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Cops crack down on cyclists

Thanks for posting, Ash!

It seems that most of the perpetrators were mama-charri riders under 20 years, caught for "double riding" and "ignoring stop signs". Most of the accidents mentioned in the article occurred between cyclists and pedestrians. That's your clientele. I have never heard of a roadie being stopped and grilled.
 
Thats probably because they can't catch us roadies on those 3 speed mama charries they use:D

I've never heard of a roadie being stopped either...has anyone here ever been pulled over?
 
U will have to stop tossing those empty beer cans at police cars...it looks a bit suss....:eek:
 
I had a weird non-police incident last Saturday. I went to Shimokita on my Pearson but forgot the lock. I bought one from a shop there, locked it and proceeded to the izakaya. Three hours later I came back and the key snapped in my hand, which meant I had to carry, rather than ride, home. On the way home, for the first time ever I came across police stopping people to check for drinking on a quiet street, so it was lucky I was carrying my bike. Still, i was less impressed that none of the four police thought it odd that I was carrying a locked bike on my shoulder as I walked past and didn't ask me why.
 
does that work at checkpoints for cars? Get out and push your car through the checkpoint!.
 
I had a weird non-police incident last Saturday. I went to Shimokita on my Pearson but forgot the lock. I bought one from a shop there, locked it and proceeded to the izakaya. Three hours later I came back and the key snapped in my hand, which meant I had to carry, rather than ride, home. On the way home, for the first time ever I came across police stopping people to check for drinking on a quiet street, so it was lucky I was carrying my bike. Still, i was less impressed that none of the four police thought it odd that I was carrying a locked bike on my shoulder as I walked past and didn't ask me why.

the exact same thing happened to me once and I also walked past a police box where the cop just stood and looked at me as I went past with my old mamachari on my shoulder...

Considering I was a gaijin I was expecting a full cavity search but....:confused:

i have also NEVER been stopped on my roadbike despite sailing past numerous koban and intersections with cops everyday over the last 7 years I have been commuting in Tokyo. My only brush with the cops came about 5 years ago when I hit an old lady on the bike who suddenly zigzagged in front of me on this backstreet I was on. I flattened her and my front wheel and fractured my arm in that episode but the cops were actually very pleasant, explained it was her fault and that they had about 20 bicycle accidents a week on that road. so personally I have ever had a problem with them, but this I know very much depends on WHICH cop you meet!
 
Crackdown in Tokyo as well

Observed a major crackdown at Oi-futo today. A few patrol cars driving the "circuit" and/or hiding around the corner of traffic lights the most cyclists fly thru. VERY stern warnings issued to all violators. Police also issued messages to over loudspeaker warning that:

- Police are seriously considering shutting down Oi-futo on Sundays to cyclists
- Stop at all red lights... or else...:cop:

Found stopping at red lights to be an non-issue... Only challenge I found is that the larger groups don't quite know how to come to an orderly stop. :thumb1:. Did see a couple go down as a result...:rescue:
 
Appalling!!!

Here is a quote from the original thread that Ash posted:

"Police, in fact, are cracking down on reckless cyclists across the nation in response to the surging number of accidents involving bicycles and pedestrians.

According to the NPA, 599 cyclists were ticketed for criminal prosecution in violation of the Road Traffic Law between January and September. Some of the offenders were arrested. "


I have to agree with Thomas on this one; The report is about "mama-chari" riders, and NOT about road-bike-cyclists!
For a country with over 120,000,000 people - even assuming that only half of them ride bicycles (mama-chari's) - that's still 60,000,000 people on two wheels.
To have ONLY 600 traffic-tickets given out, means that only 0.00001% of the population (of mama-chari-riders) breaks the law!
WHAT A CROCK OF SH!T!!!!!!!!!
That number is absolutely appalling in light of the ACTUAL number of offenses taking place!
The other night, on a single 500m stretch of road, (had I been a police-officer) I could have easily given out 20 tickets in a period of 3 minutes; This includes:
1. Riding at night without lights - at least fifteen of the 20!
2. Unnecessary swerving - If you drove like that on a freeway, they wouldn't even be breath-test you! You'd be out on your arse, and in a jail-cell in 5 seconds!
3. Riding down the wrong side of the road!
Multiple tickets would have been in order for most of them, but the ONE that sticks out most; was a mother riding with her baby in the front, on the wrong side of the road, (at night) with no lights, and slightly swerving!!!!!
WHAT THE F%@K IS THAT????

