Interactions with The Law

So today, in the Stanford newspaper, they had an article about how the police department is going to start ticketing bicyclists for running stop signs...*sigh*. There is so much wrong with this, I'm hardly sure where to begin. START ticketing cyclists who run stop signs?!? When was it ok to not do that? Are they not aware that as a vehicle bicycles are violating the same law as cars running stop signs? This lack of knowledge in the general public is, if sad, at least understandable, but you'd think police would at least PRETEND that they were upholding the law. To quote the article, they say that activities like running stop signs are "technically illegal", that's like being technically dead...you're still dead. Speaking of dead, it amazes me how many people seem willing to risk death just to be someplace faster, yet another quote: "I bike through stop signs all the time. But it's mainly to get to class on time. I mean, if we have to stop at stop signs, think how much time we would waste." It's like he's a poster child for the self absorbed. Now, there are thankfully organizations and individuals trying to correct this, but I think we can agree there is a problem...but this is not what bothered me about this article, frightening though that is. What really really bothered me was the picture that went along with the article. It was a cop issuing a warning to a bicyclist who had rolled a stop sign, right next to someone riding on the SIDEWALK! Not only that, but the WRONG WAY! What the heck is wrong with that cop, let's ticket the guy rolling a stopsign but not the crazy girl going the wrong way down the sidewalk? Imagine if they were cars...would the cop pull over the guy who rolled a stop sign, or the lunatic driving the wrong way down the road? I think we both know the answer to that. Seriously people, just obey the law. It's not complicated, if I car shouldn't be doing it, you probably shouldn't be doing it either. *sigh*