Cyclists Beware! Cops pulled me over for running a red light on my bike..

I was given a citation for the same infraction 2 weeks ago. This is ridiculous.

The self importance and sense of entitlement some people have is utterly amazing.

If you don't want to get a ticket, don't break the law.

west1440 said:

A lawyer friend of mine who works at ticket court told me that these tickets are unlawful. The way the traffic law is written these laws are made for gasoline powered vehicles. My bicycle is not gas powered so the traffic laws should not apply to bicyclists. Red lights are made for cars and not bicyclists.

I am not paying the ticket and I intend to fight it.

Just make sure you don't appear before Judge Ishmael Jebediah. Hes known as "Ole Castrating Sugar Britches". I remember when he sentenced a married couple to seven years hard labor for riding a tandem bicycle in a roller blading zone.

Idlewild-

Yes, I remember reading about that incident on the the internet. Some newbie posted it, and he had history of engaging in sock puppetry, so it must be true.

Longtimesloper-

I totally agree. I'm not sure why the OP was only given a warning when so many other posters have gotten tickets and knowledge of the legality of the law, and its enforcement is now widespread.

I've seen an upswing in the ticketing of bike riders in CH lately. I think it's a good thing, hopefully those getting tickets choose to follow traffic laws. As a former cyclist I admit stoping and waiting for light changes is a pain in the ass, and I always cross while on foot against the light if the coast is clear.

Maybe there could be some customization in terms of traffic laws for cyclists especially since there are only goin to be more and more bike riders as time goes on.

Although the city is probably more concerned with revenue than reform.

Oh and Idlewild, as you so graciously pointed out my grammatical error in using run on sentences in another thread, It would simply be rude to not return the favor. You missed an apostrophe in your last post. We could absolutely continue on this delightful path of aiding each other or you could simply focus on content. Internet grammar nazis were annoying in 1989 and they still are.

Jamzer said:

The self importance and sense of entitlement some people have is utterly amazing.

If you don't want to get a ticket, don't break the law.

No.

People are giving valid arguments for why the law is dumb.

Disagree if you want, but an argument can be made.

LongTimeSloper said:

The law is the law, you can argue it if you want and we can debate until we are all blue in the face. personally, I think there are quite a few laws on the book that are stupid. But, as long as it is still the law, obey it or suffer the consequences!

So you never break any laws?

I have received about 3 tickets for going through red lights and I have won all 3 tickets in court with the help of one of the many lawyers there selling their services. What Mr. Paraderest fails to mention is that the law actually was written in a vague manner. Frankly, this pig in a blanket does not understand the law he is paid to enforce. Mr. West1440 is correct in many ways. The traffic law was not written to address pedestrians on bicycles. What we have here is a blatant loophole. Everytime I appeared in traffic court to answer one of these tickets I walked out without paying a fine.

As an avid bicyclist and a part-time member of TA, I too believe the streets should be shared but then again we are mere pedestrians using a man based mode of conveyance so just as it is wrong to ticket a pedestrian walking against the red light used by cars, it is also wrong to ticket a bicyclist doing the same. The right thing to do is to build more bicycle lanes and then put bicycle red lights specifically made for them. Until this happens the laws that apply to automobiles will not apply to us as has been witnessed by my 3 wins in court.

To the people who hate bicyclists, I assure you we hate pedestrians with a greater passion who walk obliviously in the street instead of the sidewalk. Open your eyes and walk safely.

LongTimeSloper said:

Huh?

I'm sorry if that was a difficult question to understand, but I can't think of any more simple wording - do you ever break any laws?

LongTimeSloper said:

As for breaking laws, yeah, I jaywalk.

So, you obviously have little regard for this law as you break it. If you were to be ticketed for the infraction, would you be upset? Would you retain the right to bitch about it?

I love it when a person who is arrested or ticketed admits to breaking the law, but insists the police should be focusing on a more important issue.

Here's a quick example of how I see NYC.....

Someone who litters and gets a ticket states "they should focus on the jaywalkers. Until they catch all the jay walkers, they should leave people who litter alone"

Someone who jaywalksand gets a ticket states "they should focus on the people who ride their bikes thru red lights. Until they catch all the people who ride their bikes thru red lights, they should leave alone people who jaywalk"

Someone who rides their bike thru a red light and gets a ticket states "they should focus on drivers who violate traffic laws. Until they catch all the people that do that, they should leave people who ride their bikes thru red lights alone"

Someone who gets a ticket driving a car states "they should focus on people who assault people. Until they catch all the people that do that, they should leave people who commit driving offenses alone"

Someone who gets arrested for assault states "they should focus on people who murder. Until they catch all the people who kill people, they should leave people like me alone"

.

.

.

Although most of us profess to want to live in an orderly city, it seems whenever a cop enforces a rule, he/she should allegedly be doing something more important.

...it just makes me smile. I love New York.

whynot_31 said:

I love it when a person who is arrested or ticketed admits to breaking the law, but insists the police should be focusing on a more important issue.

Here's a quick example of how I see the world.....

Someone who litters and gets a ticket states "they should focus on the jaywalkers. Until they catch all the jay walkers, they should leave people who jaywalk alone"

Someone who jaywalks and gets a ticket states "they should focus on the people who ride their bikes thru red lights. Until they catch all the people who ride their bikes thru red lights, they should leave alone people who jaywalk"

Someone who rides their bike thru a red light and gets a ticket states "they should focus on drivers who violate traffic laws. Until they catch all the people that do that, they should leave people who ride their bikes thru red lights alone"

Someone who gets a ticket driving a car states "they should focus on people who assault people. Until they catch all the people that do that, they should leave people who commit driving offenses alone"

Someone who gets arrested for assault states "they should focus on people who murder. Until they catch all the people who kill people, they should leave people like me alone"

.

.

.

Although most of us profess to want to live in an orderly city, it seems whenever a cop enforces a rule, he/she should allegedly be doing something more important.

...it just makes me smile. I love New York.

This is all well and good if you live in a black and white world, but there are a lot more shades in this here city.

WhyFi said:

I just changed my newborns diaper - he's only pooping about once per day, and it was a messy one. That said, I think that your above post was full of more shit. You mean to honestly tell me that, if you got a ticket for jaywalking, even after looking both ways and seeing no cars presenting a danger, that you would be upset with yourself? You're either lying to save grace or you have some real goddamn low self-esteem, we're talkin' start the Stuart Smalley mirror treatment (stat!) kind of issues.

If I have been getting away with jaywalking for years and then finally get a ticket for it, well, then, I should be glad for all the years I didn't get a ticket for it, right? has nothing to do with self esteem

I ain't saying cyclists should run red lights but the fine they pay should proportionate to the danger they create.

A biker going 20 might hurt a person crossing the street, but is just a likely to cause themselves harm. If you run a light in a car you could easily kill someone and only mess up your bumper.

Not that I would ever go through a light on my bike, but I would be upset if I had to pay the same fine as when I was driving my car.

As a scooter owner I must adhere to the traffic laws of this city and it should be appropriate that bicyclist should adhere to the same rules.

Amish-

I thought your scooter was stolen?

Has your loss put you in denial?