Blocking intersections

[Idaho]

The one large ride that I have participated in was a Ride for The Fallen in Utah last year. About 1200 bikes including several hundred motor officers. The route to the statehouse in SLC was about 20 miles and EVERY intersection was blocked by LEO's, fire departments, search and rescue etc. We were raising money for fallen officers so in my mind it was well worth it. Very impressive to see.

There were a few pissed off churchgoers who were late getting to services because they were on the wrong side of the street when the column went buy.

[rusty1]

I don't really know if the LEO's were paid for escort & blocking.

[jestephens]

Originally Posted by Idaho

The one large ride that I have participated in was a Ride for The Fallen in Utah last year. About 1200 bikes including several hundred motor officers. The route to the statehouse in SLC was about 20 miles and EVERY intersection was blocked by LEO's, fire departments, search and rescue etc. We were raising money for fallen officers so in my mind it was well worth it. Very impressive to see.

There were a few pissed off churchgoers who were late getting to services because they were on the wrong side of the street when the column went buy.

I've done a couple 9/11 Memorial rides that were +1500 bikes and we had the same sort of escort, but to get it we were technically a "parade", therefore our speed also had to be kept under 35mph.

Here's part of a video. 10 minutes of bikes rolling by, and it's only part 1 of 2
(mute your speakers. You'll get tired of horn honking from each bike)

[Duffer]

Blocking is an extremely dangerous and unnecessary action. Canadian Motorcycle Cruisers is a social riding club and most of our rides are group rides. Don't get me wrong - I love to ride solo lots of times. It's good for the mind! But there is a degree of safety in a group. Rider visibility is better in a group than with a solo rider. Groups vary in size from 2 or 3 riders to extremely large groups of 75 or more. Large groups are split into smaller groups of about 10 riders, each group lead by a road captain and followed by a tailgunner.

If our group gets separated (like at a traffic light), we use the cookie crumb or fall back rider until the group has a chance to reform. Our safe arrival and enjoyment of the ride take precedence over "keeping the pack together".

We complain about inconsiderate cagers who cut off bikers. Generally they do not even look for us. We should be models of consideration and safety on the road. No matter how you ride, either solo or in a group, you must ride responsibly and safely.

[Corigan]

I've seen road guards block a ton of times, usually doesn't bother me. I know it is an illegal practice as well, but seems pretty common.

[MustangMan]

I participated in a ride several years ago sponsored by the local mayor. We had police escorts blocking every interesection and did about 36 miles without a single stop.