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Trooper to bicyclist coming off the Longfellow: Who cares the bike lane is blocked?

COP IN BIKE LANE DOESN'T G.A.F.

Interaction with a trooper at Charles Circle on Tuesday.

Via Boston Reddit.

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Comments

A Biksis Jihadii put in place.

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So clever.

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The over/under on number of times you've said "war on Christmas" this year is 14. Email Adam to place your bets.

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on Billo.

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Aren't car drivers the jihadis in this scenario? They are the ones giving billions to the Middle East and killing 35000 Americans every year.

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into a brown paper bag.

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Is that legal, you fucking squid?

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Between stopped cars at a red light? Maybe not legal (not sure), but probably not lethal.

Biker should have used more respectful language (seriously, calling the other officer "your buddy", asking "do you understand" - could the biker have been more condescending?). But the police officer was also a jerk - he could have simply said 'thanks, I'll let him know" and then totally ignored the citizen if he wanted. Instead, he was a wise ass back.

Double fail.

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You must be a toothless wonder if you consider "your buddy" and "do you understand" to be disrespectful. I'll bet your father slapped every tooth out of your head by the time you were eight and taught you to never say anything but "Yes, sir", "No, sir", "Please, sir" and "Thank you, sir".

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The biker wasn't respectful and definitely had a condescending tone, he may have had more success if he approached it in a different way. But really the police officer should have responded to the safety argument. It is possibly very dangerous and no matter how much of an ass a citizen can be, if another persons safety is involved than an officer should do the right the thing. It's their job and they're supposed to care about that shit.

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Well, the cop is honest when he says cops don't care about bicyclists.

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'do not occupy this area' transverse lines, which the cruiser is clearly sitting on top of, are NOT used to denote bike lanes. And did you bother to notice the construction barrels and Jersey Barriers that block off that area immediately beyond where the trooper on the bridge is?

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I'm not familiar with what's going on there and was wondering the same thing - is it a bike lane?

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Yes, I bike along the Longfellow, it is a bike lane the trooper has parked his SUV in.

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The transverse lines mark a buffer between the general travel lane and the contraflow bike lane. So the overall lane configuration, from the left side of the video to the right, is: outbound (contraflow) bike lane, buffer, inbound car lane, inbound bike lane.

I haven't been on the Longfellow since the most recent reconfiguration, but I believe the jersey barrier is in the buffer area, because the contraflow lane currently doubles as a sidewalk. Here's a view from the other side of the barrier.

IMAGE(http://bostonbiker.org/files/2015/04/20150406_171705.jpg)

The cruiser is mostly in the buffer, but is at least partly in the contraflow bike lane/sidewalk. It's unclear to me how much of the contraflow bike lane is blocked , or whether it's still reasonably passable.

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However, it appears that there is sufficent room, albiet at dead slow speed, for a cyclist to pass the crusier. And if, as you state, the contraflow lane can be used by both cyclists and pedestrians, then perhaps cyclists shouldn't be going all that fast in the contraflow lane anyway.

Nevertheless, as I stated below, none of this justifies the response given by the cop.

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what an asshole cop. I hope he got his badge number and called his super.

Are staties really that arrogant? Regardless of your feeling about bikers, there's no need for this attitude at all. The guy was trying to prevent an accident. And cops wonder why people are hesitant to approach officers. See Exhibit A... Why bother when all you are going to do is get attitude and no help.

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There is supposed to be a bike lane there and there have been assurances given that it will be open for use all the time during construction, and any outages are announced.

Mr. Cop is not above the law.

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Mr. "I'll make a big stink about this" was riding in - wait for it - a marked bike lane that was NOT impeded, and obviously used said lane to continue completely across the bridge. The cruiser on the bridge was blocking the "you shall not travel here" area (note the transverse lines, not bike lane markings) to warn traffic of the pending lane closure and Jersey barriers - same as you would have for a similar travel lane closure on any other street or highway.

I fail to see the problem here, other than an arrogant "me first" cyclist who has done nothing more than to erode the reputation of cyclists among the general public. Perhaps you should get your traffic engineer father to explain to you about work zone traffic control.

Not saying I condone the cop's attitude when questioned by Billy Bike Rider, but perhaps Billy should have thought more about the situation before deciding it was a problem.

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As with cars, there are separate lanes for different directions. Said biker was in the bike lane going from Cambridge to Boston. Statey was illegally parked in the bike lane from Boston to Cambridge. This is why the cyclist commented that forces bikes to dodge out into oncoming traffic in order to get around the Statey. It is a marked lane therefore it is both appropriate to point out to the cops they should allow traffic to flow without creating a situation where a bicyclist could hit a car head on.

