STOP sign ticket

[marshalolson]

fight it all you want, but if you rolled a stop sign you rolled a stop sign.

[FJ62]

580 bucks...man, they are desperate for revenue streams/things-to-do now that they've locked up Randy Quaid.

At the risk of sounding like I haven't matured since junior high school, what happens if you just gave the cops a fake name/nearby address? Or is it now against the law to ride without ID?

[venom600]

Sounds like you broke the rules and got caught. Even if the rules are bogus, you broke them.

Having said that......$580 is ludicrous, definitely overkill.

[smmokan]

I was recently stopped by a cop for doing the exact same thing here in CO, where those of us who aren't giant douches think that smug ass drivers with 9,000 posts who think harassing rider is cool can go fuck off.

This is funny.

I ride a bike- mostly mtn bike, but occasionally I ride it around on paved roads- just like the OP and just like you... here in CO nonetheless. However, I choose to obey the traffic laws because I read every single day in the Daily Camera or the Denver Post about some biker getting crushed by an SUV. Is 3 seconds of your time really worth the extra risk?

And no, I don't harass riders either. Couldn't be farther from the truth.

I completely agree the $580 fine is ridiculous- shouldn't be more than $50.

[lynchdogger]

Not sure about California, but here in Oregon the basic rule is you have to put a foot down at a stop sign. Cops around here won't hassle you for a decent track stand though.

Do go to court...tell the judge you came to a near-complete stop (it would probably be helpful if you saw your computer show 0mph), looked in all directions, and when you saw no traffic, proceeded thru the intersection.

Best case, the cop doesn't show...case dismissed.

If the cop shows, and you sound contrite and not like a douche, judge may well cut the fine and not add the points to your record.

Good luck - $580 sounds pretty steep

+1 to this sensible approach.

Bullshit, ridiculous amount, but the situation is what it is. Fight it but do it in a smart controlled manner. Any CA lawyer mags lurking or know any?

[advres]

You want to hear something even more fucked? My buddy just got a ticket ($250) on his bike at a street light for stopping on the crosswalk waiting for the light. The cop said it was illegal to park on the crosswalk and since his bike took up the whole thing, the foot traffic had to go outside the crosswalk to cross the street. Seriously, on a fucking bicycle he got a ticket for waiting for the light to go green but happened to stop on the crosswalk. But the only reason he DIDN'T blow through the light was because he saw the cop. Talk about irony.

[deliberate]

I got pulled over after going through a red light. Told the cop that my bike doesn't trigger the in-pavement light sensor (which it doesn't) and he told me to be careful and let me go.

[CS]

would you do a rolling stop in a car? why do it on a bike? people who commute on bike and don't fallow the traffic laws piss me the fuck off and give a bad image of the biking community as well.

Who doesn't roll through stop signs, besides my wife?

Ever commuted on a bike? Most annoying thing ever to have to stop at a stop sign when nobody is around and lose all your momentum, especially when riding a single speed.

Oh, and if I do give road cyclists a bad image, I'm ok with that.

[Hugh Conway]

You want to hear something even more fucked? My buddy just got a ticket ($250) on his bike at a street light for stopping on the crosswalk waiting for the light. The cop said it was illegal to park on the crosswalk and since his bike took up the whole thing, the foot traffic had to go outside the crosswalk to cross the street. Seriously, on a fucking bicycle he got a ticket for waiting for the light to go green but happened to stop on the crosswalk. But the only reason he DIDN'T blow through the light was because he saw the cop. Talk about irony.

did you ever take drivers ed? Vehicles are supposed to stop before the crosswalk, so there's zero fucking irony in a bike getting a ticket for a moving violation.

sm159 - is it eligible for traffic school? and sweetjesus where'd the $580 part come from?

[spanky]

I once got a speeding ticket while riding my bicycle

Seriously, I could understand getting a ticket with a reasonable fine for breaking a motor vehicle law while riding a bicycle. But to have points on your insurance/license seems a little excessive.

Do you have to present a driver's license if you get pulled over on a bicycle? I guess a good response to the officer would be, "You think I'd be riding a bicycle if I had a license to drive a car?"

Is being pulled over for traffic violation on bike worse than being pulled over in a car by a bicycle cop?

[zombinate]

I got pulled over after going through a red light. Told the cop that my bike doesn't trigger the in-pavement light sensor (which it doesn't) and he told me to be careful and let me go.

