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noob_tube03 t1_j3309iw wrote

Reply to comment by unresolved_m in Seeing these all over the place. by Harmony_w

For the amount of infrastructure Cambridge spends money on to reduce cyclist/pedestrian deaths and promote traffic easing, they should consider just increasing PD presence for much cheaper

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unresolved_m t1_j330ikl wrote

I thought there's already enough PD presence as it is? I see cop cars all around.

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noob_tube03 t1_j336oj5 wrote

hence...... holding them accountable for the low citations?

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unresolved_m t1_j3376iu wrote

How would doing higher citations make cops better?

Is that like beating homeless people to improve morale?

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noob_tube03 t1_j338glr wrote

Hey I'm not the one who reduced the city wide speed limit and spent hundreds of thousands on traffic easing. I'm just saying, if the cops did their job, perhaps these other initiatives wouldn't be needed

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thatguy10095 t1_j338y8p wrote

Cop presence doesn't reduce crime/citeable offenses. More citations just means more money goes to the city in fines.

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noob_tube03 t1_j339qje wrote

Not sure how you get people to not park in the bike lane without fines, but sure.

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thatguy10095 t1_j33aeq0 wrote

Protected bike lanes would definitely be a place to start. Fines are only a deterrent if you don't have the money to pay them. Maybe some sort of strike system where you get your license suspended if you're cited enough times. But more cops wouldn't necessarily fix the issue.

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maxwellb t1_j36vm4c wrote

There is a three strike system already, though I don't think it includes obstructing a bike lane. You could advocate for changing the state law to include bike lane obstruction, but you then have to take responsibility for suspending licenses of the various gig workers that rely on their car to survive, and I feel like that's probably too unpalatable.

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thatguy10095 t1_j36xf7r wrote

I don't have to take responsibility for anything lmao, the drivers who continuously get citations to the point of suspension would be responsible for themselves. We don't say the state is responsible when someone gets their license suspended for breaking other road laws, this would be no different.

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maxwellb t1_j36xlpb wrote

We do though (maybe you personally don't), just like e.g. people hold politicians responsible for ruining lives with penalties for nonviolent drug offences. Crucially the current rules only suspend licenses for moving violations, which have a very different risk profile.

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thatguy10095 t1_j36y58j wrote

I blame politicians for not taking action to right the unjust laws, but I still hold the offenders responsible for their own actions. I may agree that the law is unfair, but I understand the consequences associated with breaking it. And in this case, I can blame the politicians for not taking action that would make parking in the bikelane more difficult to do (such as protected lanes), but if there were a law in place that lead to drivers licenses being suspended I would still hold the offenders responsible for their own actions.

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maxwellb t1_j36yeht wrote

I agree. To clarify, what I'm saying is I think there would be too much push back because of that issue (combined with drivers who push back on accountability in general) for it to get traction.

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unresolved_m t1_j339pm8 wrote

So cops should punish more people. Got you.

Not something I agree with, but its a unique approach nonetheless.

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noob_tube03 t1_j33abfl wrote

I'm not sure what point you're trying to make here. If there is no enforcement, laws are all about the honor system. If these changes are for safety, presumably they're being done because people were being unsafe. If too many people are speeding, just dropping the speed limit without enforcing it isn't going to do anything

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unresolved_m t1_j33afd9 wrote

My point is that you cops to be harder on everyone and I don't think that that's a good solution. Looking at your post history and your love of guns I can see why you would think that way, though.

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noob_tube03 t1_j33cm0q wrote

I think you're just hating cops to hate cops. Like, I'm all ACAB too. But at the end of the day, we have them. And so yeah, I want them to do their job. If speed is an issue, give out speeding tickets. If blocking the bike lanes and running cyclists off the roads is an issue, impound their cars and take away their licenses. Police are still the enforcement of the laws. They're pigs, but until you replaces they with robots then you still gotta ask them to do their job. Equating speeding tickets to beating the homeless pretty much gives me all the perspective I need from you 🤣

Hell, that's why I'm pro gun. Because I don't trust CPD to do their job lmao. Cops have zero accountability

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unresolved_m t1_j33dt6o wrote

There you go with your blank statements.

