STOP sign ticket

[supermodel159]

I got a ticket on my bike commute work this morning for not completely stopping at a 4-way stop. I basically did a hard brake and then rolled through the 4-way, as there were no cars coming in any direction, just the cop behind me I never saw.

Anyone ever try to fight their ticket? In Santa Barbara I believe the ticket is $580, and goes as a moving violation on my driving record...and ups my auto-insurance rates, so I'm going to try to fight it.

[doughboyshredder]

wow, that seems really fucking trivial for a cop to write that kind of a ticket. Lame.

[BigKuba]

I got one of these in elementary school. When San Diego enacted a helmet law all the cool kids kept their helmets on the handlebars. Cops set up shop at an intersection near the school, and everybody hurried to put their helmets on and in the process forgot about the stop sign.

Had to go to traffic school and everything -- the instructor gave us a ton of shit for being delinquents before even being old enough to drive.

[HankScorpio]

That's rediculous. You should absolutely fight that shit. The fact that you got a ticket on a bicycle is absurd. The fact that the ticket was $580 is unbelievable.

I'm not lawyer, but any sensible court should let that slide.

[BushwackerinPA]

easiest way to fight it is to see if there is an actual ordinance stating there should be a stop sign at that corner. At least in pa that works alot of the time. IE there could be a sign but not paper law backing it up.

now my rant

stops signs are the most arcane form of traffic devices know to man. there is no need for them. Other countries such as England get by with basically just yield signs. stop signs arent any safer and actually cause more pollution. If you have the time/money Id fight the actual sign itself.

Next rant

580 freaking dollars! this is just revenue raising. They are not serving or protecting anyone. it taxations without representation. I wouldnt pay it on that ground alone.

[slowroastin]

to serve and protect my ass, i would fight it. its not like you would have rolled through if there was any cars in sight. im sick of the law pretending people cant think for themselves.

[smmokan]

Funny, I was thinking the complete opposite.... good for the cop. There are so many damn bikers around here that run lights and stop signs, if they started giving out more tickets we wouldn't have the bike-vs-car issues that always seem to pop up. Obey the laws of the road just like you would in a car, and it won't happen next time. (sorry for being a douche, but I've seen WAY too many bikers ignore the rules of the road)

[L7]

Argue discrimination! A drunk who lost his license or anyone without a license would not have impact on their license or insurance so there is no reason you should be punished more severely simply for being licensed to drive a car. I never figured out the no need for a license on a bike but we'll screw you on your car license deal.

[BushwackerinPA]

Funny, I was thinking the complete opposite.... good for the cop. There are so many damn bikers around here that run lights and stop signs, if they started giving out more tickets we wouldn't have the bike-vs-car issues that always seem to pop up. Obey the laws of the road just like you would in a car, and it won't happen next time. (sorry for being a douche, but I've seen WAY too many bikers ignore the rules of the road)

the thing is the rules themselves are bullshit.

you dont need stop signs to be safe.

[TBS]

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

[El Chupacabra]

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.

^^^ X2.

I got a ticket for completely blowing through a stop sign in college, and decided I'd fight it. I showed up at traffic court; it was a pro tem judge (lawyer sitting as judge, not full time judge). He read the ticket, asked incredulously "bicycle?" -- and dismissed the ticket, laughing.

[Eluder]

Argue discrimination! A drunk who lost his license or anyone without a license would not have impact on their license or insurance so there is no reason you should be punished more severely simply for being licensed to drive a car. I never figured out the no need for a license on a bike but we'll screw you on your car license deal.

I agree its pretty stupid indeed.

[reidhresko]

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. BUT, the cop was pretty insistent that "we peel kids like you (I'm 32) off the windshields of cars everyday." His reasoning was that if you chose to ride on the road, you are subject to the traffic rules just like any car, thus we must follow said rules. There were no cars anywhere in sight (cop was hiding behind some bushes off the road) and he was not particularly sympathetic to my claims of not having endangered anyone due to the complete lack of vehicular traffic. Fines here are only $100 and I am not really sure there is any way you can legitimately fight this, since you were in the road, but it still sucks. Now, instead of just looking for cars to make sure everything is fine before I blow through a stop sign, I now also have to look for pigs hiding behind bushes. Am I, are you, any safer? No, but then again, keeping us safe is not really the express function of the fuzz.