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can pass cruiser on right - no problem and no conflict with inbound cars

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Perhaps take your own advice and think before you post. You've never seen a street with bike lanes on both sides before?

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But they aren't in CARS so you think they have no rights to not be forced into oncoming traffic.

And yet you want to force people to have to stay in bike lanes, even when idiot troopers endanger them.

Lets block your favorite roadway in Wakefield and hear you scream scream scream.

Grow up, please. People have rights, not their vehicles.

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The officer is in a BUFFER ZONE, not an active lane. And cyclists CAN pass the cruiser within the contraflow lane.

And do you have a cite for the "1,000s of cyclists per day" claim?

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Peak hour counts have been 300-400 cyclists an hour for a couple of years.

Given two rush hours, and rush hours spanning two-to three hours (with lesser counts than the peak hour) ... that would be thousands per day.

This is why there are bike lanes in both directions, and car lanes in a single direction. This bridge carries considerably more cycling traffic than motor vehicle traffic (peak hour around 200). These were the traffic counts which led to the agreement to keep lanes open in both directions during the entire construction phase, with limited and announced closings.

I suggest you go walk across that bridge and see what is going on for your cloistered self, instead of looking at a video of pavement that was not at all restriped for this latest reconfiguration (and probably should have been). That would mean leaving Roadmanreality and entering Reality, but it is pretty warm out there today.

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comment. Yesterday, going to the commuter rail station in Melrose, I was faced with an unexpected detour that blocked the street that gives me access to the station's parking lot..

Did I immediately seek out the nearest detail cop and piss and moan about "OMG, I can't get into the lot, how unfair." No, I figured there was a legitimate reason for the detour (to prevent the adjacent intersection from backing up past the point where traffic was being detoured), and went on my way to an adjacent station that was easier for me to access.

Inconvenient - slightly. Imminent safety threat to myself or others - nope.

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Or perhaps you just fell off the turnip truck and you think there was a "legitimate reason" for the cop to be blocking a travel lane that was not marked as closed, and an even more "legitimate reason" for the other cop to give a lot of snotty attitude when asked a civil question. Or perhaps you enjoy being abused by cops and can't understand why others aren't thrilled by it.

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bikeophile rage!

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You must be new here. ;)

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It’s too bad that this officer had such a bad attitude. In all my years here in Massachusetts I have NEVER found state police to be helpful or friendly; they invariably have no sense whatsoever that they work for the public and the public good.
The California Highway Patrol, who I also have experience with, have ALWAYS been friendly and helpful. What a world of difference between MA State Police and the CHP.

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That's because Jon & Ponch were on the scene in CA!

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in a class(less) by themselves. Please don't call them cops. Cops don't want anything to do with them either. I'm surprised his ego could fit on the bridge. On the other hand, the bike rider was a jerk as well.

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Eh?

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Obviously making $45 an hour to sit in your car or be condescending to people is a key reason that the reputation of the police as arrogant and unresponsive to the public that funds their salary is so prevalent. I can see why they move heaven and earth to deny the ability of road work crews to hire $20 per hour civilian traffic monitors, these "professionals" are so much more efficient at being snarky and flippant.

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Your tax dollars at piece of work!

This is what you get when your state police are founded upon and trained according to principles of military discipline and military occupation, rather than public service.

And, yes, the Massachusetts State Police have been militaristic from the get go.

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Do you sleep comfortably having such disdain for the people who protect you while you sleep? I wouldn't. I couldn't.

If I were a cop, and you ever needed me, I wouldn't be so quick to hit those lights and sirens.

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There I corrected that for you:
"for the people who make 40/hr while they sleep"

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...anon!

"How dare you accuse cops of not being helpful! Boy, If I were a cop, I'd refuse to help you out of a petty, vindictive grudge because of something I read on the internet."

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Not Public WORSHIP or ELSE.

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...but those who choose to serve instead of enriching themselves aren't your servants. You have to pay taxes. You have a problem, call their supervisor.

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Tell you what, why don't you hop on your Huffy and head on over to 495 around Franklin or Wareham. Then you can sit there for a while til a guy speeds by you at about a buck.Then you can chase them down and pull them over,alone and with nearest back up twenty minutes away. Hopefully they won't shoot you with a superior firearm than the one you carry and you won't end up bleeding on a major thoroughfare while you hope someone gets there before you bleed out.

Try thinking about that while in the comfort of your home whiling the hours away on UHub. Me, I'll stay in the street interacting with police who I treat as human beings with flaws and who are in no way the jackbooted thugs you make them out to be.

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Are you talking about?