In MN this is legal now, bikes are allowed to proceed after making a "reasonable stop" You need to wait for other cars to clear, and you do need to stop, but if the light doesn't register the 2 pounds of metal on your roadbike, you can then go.

[supermodel159]

would you do a rolling stop in a car? why do it on a bike? people who commute on bike and don't fallow the traffic laws piss me the fuck off and give a bad image of the biking community as well.

The other part I did not mention was the street was covered in a thin layer of gravel aggregate from a near by chip-seal pavement project. I told the officer I would have entered into a complete skid if I would have completely braked and stopped, due to the condition of the road. He stated I should not ride a bike if I felt the roadway was hazardous.

What was great was this morning on my bike to work; I ended up directly behind a squad car at a 4-way stop. And is if I could not have planned it better, two bikers in opposite directions burned through the stop signs, passing directly in front of the squad car…and guess what…nothing happened.

[Conundrum]

I would go to court and hope the judge is cool. Be honest and ask for a reduced sentence. $580 seems steep.

For everyone saying points against a driving record is dumb for a violation and a bike, you should probably keep your bike on the sidewalk. Same road, same rules, same rights, right? Bunch o' hypocrites...

Now luckily, I live in Idaho and stop signs are yields for bikes and red lights are stop signs. And yes, I commute some days.

[DasBlunt]

I would go to court and hope the judge is cool. Be honest and ask for a reduced sentence. $580 seems steep.

For everyone saying points against a driving record is dumb for a violation and a bike, you should probably keep your bike on the sidewalk. Same road, same rules, same rights, right? Bunch o' hypocrites...

Now luckily, I live in Idaho and stop signs are yields for bikes and red lights are stop signs. And yes, I commute some days.

actually, if a bike was registered and insured, then yes it should fuck up ur insurance, but because it is not connected in any way legally with your licence to operate a motor vehicle, you sir are incorrect. This is also regardless of your personal feelings about the rules of the road for bikes.

[Edgnar]

I'm with Smokan on this one. Yea, the fine is absurd, but you are a vehicle when on your bike, you must obey the same rules.

[Conundrum]

actually, if a bike was registered and insured, then yes it should fuck up ur insurance, but because it is not connected in any way legally with your licence to operate a motor vehicle, you sir are incorrect. This is also regardless of your personal feelings about the rules of the road for bikes.

Hey, if you ride a bike and never drive a car, then who cares if you get points on your record. You will never have to pay for those points anyway. If you ride a bike and drive cars, I think points are fair. Insurance companies assign rates based on your driving habits.

One could argue that receiving a traffic citation would be displaying poor driving habits. Poor driving habits are considered risks by the insurance company and that is why people with points on their records pay more for insurance.

The last time I filled out an insurance application, I didn't notice a question that asked which vehicles I displayed risky behavior in and which ones I don't.

So, I stand by my point. If you drive on a public roadway, either follow the rules or don't but be willing to live up to the consequences of your actions.

See what I'm saying about being hypocritical? "Well, I'm allowed to break rules and it shouldn't have the same consequences because I'm on a bike. Doesn't matter that I want to be treated fairly and use the same roads and have the same rights. I'm on a bike dammit. I can behave differently but it should be the same as long as it doesn't cost me when I make a mistake."

I think that the ticket was ridiculous in the first place and he should ask the judge for help. The judge doesn't have to place points on his driving record and probably also has the ability to reduce the fine if he agrees that $580 is steep.

[nickwm21]

I got the same ticket a year ago. It was 260. Went to court to fight it and noticed that the judge was increasing the fine on people who were arguing and complaining instead of pleading innocent or guilty. I plead guilty and he lowered my fine to 120.

[Danno]

The other part I did not mention was the street was covered in a thin layer of gravel aggregate from a near by chip-seal pavement project. I told the officer I would have entered into a complete skid if I would have completely braked and stopped, due to the condition of the road. He stated I should not ride a bike if I felt the roadway was hazardous.

You may think that fact makes your story more sympathetic, but it makes it less. What you seem to be saying, essentially, is that you biked through the stop sign because you couldn't safely/easily stop. The "rolling stop" is acceptable to many precisely because they know that they could safely and easily stop on a dime if conditions warranted.

I do think that bikers need to obey the rules of the road. That said, cars who get ticketed for a safe "California stop" are a waste of a cop's time, IMO, just as bikers. And the fine is definitely excessive.

