Austin Cyclists, the crackdown is in full effect.

It looks like the APD actually IS cracking down on cyclists, as I'd mentioned last month. Crazy to hear that we're such a danger to public order that they're going out of their way to specifically target us.

Last weekend a couple local riders got ticketed for riding their bikes on 6th St. One was pulled off his bike and cuffed, and both were ticketed for their "infraction".

Here's the most worrisome quote:

"The cop who wrote mine up said they will be cracking down hard in the downtown area on riders who do not comply with traffic laws. In the half hour that we were stopped I saw no less than fifteen kids get pulled over."

As if that wasn't enough, here's a thread on the local TXFixed forums that y'all should check out. It details several incidences in the past few days where the cops have been cracking down on what they view as bad bike behavior. Thankfully they've only given out warnings but it looks like this is going to become SOP and who knows, those warnings might be followed by tickets next time.

Here's a snippet from the conversation which highlights what's going on in the campus area:

"i was stopped today by a bike cop after blowing through 24th and Speedway (where there are ALWAYS cops now, and where there is a lot of construction going on). he essentially gave me a warning that i would have gotten a ticket for running the stop, passing stopped cars at the intersection, and failure to heed (i just busted ass up the hill, ignoring their whistles, not realizing they had BIKES!) his name was MaGill, and he supposedly teaches cops the bike rules we are supposed to abide by. he was an alright dude (obviously he didn't ticket me) but he told me that i was in direct violation of texas state law by not having a brake on my bike."

Personally, last night I was tailed down Nueces from around 24th St. down to 5th St. by a cop car on my way to the City Council chambers. I moved for him to pass but he sat on my ass the entire time. I think that was just coincidence, but there you have it, confirmation that the APD and campus cops do not like our game. Specifically, running stops, passing cars, and brakeless riding. Watch your 6 y'all, be safe, and don't run it if there's a freaking cop around. I won't say "no cop, no stop", but I know you guys; I don't have to. Happy riding!

P.S. Tonight's the Full Moon Cruise. 11:59pm on the Lamar Pedestrian Bridge. If you're not there you better be one of the ghosts haunting us...