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[Grendus]

So I think the general consensus is to fight the ticket in court. Don't be quite so cynical, while the cops can pretty much get you for anything they don't really care. They just have to write their quota of traffic tickets so they don't get in trouble with their boss, chances are he thought it wasn't your lawn and went to give out what he thought was an easy mark.

While they can get away with almost anything for a time, most cops in america live in fear of bad press, which can bring hell on them from higher ups with political aspirations. That police chief with mayoral aspirations doesn't want to be the fall guy for some cop who was harassing a guy about parking in his own front lawn.

To fit with the theme of this thread, in the US usually you can get out of a ticket (if it's a ticket the cop is willing to dismiss) by apologizing up and down and generally sucking up to the officer. As one person explained it, bribing a cop is a symbol of respect in some countries. It makes the cop feel like they're in power, like they have real authority. In western societies, the same thing is done through respect and supplication. It's cheaper, but more delicate - it's more likely to backfire on you if you suck up wrong than bribery is.


Oh, and IndonesiaWarMinister, I know the feeling. College student in a college town, it's like open season. Everybody knows it's the teenagers fault, half the time if there's an accident between two students we don't call the cops or even report it because they always throw the book at you if you're under 25 or so. There's a lot of officially pristine cars around here with broken headlights.

[Peewee]

*pulls out a sniper rifle to shoot the zombie thread*

Move along, nothing to see here.

...other than another tidbit (which may or may not have been mentioned already): Watch Cops (the TV show) and DONT do what they do.

[Jude]

Ditch your car and bike everywhere. Then you get the benefits of being in shape and being able to look down on the cagers spewing death into the atmosphere.

[thobal]

Ditch your car and bike everywhere. Then you get the benefits of being in shape and being able to look down on the cagers spewing death carbon monoxide into the atmosphere your face.

FTFY

[Aqizzar]

Yeah, won't you feel self-righteous.  Right up until you remember American cities aren't built for bicycles and you get turned into a speed bump.  Or, you know, you need to carry something that won't fit in a backpack.

Although in Michigan, everything is probably close enough that biking is possible.

[Jude]

Yeah, won't you feel self-righteous.  Right up until you remember American cities aren't built for bicycles and you get turned into a speed bump.  Or, you know, you need to carry something that won't fit in a backpack.

Although in Michigan, everything is probably close enough that biking is possible.

I live in an extremely hilly part of Virginia and I do alright with just a bike. The only time it sucks is when I have to go somewhere and it's pissing down rain, but it's Virginia, so I can just wait five minutes and it'll be sunny again.

As for moving big things...that's what friends (with cars) are for.

[HAMMERMILL]

Bicyclists need to get on the sidewalk with the rest of the slow-moving pedestrians anyways.

And for god sakes, if you won't buy a real car for transportation, at least get a motorcycle or a scooter. Do it for your own safety and personal pride, at least. Nobody over the age of 16 in a developed nation should be riding a bicycle.

[Neonivek]

Nobody over the age of 16 in a developed nation should be riding a bicycle

Or younger then 4... Honestly I think those people who use Baby Seats on Bicycles should be arrested it drives me crazy! (well ok maybe not arrested but DANG it drives me crazy)

[IndonesiaWarMinister]

Bicyclists need to get on the sidewalk with the rest of the slow-moving pedestrians anyways.

And for god sakes, if you won't buy a real car for transportation, at least get a motorcycle or a scooter. Do it for your own safety and personal pride, at least. Nobody over the age of 16 in a developed nation should be riding a bicycle.

But! Bike is FAR more inexpensive to maintain, and train your feet strenght too, so useful for you who versed in karate.
I'd use a bicycle for my daily journey into school, if it were not the fact that:

In Jakarta, Motorbikes and cars outnumber pedestrian.
And traffic jams can happen everywhere, at any time. AND THE DEATH-SPEWING SMOKE IS CONCENTRATED IN SUCH A HIGH VOLUME THAT... you can pass out in the street.

Heh.

[JoshuaFH]

Although in Michigan, everything is probably close enough that biking is possible.

"Oooh, look at me! I live in Texas, my state is bigger than everyone else's!"

Michigan isn't small, it's a giant mitten that was personally handcrafted by glaciers of yore. It's criss-crossed with roads that go on and on and on and never go anywhere, it's mostly littered with farms, the roads are always under maintenance (because they get tore up with surprising frequency), it can be sunny, rainy, and snowy all at the same time, the insect population is something that only that could only be conceived in my own personal hell, and you pretty much need a car to get anywhere in decent time. I mean, yeah, I could probably bike to the other side of the state, but it would probably take me all of 2-3 days just getting there, and I probably wouldn't survive.

[Aqizzar]

I wasn't talking about the size of the state, I was talking about the neighborhoods.  I used to live in Muskegon, and I remember that even as large as the town was, all the businesses, shops, and housing were relatively accessible.  In Texas, virtually none of the towns are older than the 1950s, so they're all designed with cars and highways in mind.  As I recall, towns in Michigan are a lot older, and everything is tighter and more interspersed.

[JoshuaFH]

Alright, sorry for misunderstanding you.

Yeah, the towns are pretty old. There's atleast one landmark in each area, but I live in in the middle of farms, with miles and miles of roads jetting out in all four cardinal directions, extending for quite some time before you'd hit civilization.

[Vester]

Bicyclists need to get on the sidewalk with the rest of the slow-moving pedestrians anyways.

And for god sakes, if you won't buy a real car for transportation, at least get a motorcycle or a scooter. Do it for your own safety and personal pride, at least. Nobody over the age of 16 in a developed nation should be riding a bicycle.

I resent that, I ride a bicycle! And I'm from a devel-

Oh, right.

Well, carry on then.

[Aqizzar]

I live in in the middle of farms, with miles and miles of roads jetting out in all four cardinal directions, extending for quite some time before you'd hit civilization.

Yep, that's what cars are for.  If anything, in a rural area riding a bicycle is a lot more dangerous than driving a car, since no one's looking out for you and the roads suck.  Definitely stay in the car.

[IndonesiaWarMinister]

Bicyclists need to get on the sidewalk with the rest of the slow-moving pedestrians anyways.

And for god sakes, if you won't buy a real car for transportation, at least get a motorcycle or a scooter. Do it for your own safety and personal pride, at least. Nobody over the age of 16 in a developed nation should be riding a bicycle.

I resent that, I ride a bicycle! And I'm from a devel-

Oh, right.

Well, carry on then.

Hey! We are buddies!

* IndonesiaWarMinister has declared ‼war‼ on their northern neighbour!

______________________________________

I still think bicycles are a lot cooler than cars, especially if you costumise them.