Must be that latest shipment from the darknet didn't pass quality control.

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I recognize that.

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If I understand your argument correctly, it goes like this....

"A: There are lots of state police out there who are dedicated public servants, people who genuinely care for and look after the public they are sworn to serve, people who are willing, at any moment, to put their lives on the line for the job.....

B: THEREFORE, we should not hold ALL state troopers to a high standard of professionalism, and when we do encounter one who is an unprofessional asshole, we should just shut up and not complain."

Since I'm not really good with this logic thing, could you please explain to me how B follows from A?

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In my eyes, this was not just some random incident. Unless, of course, this bicyclist videos his commute every morning. Add to that the videographer now has his own You Tube channel with over 18k views of this little incident and is fielding media requests.

Now, the cynic in me thinks that this aggrieved citizen was trying to exploit the current hostility that is being forced on all law enforcement based on the actions of bad apples. My comments were in no way an endorsement of this officers attitude, just a refutation of another poster's ignorant blanket statement that the MSP is rife with Chris Kyle wannabes. And that they, in my opinion and experience, are not the automatons from THX-1138, just human beings like the rest of us with homes, families and problems like the rest of us.

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MA is not special when it comes to their state police. Unknown you want all law enforcement to bow to your every whim since you're the almighty tax payer, but all all law enforcement agencies are trained the same.

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Then stop paying your taxes if you don't like it.

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In other states, they don't pay *anyone*, civilian or cop, unless someone is actually needed to direct traffic. For example, if one lane has to serve alternating directions of traffic, flaggers will be at each end with those handheld stop/slow signs.

That's why most Mass. construction detail cops are such an infuriating waste of money. They're never doing anything, because there's nothing to do.

And in the few situations where the obstruction does require directing traffic, it's amateur night around here. I've never seen a cop holding a stop/slow sign, and lighted paddles at night are a rarity.

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Can one of the eggheads over there invent an orange barrel that can talk on the cell phone and drink coffee? We could save a ton in detail money.

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Why do we offer these people contracts that make it so difficult to get rid of them? What happens if they don't accept a contract without strong pro-employee language in it?

EDIT: I watched the video. I actually respect the cop for being honest and admitting that he doesn't care. He didn't pay the cyclist lip service, he straight up said he wasn't going to help him. Why should he care? He gets paid whether he addresses the matter or not. So why try?

Is our entire community autistic and/or learning disabled? What about the concept of incentives and professional pride (or lack thereof) isn't clear in the hiring of public servants?

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OK Boston, this is primo raging material. I want to see at least 100 comments on this or I'll be extremely disappointed.

brb, making popcorn.

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n/t

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This is simply rude and unprofessional behavior. No one should talk to someone like that. This entitled, "I'm better than you behavior because I have a gun and a badge" attitude is why people dislike cops. But let's not simply rant about it! Where can we post this video that other people further up the chain of command can see it and DO something about it? That's the ONLY way we are going to get things changed.

Any suggestions?

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This has made it up the chain of command. Apparently the MSP is going to "counsel" the trooper. Don't hold your breath for any real change. Any change is going to have to be imposed from outside.
Source: http://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/blog/2015/04/17/state-trooper-bike-la...

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While I do agree that the cop was kind of a jerk about it, the way the cyclist approached him immediately set up both parties to be stand-offish. Statements like "your buddy up there" "creating a situation" "do you understand?" would make me not want to come to an agreement with someone either. Learn how to talk to people in such a manner that is clear and non-condescending and maybe you will leave interactions feeling better about them.

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He is a Trooper! There is a difference.

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He's no true Scotsman!

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I can think of a couple of reasons:

(1) there was no audio recording;
(2) there was an audio recording and it has been scrubbed because someone has reminded the cyclist that recording audio without both parties' consent is still illegal in Massachusetts.

Perhaps there's another reason, but I must say I find it interesting that that someone went to such lengths to subtitle this - and to do so in such detail.

As for the substance, I didn't think that the cruiser that precipitated the whole thing was particularly dangerously parked. I do think, however, that it was specifically parked like that to get everyone's attention and make them slow down. It seemed to work.

As for the Trooper on the Boston side, well, a little courtesy goes a long way, but maybe the guy just had a case of the Mondays (on Tuesday). Also, I could easily have envisioned lots of cops receiving this less well than this one. To me (a cyclist and motorist), the cyclist did seem to be girding for a fight. I certainly wouldn't have kept going after the cop made it clear that he wasn't going to do anything about it. I might have called the barracks over on the Dam to report it, though. But that's just me.

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There's definitely audio in this video. Must be an issue on your end.

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which is why I left open the possibility of more options.

Thanks.