The only thing that these reports show, is not how bad Japanese "mama-chari-riders (I refuse to call them cyclists)" are; but how lame the POLICE are at enforcing the rules over here!
At least one-quarter (perhaps even one-third to a half) of mama-chari-ers break every law known to man within a weeks period..... Give me a Traffic-Violation-pad and a pen, and I reckon I could fill the whole "600" Japanese quota of reckless mama-chari-ers in about 2 months.

I would like to see a comparison of how many "cyclist arrests" there are in Western countries; If only to compare how totally oblivious Japanese Police ARE!

If the police over here did there job properly, the would be much fewer accidents involving mama-chari's!
----------

THAT'S WHY... Helmets should be made COMPULSORY!
It would halve the amount of mama-chari-riders instantly; The police (and country) could make a fortune by fining anyone without one \5,000 - like other countries - which would also lower our taxes, and the extra enforcement of road-rules for all cyclists (road-bikers as well) would instantly improve traffic safety for everybody!

Anyway, that's my (not so humble) opinion!
Travis
 
Yep, totally agree with you travis. The police here are so totally LAME when it comes to enforcing the law on cycling. I wonder how many times a year they stop a gaijin for no reason (for a bit of 'I'm bored, lets do some on the spot racial profiling!') to see the alien card? Bet thats more than 600!:mad:

As i mentioned in my blog the other day, twice in a week i saw a mama-chari-rider a-swerving down shinmejirodori at rush hour WHILE SENDING AN EMAIL ON HIS MOBILE PHONE. And at least 3 times a week I have to yell at someone coming down the wrong side of the road (usually at night with no lights). Or jumping off the sidewalk onto the road for some reason without looking at ANYTHING before they do so. I have nearly been wiped a dozen times or so with that one.

I just get fed up with it sometimes. Travis is right, ANY cop could hand out 10 tickets in 10 mins. There only problem would be they would not be able to write the tickets out fast enough (as the rest of the violaters went sailing past.)

I could show them just where to wait in case they dunno...:angel:
 
Statistics...

I tried to find out exactly how many cyclists were "warned/arrested" in other countries (compared to Japan).
I couldn't find many except for one report that said, "In a one week period in New York City, 400 cyclists were caught violating traffic regulations..."

That's ONE city, in ONE week!
How can a whole country only have 200 more for the whole year???:confused:
T
 
Learn from the best!

I suggest the NPA immediately send a study team to Sydney also to learn how to use the police force as a revenue-raising instrument!

The Sydney police force, who will issue you a ticket for breathing in the incorrect manner, are the boys to show the Japanese how it is done!

For example: North Sydney Council recently spent several million dollars issuing the police with new machines that PRINTED TICKETS FASTER.

With the lads from Sydney showing them how to fill the Quota System each cop is tasked with and with the number of mama-chari-riders practicing serial violation of all known road rules every day of the week, the police could soon find themselves richer than the Seibu Group!:D
 
Please don't ask the Melbourne Police...

I suggest the NPA immediately send a study team to Sydney also to learn how to use the police force as a revenue-raising instrument!

The Sydney police force, who will issue you a ticket for breathing in the incorrect manner, are the boys to show the Japanese how it is done!

For example: North Sydney Council recently spent several million dollars issuing the police with new machines that PRINTED TICKETS FASTER.

With the lads from Sydney showing them how to fill the Quota System each cop is tasked with and with the number of mama-chari-riders practicing serial violation of all known road rules every day of the week, the police could soon find themselves richer than the Seibu Group!:D

...If you do something wrong in Melbourne, the police SHOOT you in the back first, and then yell, "STOP!"
Sorry Mike :rolleyes:
Anyway, this report is not about OVER-policing in other countries; It's about the UNDER-policing over here!
Just to keep it on track.
Still, the truth is, I wouldn't mind seeing a few Sydney cops over here at all - Better still, sometimes, I'd like to BE a Melbourne cop over here:gun:
T
 
I'm among readers in stiches.
Thanks for your stories GUYS!
As far as cops are reluctant to acost to foreigners, foreigners will be lucky enough without stopped by them. Haha…
 
happy cyclists

I'm among readers in stiches.
Thanks for your stories GUYS!
As far as cops are reluctant to acost to foreigners, foreigners will be lucky enough without stopped by them. Haha…
 
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