License Check on Columns!

Very strange going ons indeed! There was a drivers license check on Columns Drive yesterday. When I drove home from work at a little after 5 o'clock this picture was taken of officers stopping all cars and checking for licenses and insurance/registration. This caused about a 15 minute delay.

When I cycled out to join a group ride the Cobb County officers were still checking. They were not bothering any cyclists, and just waved them on through. At a little after 6 o'clock there were 8 officers checking motorists. They were also writing tickets, and had a few people pulled off the road while they wrote.

I cannot remember the last time I saw a license check and I have certainly never seen one on Columns Drive. I wonder if the residents are experiencing some unexpected blow back for harassing the Cobb County Police concerning cyclists. I have yet to hear of a cyclists getting a ticket- warning yes, but no ticket. I have seen many motorists getting tickets due to the increased police presence.

Last year I did see police out with a radar car and several motorcyclists getting speeders midway down Columns. I would love to see the Cobb Police do this again. In any case, I am glad the police are being more visible there. After the BS ordinance was passed, many residents got very aggressive towards cyclists. This should help them rethink that attitude.

I would love to hear how many motorists got upset over the delay and gave the police grief for stopping cars and not cyclists. The officer I talked to was very nice and waited patiently while I dug through all the crap in my glove compartment looking for my registration. He even chuckled at all the stuff I had jammed in there. I have a very visible bike rack on my car, so he knows I was a cyclist. I was very polite and nice to him, and he checked my stuff and sent me on through.

Issuing Tickets on Columns

FYI- The police stopped two cyclists and gave them warnings for riding two abreast. Actually they were at the end turning and overlapped wheels, according to one of the cyclists. The police pulled in behind them and flashed his lights. As they started down the road they evidently did not get directly behind one another soon enough. The police pulled them over and issued them warnings. Supposedly the cop was "real nice" but he kept them for 35 minutes writing the warnings.

During this time home owners drove buy honking and even applauding, according to one of the cyclists. The officer said he normally would not have been there, but he was "dispatched" to the area because a homeowner complained. Funny, in the past month there have been less cyclists than normal. They have been following the rules. As a homeowner on Columns, I drive up and down Columns on a daily basis. I have seen no trouble. Yet, homeowners are still calling.

Do we now understand that the few bike hating, bitter, full-of-crap homeowners who are pushing this crusade against cyclists are not going to quit? They wanted to ban all cyclists and shut down the parking lot at the end of Columns. This is not going to stop. They are going to keep calling the police and trying to get more restrictive ordinances passed. How about we quit being nice and start demanding that as taxpayers we get to use the road that was paid for and is maintained by taxpayer money? How about we start working on getting this ordinance overturned and getting Georgia law to be the law?

More later, but two ideas to plant:

1) Three of the commissioners who voted for this dog come up for reelection in 2008. We need two Republicans and one Democrat to try and defeat these people during the primaries. These need to be bike friendly folks, or hell, just folks other than the pinheads now holding office. Since this type of restrictive ordinance can have an impact locally, statewide and perhaps nationally, I believe we can raise funds nationwide. A lot of people giving five or ten dollars can have a huge impact on a local race. This was done during the 2006 in many races. We can also make some alliances with other single issues groups. At the same time BS ordinance was passed, the commission voted to allow outdoor burning. Many people spoke against this during the meetings I attended. These people and others concerned about other issues could certainly help. A grassroots effort can work. I am going to do more research on this.

2)"I think that this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody's part. We're just the guys to do it." A Critical Mass type ride on Columns? The first Thursday in May? (Can't do it during the Tour de Georgia.) How many cyclists can we get on Columns at 6:30 on a Thursday evening?