Advocacy & Safety - Yet another NYC critical mass ticket

I just got ticketed last night for failure to have a light. WHile their tactics are repugnant, this offense actually does have a bit of legitimacy, especially compared to their "failure to keep right" BS.

Does anyone know if this is correctible? Can I get a light and show it to someone somewhere? Somebody told me that it was, but I don't know the details (deadline, where, etc).

Thanks!

I think that only works for insurance, where you can show your proof of insurance to the court (pre-dating the ticket, of course) to get the ticket dismissed.

Whether you have a light at home doesn't matter if you were ticketed for riding without it.

no, it is equivalent to having a broken light on your car. If you get it fixed the next day or so, they will throw out the ticket. buying a light = fixing it.

no, it is equivalent to having a broken light on your car. If you get it fixed the next day or so, they will throw out the ticket. buying a light = fixing it.

That's because a broken headlight is something that could have happened just moments before the ticket. The goal of the ticket (or warning) in that case isn't to punish you for getting your headlight broken (an occurence which is usually beyond your control); it is to make sure you to fix it right away.

Leaving your bike light at home is different because you are choosing to breaking the law.


Regardless, I agree that there are probably better things the NYPD could be doing with their manpower. :)

Thanks for the replies. For posterity: the cops either couldn't or didn't forgive the ticket after I showed them my new lights. Apparently, the motor vehicle code requiring lights is different from the relevant bicycle-related statute.

Unless they are lying jerks and full of doodoo, which is not beyond the realm of possibility.

If you wanted to do something good for the world of bicycling, you could have argued that the CPSC made you believe that their reflector system was supposed to be sufficient for using your bike at night (this is assuming you have all of your CPSC reflectors in place). Once you've argued that, reference the law and the many cyclists' deaths at night while riding with no lights and get the CPSC to mandate that all new bikes come equipped with real lights (removeable of course). May or may not get you out of a ticket though.

Why exactly were you riding at night without lights anyway?

Do they regularly give tickets for no lights? Or only in cases when the rider is on a CM ride?

If they gave tickets for riding with no lights here, I would be the only cyclist riding at night. no exaggeration!

If you wanted to do something good for the world of bicycling, you could have argued that the CPSC made you believe that their reflector system was supposed to be sufficient for using your bike at night
Saying and believing something as stupid as that in court would only show that he is either a believer in John Forester fairy tales or an ignorant jackass, or both.

I never said he actually had to believe it. But, there are a ton of "jackasses" riding around my neighborhood and in Ocean City, NJ where I just got back from. They sorta inspired my post.

I never said he actually had to believe it. But, there are a ton of "jackasses" riding around my neighborhood and in Ocean City, NJ where I just got back from. They sorta inspired my post.
Let me know when someone other than a client of John Forester ever "argued" or suggested in a legal proceeding that CPSC reflectors are the same as lights or that they don't know the difference. Because people don't use lights doesn't mean they doesn't know what they are.

You chose to break the law and they called you on it.