[TBS]

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. BUT, the cop was pretty insistent that "we peel kids like you (I'm 32) off the windshields of cars everyday." His reasoning was that if you chose to ride on the road, you are subject to the traffic rules just like any car, thus we must follow said rules. There were no cars anywhere in sight (cop was hiding behind some bushes off the road) and he was not particularly sympathetic to my claims of not having endangered anyone due to the complete lack of vehicular traffic. Fines here are only $100 and I am not really sure there is any way you can legitimately fight this, since you were in the road, but it still sucks. Now, instead of just looking for cars to make sure everything is fine before I blow through a stop sign, I now also have to look for pigs hiding behind bushes. Am I, are you, any safer? No, but then again, keeping us safe is not really the express function of the fuzz.

Interesting diatribe. Unfortunately for you, the cop was right - bicycles have the same rights and obligations as any other vehicle on the road.

Instead of looking for "pigs hiding behind bushes", why don't you just follow the law? That way you don't get tickets nor give a bad name to the rest of us who try to get along with motor vehicles.

Or, work to change the law, like cyclists did in Idaho - they gained the right to roll thru stop signs under certain circumstances.

[toast2266]

^^^ X2.

I got a ticket for completely blowing through a stop sign in college, and decided I'd fight it. I showed up at traffic court; it was a pro tem judge (lawyer sitting as judge, not full time judge). He read the ticket, asked incredulously "bicycle?" -- and dismissed the ticket, laughing.

X3

While I haven't personally had the pleasure, I've had some some friends in your situation. The judge (apparently) lectured the cops to stop wasting the court's time with this trivial bullshit.

[kidwoo]

SM: you're a horrible person and you must be stopped.


Reid: you'll understand when you're older

[noparking]

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.

[smoothious]

.

Or, work to change the law, like cyclists did in Idaho - they gained the right to roll thru stop signs under certain circumstances.

For 26 years Idaho has made it work.

http://www.bicyclelaw.com/road-right...-sign-solution

[kidwoo]

would you do a rolling stop in a car?

NEVER!!!



















EVER!!!

[stevesmith7]

I once got a ticket for rolling through a stop sign at a tee intersection on a bike in CA. I was going across the top of the tee. I asked if I got too many bike tickets they would make me drive my car to work?

BTW, the cop told me it didn't count against my driving record and because it was a bike some of the usual surcharges didn't apply. It was around $30, but this was 30 years ago.

[dynodonkeyaltabird]

$580!!!!!!!!!!! good lord.

and really, who doesn't do rolling stops on a bike? i do them daily in a car...

[north20]

I got a ticket for the same thing about 15 years ago ... slowly rolled through the red making a right hand turn following some contractor's huge rig doing the same. Motor cop stopped me and ignored the truck that preceded me. When I asked about the truck, the officer stated "Forget the truck - being reckless like you were will get you killed". All righty then.

I went to court to fight it; admitted that I rolled slowly through but questioned the wisdom of letting a multi ton rig do the same. The judge asked the cop about the truck, cop hesitated a bit too long and the judge reduced the fine to a slap on the wrist. Maybe $15. Then told the cop that he better never think about perjuring himself in that court again.

The entire "ordeal" was worth watching the arrogant prick officer get knocked down a couple of pegs. Getting the ticket reduced was just icing.

[DasBlunt]

That's ridiculous. You should absolutely fight that shit. The fact that you got a ticket on a bicycle is absurd. The fact that the ticket was $580 is unbelievable.

I'm not lawyer, but any sensible court should let that slide.

580, fuck that, tell them you want the equivalent jail time just for kicks.....that is a sickness fine.

[DasBlunt]

i would have made up a name. they dont need to see ID while riding a bike.

[keipow]

i would have made up a name. they dont need to see ID while riding a bike.

Would there be a thread asking for criminal lawyer recommendations about a "friend" allegedly lying to the police regarding personal identity after this?