I don't hate cops. I got nothing against them. I don't remember calling on anyone to kill a cop either.

But saying that cops aren't aggressive enough as it is a bit like saying that morale improves with beatings.

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noob_tube03 t1_j33f1jo wrote

https://www.reddit.com/r/CambridgeMA/comments/wmqo3d/are_there_any_plans_for_cpd_to_start_enforcing/

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"cpd should do their job" = "cops should be more aggressive, like increasing beatings to improve morale". but yeah, no bias there

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unresolved_m t1_j33gg07 wrote

> This is pretty troubling data and likely makes our streets more dangerous for cyclists and pedestrians.

Maybe the Officers are afraid of being labeled as racist or as racial profiling for pulling over drivers?

Sounds like I'm not the only one thinking what I'm thinking.

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Anustart15 t1_j3440x6 wrote

>So cops should punish more people.

For traffic violations? Absolutely. There is 0 enforcement and people just do whatever the fuck they want driving (and cycling) around here and it's dangerous

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unresolved_m t1_j344z9k wrote

Is that why I see so many cop cars around?

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Anustart15 t1_j34h35q wrote

Just because they are around doesnt mean they are pulling people over for traffic violations. I watch people very blatantly break the law in front of cops without any repercussions all the time

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unresolved_m t1_j3538ps wrote

And yet I was told I hate cops right in this same thread. Go figure.

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Anustart15 t1_j355jy3 wrote

Not sure what that had to do with what I said, but okay

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unresolved_m t1_j356pnh wrote

No, its just funny, because the responses in this thread are all over the place.

I was initially told that I hate cops (there were a whole rant how I'm a part of ACAB), others say cops aren't doing enough and thus guilty and so on and so forth.

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zeratul98 t1_j334sqi wrote

We don't need more cops, we at most,need them to actually do their jobs.

And citing someone for parking in a bike lane doesn't require carrying a gun. Hell, it wouldn't even require cops if we could create a bounty program like some other cities have

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noob_tube03 t1_j336kln wrote

That is literally my point. The CPD should be held accountable for not doing their job (at traffic enforcement).

That said, stripping a CPD of their gun if they're only on traffic enforcement creates a huge amount of issues. For example, it gives them a good excuse to increase head count as they would claim needing x number of people for patrol vs y for traffic. If you just treat them the same it keeps the budget down. Plus, if a traffic stop is done on someone dangerous, it feels like a waste for them to need to call in backup. Not every traffic stop is citing someone parking in the bike lane.

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Bounty programs are ripe for abuse. Traffic cameras aren't legal in Cambridge/MA, so a bounty program likely wouldnt be either

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zeratul98 t1_j345ce8 wrote

>For example, it gives them a good excuse to increase head count as they would claim needing x number of people for patrol vs y for traffic

Good thing they don't get to set their own budget

>Plus, if a traffic stop is done on someone dangerous, it feels like a waste for them to need to call in backup

This is rare, and another weak argument. Without more clarification, your argument implies police should be more armed and/or they should travel in larger groups. If you don't agree with either concept, why is the status quo the right level?

>Bounty programs are ripe for abuse

Everything is abusable. It's about balancing trade-offs. I struggle to imagine what kind of terrible abuse someone could do with this though. No one's going to be dragging cars into bike lanes for the sake of getting a cut of a ticket

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jmreagle t1_j344oic wrote

Who has a bounty system?

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zeratul98 t1_j346xdb wrote

NYC has bounties for reporting idling vehicles. I believe they are currently in the process of expanding it to include those parked in bike lanes

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maxwellb t1_j36we54 wrote

I think given the composition of the supreme court, any rule blocking officials performing traffic stops from carrying a gun is unlikely to survive.

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crazicus t1_j33hggw wrote

Infrastructure is there 24/7, cops can’t be

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