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In MA, as in every state, the public IS allowed to record audio of the police without their consent, in public.

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MA courts ruled that you're not allowed to make a SECRET recording. From Commonwealth v Hyde:

We conclude that the Legislature intended G.L. c. 272, § 99, strictly to prohibit all secret recordings by members of the public, including recordings of police officers or other public officials interacting  with members of the public, when made without their permission or knowledge....

W]e would render meaningless the Legislature's careful choice of words if we were to interpret ‘secretly’ as encompassing only those situations where an individual has a reasonable expectation of privacy.

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I think that it would make for a very interesting case. Apparently, the definition of "secret" is broader than just where there would be a reasonable expectation of privacy (which, arguably, the Trooper did not have standing on a public way).

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Parking in a bike lane is very dangerous for cyclists. It forces cyclists to swerve into traffic. In a city with very narrow streets this is especially deadly. The fact that many drivers treat bike lanes as parking spots shows ignorance and contempt for fellow people.

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...makes it much less likely that the general public will respect the law.

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I thought all the asshole troopers were at Logan

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See, a local (aka townie) would know better than to do what this gentleman on his bike did.

And also: the guy making the complaint sounds condescending...do you understand what I'm saying?

And I do indeed bike ride in that area.

smh.

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...you don't think that members of the public should say or do anything when they see a dangerous situation? Or when they see someone doing something wrong? Is that how you respond when someone does something that endangers you or causes a problem for you? How do you expect the world to not go to shit, then?

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The cruiser was parked in the BUFFER AREA between the vehicle lane and the "contraflow " lane. There was space on the far side (i.e. away from the vehicle lane) of the cruiser for cyclists and pedestrians to pass while remaining in said contraflow lane.

Optimal situation - no. Immediate threat to life and property - no! And given that Billy BigShot Bicyclist * wasn't even using the contraflow lane, it's hard to argue the situation was endandering him.

* he fully deserves this title for deciding to be an arrogant SOB by posting his grievance on YouTube instead of attempting to actually resolve it with the MSP.

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The cruiser was parked in the BUFFER AREA between the vehicle lane and the "contraflow " lane.

That's your assertion; others disagree. All capsing doesn't make it true.

There was space on the far side (i.e. away from the vehicle lane) of the cruiser for cyclists and pedestrians to pass while remaining in said contraflow lane.

Cyclists are not pedestrians and should not mingle with pedestrian traffic.

Optimal situation - no. Immediate threat to life and property - no!

Meaning that there wasn't a cyclist being forced out into traffic right that instant? If that's your weak-ass definition, I'll go with it, but please note that the cyclist never said that was the case. He said it's a dangerous situation. Please stop lying and claiming that that's not the case.

And given that Billy BigShot Bicyclist * wasn't even using the contraflow lane, it's hard to argue the situation was endandering him.

He never said it was. He said - again, try to read because it's clear you can't listen - that it was a dangerous situation. He was trying to help others -- a foreign concept to you, I know, but do like John Lennon said and imagine, will you?

* he fully deserves this title for deciding to be an arrogant SOB by posting his grievance on YouTube instead of attempting to actually resolve it with the MSP.

Read upthread, it was brought to the MSP. Based on this, I think you fully deserve the title of Lying Cop-Boot-Licking Oil-Sucker. Shoe fits pretty well, doesn't it?

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It's like the Iran/Iraq war.... Is there some way that they can both lose?

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Really needs to come up with another Kurosawa Series, featuring Rashomon.

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I asked the trooper the other day where to ride, he said stay on the other side of the cones. This is fine. I also referred to him as trooper and didn't call other troopers their "buddies" which is why I was treated with respect.

There is no bike lane, I also noticed the cyclist didn't complain about the construction vehicles that are usually here this time of day on the shoulder as well.

The cyclist also refused to talk to the MSP rep who registered on reddit to handle this, this millennial just decided to spread this everywhere and we'll probably see it on boston.com with a rambling about oppression and police state soon.

It's terrible that this is the world we live in now. A young person gets slighted by perceived "injustice." In this case, a trooper saying he doesn't care about dealing with this situation - an authority figure speaking from a place of authority. And the young person who spoke with contempt, instead shouts from the rooftops on the internet, making a video about how the trooper "doesn't give a fuck," refusing help from MSP, and crossposting the video to a place where adult children endlessly repost their hatred of authority figures, including one who hopes to serve on a jury where a police officer is the defendant so he can prejudge him as a larger and more heinous example of this self righteous millennial passive aggressive revenge.

Funny how they complain about this "us vs them" mentality when they are doing the same thing over something so insignificant, brought on by one kid getting his fragile ego hurt and elevating himself into an advocate of public safety everywhere.