[marshalolson]

The other part I did not mention was the street was covered in a thin layer of gravel aggregate from a near by chip-seal pavement project. I told the officer I would have entered into a complete skid if I would have completely braked and stopped, due to the condition of the road. He stated I should not ride a bike if I felt the roadway was hazardous.

and what he thought was that you should have been riding slower if you couldn't stop safely at your current speed and were rolling a stop sign.

he probably gave you the steep ticket for the above, to be honest.


if you have never been to traffic court, without question be sure to bring enough cash to pay whatever the fine is that day (usually 50% off), and just plead guilty. you are clearly guilty, the cop knows it and the judge knows it. but they will cut you a ton of slack if you admit it and act like a man, not some whiny little bitch trying to explain away your lack of culpability.

[pointedem]

Hey, if you ride a bike and never drive a car, then who cares if you get points on your record. You will never have to pay for those points anyway. If you ride a bike and drive cars, I think points are fair. Insurance companies assign rates based on your driving habits.

Hands down the stupidest bit of logic I've had the pleasure of reading today.

[MultiVerse]

Each city/municipality does things differently but if you're willing to trade time for cash and time for points on your license then you can typically reduce your fine/points and in all likelihood you'll never have to actually present your case.

The first step is to arrange an initial court date. Often times, this is actually a preliminary hearing where a large group of people fighting traffic violations meet with the prosecutor where they are given the opportunity to accept a plea agreement. Think cattle moving through a stockyard. You can either chose to pay a reduced fine which is often accompanied by a plea in abeyance or chose to confront your accuser at a later date.

The process is time consuming and most people chose to take the deal rather than give up yet another afternoon fighting the ticket. The plea in abeyance is nice because it "allows the court to dismiss your violation upon completion of certain criteria" like paying a reduced fine which then keeps your record clean... the insurance company is never even notified of the violation.

[creaky fossil]

As usual, maggots are quick to make excuses for increasing totalitarianism in America.

Who ever would have thought that people who enjoy gravity sports would be such chickenshits that they want the Po-Po to protect them from themselves?

Not me... at least, not until I read stuff responding to my post about being harassed by a Po-Po about 2 yrs ago.

Apparently a lot of y'all just like The Rules and think The Rules are there to Protect Everyone.

When they're not.

[Conundrum]

Hands down the stupidest bit of logic I've had the pleasure of reading today.

You pay car insurance? It's not a terrible thing to know how the system works so you can circumvent some of the ways they make money on you.

Stupid, clueless, and uncoordinated people are still stupid, clueless and uncoordinated whether they are in a car or on a bike. Like it or not, there are more cars than bikes on the roads and if you want to share that space, deal with the rules. If you break the rules, you get points. Saying that you are special because you are a cyclist and shouldn't have to follow the rules is a whiney bitch move.

You're probably right though. Maybe I should throw on my spando demin capris, grow an ironic mustache and organize a critical mass on craigslist to get more rights for cyclists.

[TBS]

The other part I did not mention was the street was covered in a thin layer of gravel aggregate from a near by chip-seal pavement project. I told the officer I would have entered into a complete skid if I would have completely braked and stopped, due to the condition of the road. He stated I should not ride a bike if I felt the roadway was hazardous.

What was great was this morning on my bike to work; I ended up directly behind a squad car at a 4-way stop. And is if I could not have planned it better, two bikers in opposite directions burned through the stop signs, passing directly in front of the squad car…and guess what…nothing happened.

Well, that blows my earlier defense (of coming to a near-complete stop before proceeding) all to hell. As Danno and Marshal said, you told the cop you were going too fast to stop safely. Sorry, but that wasn't really a smart thing to say.

Telling a judge that you saw other people not get stopped for the same infraction isn't going to help your situation. Be contrite and you will probably see the fine reduced. Maybe you can go to traffic school to keep the points off your insurance.

[supermodel159]

You may think that fact makes your story more sympathetic, but it makes it less. What you seem to be saying, essentially, is that you biked through the stop sign because you couldn't safely/easily stop. The "rolling stop" is acceptable to many precisely because they know that they could safely and easily stop on a dime if conditions warranted.

I do think that bikers need to obey the rules of the road. That said, cars who get ticketed for a safe "California stop" are a waste of a cop's time, IMO, just as bikers. And the fine is definitely excessive.

Actually, in Santa Barbara it would help. Santa Barbara recently has been dealing with (and losing) multiple law suits due hazardous road conditions for bikers and peds.

Either way, I'll just have my day in court and let everyone know the outcome.