were only 6 pages in the phone book.

Have a nice day
 
Here goes

I think the cop did nothing wrong except maybe not give the kid citizen his badge number. He, the cop probably should have been more professional in his replies even if it was a kid he was talking to.

He should have said, "listen kid, I've been riding out here in the heat for the past 6 hours patrolling, keeping you, your family and friends as safe as I can. I needed a cold drink; I hope you can give me break this time. If not, here's my badge number; tell your old man, I said, hi."

Parking a bike on the sidewalk for a minute or two should not be a big problem as long as you still have visual of it. You could always move it, if you had to.

Back in the old days a kid wouldn't be questioning a cop why he was parking on the sidewalk. Not the kids fault either, just too much reality TV.

Here in Taiwan if someone messes with a cop to much, he might end up as an ingredient in an egg roll.

DW
 
I think the cop did nothing wrong except maybe not give the kid citizen his badge number. He, the cop probably should have been more professional in his replies even if it was a kid he was talking to.

He should have said, "listen kid, I've been riding out here in the heat for the past 6 hours patrolling, keeping you, your family and friends as safe as I can. I needed a cold drink; I hope you can give me break this time. If not, here's my badge number; tell your old man, I said, hi."

Parking a bike on the sidewalk for a minute or two should not be a big problem as long as you still have visual of it. You could always move it, if you had to.

Back in the old days a kid wouldn't be questioning a cop why he was parking on the sidewalk. Not the kids fault either, just too much reality TV.

Here in Taiwan if someone messes with a cop to much, he might end up as an ingredient in an egg roll.

DW

While the kid's behavior is annoying, I don't really blame the kid. Blame the parents. We're already several generations now into a society that encourages disrespect for authority, especially LEO's.

And the concept of taking personal responsibility for your actions and their consequences (i.e. a speeding ticket) is virtually extinct. :banghead

However, you may have ruined my taste for egg rolls for a while. Dang.
 
Maybe if each or the parties had treated each other with respect this would not have been an issue. sticking a cell phone camera or camera in someones face without asking or introducing yourself is rude at least and in some countries a taboo. The LEO could have handled it better by treating the young man as a person not a annoying gnat. "May I help you" "its okay for you to photograph me do you have a problem I can help you with."

I remember in Spain in the early 70's I went to take a picture of one of Franco's police when I raised the camera he raised his machine gun at me.I figured it was not in my best interest to photograph him!
 
My problem is not with the cop on the sidewalk, any more than it is with a UPS delivery driver who double parks for a minute to make a delivery. That is as long as he was not blocking traffic, like a person in a wheel chair, from using the sidewalk.

My problem is with his officious, "I'm a cop and I'll do what I want" attitude. It's a haughty "better than you Mr. Citizen" attitude I see in a lot, but certainly not all, cops. That's why I call him a jerk and I stand by that remark at least for this one situation.

Kevin, I still ask, can an officer refuse to give his badge number when asked? He can just flat out say "no"?
 
My problem is not with the cop on the sidewalk, any more than it is with a UPS delivery driver who double parks for a minute to make a delivery. That is as long as he was not blocking traffic, like a person in a wheel chair, from using the sidewalk.

My problem is with his officious, "I'm a cop and I'll do what I want" attitude. It's a haughty "better than you Mr. Citizen" attitude I see in a lot, but certainly not all, cops. That's why I call him a jerk and I stand by that remark at least for this one situation.

Kevin, I still ask, can an officer refuse to give his badge number when asked? He can just flat out say "no"?

Answered that a couple of posts ago - yes, with a caveat. No federal law says a badge number or even a name HAS to be uttered. That's department policy, and varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, or from state law to state law. On my department, identifying myself was encouraged but not mandatory, as long as I was in uniform - that's why we wear the uniform - duh. Plainclothes (detectives) operated under different obligations. When you consider that a badge number and officer's last name virtually always appear on the uniform anyways, answering the kid would have been redundant. Polite, perhaps, but redundant nevertheless.

Given that this kid had no real interest in the officer's badge number - just goading him for video exposure - not surprised or disappointed that the officer took 'polite' off the table right away.
 
Interesting points, Kevin, and as always I appreciate your feedback. I missed your post where you answered the question.
 
Interesting discussion about the ethics of parking. I had the misfortune of having to go to "the mall" last summer, so I took the bike because it was nice, and, well, just because I always take the bike. Was pulled up nicely in a spot when the mall cop pulled up and sternly told me that I was not allowed to park in a parking spot. I was told I had to park in the deisgnated "motorcycle spots" on the other side of the mall, or to the bike rack (located on the sidewalk.) I drove around the building. Found the "motorcycle only" parking. What a joke! It was a space on the end of one row and three sport bikes had already filled the designated zone. I went back to my original space. Went in did my busiess and left, no harm no foul. Seems that my parking there for 5-minutes did NOT cause the mall to hemorage money... and it exists yet today.
My initial reaction to the 12-year old v. Patrolman video... I like the moxy of the kid, and chuckle at the officer's response. Then I thought back to the months after Sept. 11 when people's cameras and what not were being confiscated by authorities for taking images of police dealings, or for that matter images of public buildings. Our humorous you-tube clip could have been much uglier and possibly never seen on you-tube.
Oh. My answer. No. I do not park on a sidewalk.
 
Back
Top