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How do YOU know the private actions of the MSP?

Can you blame OP for not wanting to reveal his identity to power-abusive cops?

You call them "authorities speaking from a place of authority"?
I call them BOOT-LICKING PUBLIC SERVANTS.
YES, YOU SERVE US. REMEMBER THAT, PIG.
AND BE CAREFUL NEXT TIME YOU LIE IN COURT BECAUSE THE TIDES ARE TURNING AND IT ONLY TAKES ONE PERSON, ONE HONEST AWAKE JUROR, TO DESTROY YOUR LIES.

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Take a chill pill, Alex jones and Go back reddit with the rest of the rude and clueless children.

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You're the one who started talking trash about a "millenial" and so on. Who are you to tell anyone to "chill out" or call someone else "rude and clueless"?

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Did you even read the nonsense occupista all caps rant?

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Please, act your age.

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What's your point guy? We got these "all pigs must hang" fools going around. This shit is nonsense and over such nonsense garbage

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I hate to sound like a provincial townie ass, but it is exceedingly obvious in that reddit thread how many people replying are transplants. Why? Because people who grew up here know better. That cop's probably dealt with hundreds of whiners like this guy and should have appeased him with some canned "we'll look into it" BS. He wasn't all that respectful. But neither was the cyclist. He went in there looking for a fight and got it.

The trooper probably spotted this nasally butthurt whiner type and decided to f with him. Looks like it worked, and it's pretty telling what a thin-skinned dingus the cyclist is since he's crying about it everywhere. Now that's pretty unprofessional on the part of the trooper, but probably never would have happened if he was approached by someone not acting like a knob.

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You DO sound like a provincial townie ass.

I don't think you hate it, though.

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After seeing many of your comments here, I'll take your opinion as a compliment.

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But you said you hated it! Which is it? Make up your mind!

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oh, he was BPD.

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I'll look into it." Then, if you really don't care, don't look into it. That's basic public interaction. Why make it more complicated than that? Why look like a dick when you don't have to? The trooper doesn't end up on Youtube (and UHUB and reddit etc) the cyclist feels valued, everybody's happy.

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Is there supposed to be a trooper parked halfway across the bridge? If so, where is he/she supposed to be parked?

I think that if this incident is going to be debated, that fact is key.

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Case noted. Case closed. No vio.

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Dese bike lanes heah, duh people from Cambridge, ovah deh, dey care about dat. Duh people from Boston, ovah deh, dey care about dat. But I'm onna bridge, right heah dis is State. I don care about nunnadat.

Not worth getting your panties in a twist about, but that trooper sure does sound like an imbecile.

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The pissing matches over highways, bridges, tunnels, the airport, Carson Beach, etc etc. are getting so old. It's a good thing we don't have MDC cops to throw into the mix too, anymore.

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What the heck do staties do besides stand idly & text/talk on their cell phones (or sit in their cars if the weather is bad) at construction sites, administer CDL tests, and get in the way of the Boston/Cambridge/fill-in-the-blank municipality cops who actually work their asses off & give a shit about the public?

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being a Statie is exactly like The Depahhted.

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...with the cyclist, but his voice is irritating and he's condescending from the start. No wonder the trooper reaponded in kind. Sorry, cyclist bro. Adapt and overcome.

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"want to sympathize" is a meaningless, stupid phrase if ever there was one. You either do or you don't. In your case, you stated clearly that you let your irrational prejudice and projected views of the cyclist's attitude and personality get in your way. That's a reflection on you, not on the cyclist.

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And where did I state "clearly" that I was irrational and prejudice. Dude was an arrogant d-bag. Not much more to be said.

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Just an FYI, there is an update:

from: http://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/blog/2015/04/17/state-trooper-bike-la...

After reviewing the videotaped interaction between a bicyclist and a state trooper that occurred Tuesday on the Longfellow Bridge, it is clear that the trooper’s statements regarding bike lanes and cyclists are wrong. Contrary to the tone and content of those statements, the State Police are concerned with, and have a responsibility to protect, the safety of bicyclists. As such, we have a duty to ensure safe conditions along any open bike lanes on roads under our jurisdiction. Earlier this year the Department issued a training bulletin reminding troopers of the rights and responsibilities of cyclists. That bulletin was re-issued this morning. Furthermore, the Department will reiterate to those troopers on the bridge Tuesday our responsibilities to bicyclists, and will counsel the trooper who spoke to the cyclist about the proper way to respond to concerns raised by members of the public.

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I'll wait with bated breath for the MSP behavior to change. Will someone please recover my corpse?

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