Advocacy & Safety - Traffic Violations

Has anyone been ticketed for Erratic Driving (Riding)?
How about DUI/DWI on a bike? Come on , fess up.

Nearly 30 years ago I was ticketed for going through a red light. That was in Toronto. Here in Montreal several times I have been at red lights with a police car, and I went through after I had checked for no traffic in the other direction - no reaction from the police car. Maybe I have been lucky - but if they ticket me I will accept it with good grace. I went past a radar speed trap on Cote des Neiges hill well over the speed limit, they just smiled and waved.

I got a speeding ticket once for doing 45 in a 25. cop thought it was funny, i didn't.

cheers
kat

I was pulled over with a group one night for running multiple stop signs. I didn't agree with running them, but when your in a pack you kinda have to go with the flow. No tickets were issued just a stern warning not to do it again.

I don't ride with that club anymore for that reason.

I got a ticket for not making a complete stop at a stop sign last May. Someone else I know got a ticket for 'improper use of a bicycle seat' around the same time.

"Improper use of a bicycle seat"? I have to ask..... Why? What was that person doing?

There is an Industrial suburb of Kansas City, MO. that does give citations for running red lights, stop signs and eratic "driving" so they probably would for DWI. I personally have never had the pleasure of receiving one, although I have been warned and know someone that was cited.

"Improper use of a bicycle seat"? I have to ask..... Why? What was that person doing?

ooo, that makes me mad! Twas a friend of mind who received the erratic driving cite. i hope he fights it. On a separate he made the mistake of drunkenly standing up for others civil rights @ a sobriety checkpt, in parma, OH (cleveland), argued with the cops, refused to blow, and was ticketed for dui and resisting arrest. He went to court and ended up with disorderly conduct, I believe. Still, his driver's license is suspended for a year because he refused the breathalizer: even though he wasn't driving a motor vehicle. Bulls**t!

He never drives, anyway. But still! Think he can fight the suspension?

go by bike!

ORS 814.470 Failure to use bicycle seat; penalty. (1) A person commits the offense of failure to use a bicycle seat if the person is operating a bicycle and the person rides other than upon or astride a permanent and regular seat attached to the bicycle.

(2) The offense described in this section, failure to use bicycle seat, is a Class D traffic violation. [1983 c.338 §706]

If the cops wanted to harass you, they could cite you for this if you were standing and pedaling, which is, I believe, what happened.

I got a ticket for riding on a side walk. I was going about 2 mph behind a couple guys walking in front of me. This was on my college campus. I figured hell I'm not gonna walk the bike plus I saw the cops on the road up ahead and thought nothing of it. btw now there are signs on campus that say bike riding on sidewalks is permitted.

On another note I got a ticket while driving from a cop on a bike. Made a rite on red where you are not suposed too. Some people around here call them copcycles I call them bikepigs :p

The police here never book cyclists for anything, except for not wearing a helmet. I have never heard of anyone I know even getting a verbal warning or otherwise. The police are too busy busting drivers for speeding to worry about a few cyclists.

CHEERS.

Mark

The police are too busy busting drivers for speeding to worry about a few cyclists.

Can we have some of your police please? I reckon if you caught and fined every speeding Gold Coast driver in a single day, you'd generate enough revenue to abolish taxation in this country completely for just about the rest of our lives. I am not exaggerating.



I got a speeding ticket once for doing 45 in a 25. cop thought it was funny, i didn't.

It's actually my ambition to get a speeding ticket on a bike. If it ever happens, I'll pay the fine on the spot, then get the ticket framed and hung on my wall. If not, can I have yours?

About 25 years ago a police car used their bull horn to warn me that I was exceeding the speed limit, but they didn’t stop me maybe because at the moment they did that I was turning down a side street. It was a 25 mph zone and I must have been doing near 35 mph with the down hill.
As for police radar on a bike, I don’t think it works. I have tried to check my cyclometers speed readings against the radar display that is placed on streets to check your speedometers. The radar jumps all over the place. I figure that this is because the spokes on my bike are the primary reflectors of the radar and the top of the wheel is traveling twice the speed of you bike and the bottom is stationary. Every thing else is in-between. This doesn’t happen with an automobile because it is a huge reflector compared to its wheels.

As for police radar on a bike, I don’t think it works. I have tried to check my cyclometers speed readings against the radar display that is placed on streets to check your speedometers. The radar jumps all over the place. I figure that this is because the spokes on my bike are the primary reflectors of the radar and the top of the wheel is traveling twice the speed of you bike and the bottom is stationary. Every thing else is in-between. This doesn’t happen with an automobile because it is a huge reflector compared to its wheels.

That's strange -- I've conducted this very experiment myself, and the radar was fairly constant, although it didn't pick the speed up fully from any distance.

Only ticket I ever got on a bicycle was for doing 35 in a 25 school zone about 25 years ago. The judge had a good laugh and threw it out!

Chris L: I am intrerested that the radar worked with you. My frame and fork are carbon and that may be the difference. It is a 2,003 Trek 5200. What is yours?

No ticket but got let go with a warning for 50MPH in a 35MPH zone while descending a long 10% grade hill. I blew past the cop who everyone else was pacing without realising what kind of car it was. I claimed I didn't want to risk brake fade at the bottom which was a T-intersection and that my rims were heated enough just from slowing down from him pulling me over. He believed me after touching my rim and nearly burning his finger.

As for police radar on a bike, I don’t think it works.

I was riding down a road here in Nashville and when I came around the curve, there was a cop with his radar gun standing outside his car. As I was approaching, he said "come on, can't you go a little faster than 22 mph so I can help finish my quota up and laughed." He was just teasing, but he hit it right on. My speedometer showed the same speed.

Chris L: I am intrerested that the radar worked with you. My frame and fork are carbon and that may be the difference. It is a 2,003 Trek 5200. What is yours?

That's probable. I'm not actually sure what my frame is, or at least, was on the bike I used to ride through the radar. I'm pretty sure carbon wasn't a factor, however.

Got a speeding ticket for 43 in a 25, after motorpacing a buddy on a motorcycle. Yeah, we were trolling for speeding tickets that day. The judge tossed the ticket. I think he did not believe I could go that fast.

The local cops use radar stands which display your speed, and they seem to give accurate readings. The biggest radar reflector on a bicycle is the engine. Radar will bounce off anything conductive, including bags of saline water.

To avoid cycling issues going on my driver's license, I carry a state issued ID card. Got it from the driver's license office, but it is not tied to it.

I got a ticket for riding on a side walk. I was going about 2 mph behind a couple guys walking in front of me. This was on my college campus. I figured hell I'm not gonna walk the bike plus I saw the cops on the road up ahead and thought nothing of it. btw now there are signs on campus that say bike riding on sidewalks is permitted.

On another note I got a ticket while driving from a cop on a bike. Made a rite on red where you are not suposed too. Some people around here call them copcycles I call them bikepigs :p

someone mention bikepigs?:

someone mention bikepigs?:
AHHHaahahahha

lol

awe jeese

<snip>It's actually my ambition to get a speeding ticket on a bike. If it ever happens, I'll pay the fine on the spot, then get the ticket framed and hung on my wall. If not, can I have yours?

actually i didn't paid it. i was a minor at the time (11 years old) and i don't recall ever doing anything about it. in fact i think i ripped it up and threw it out cause i was P.O.'d that i got it in the first place. hmmm wonder if i still have that on record.... never came up when i went to get my license at 16 so i'm guessing it's disappeared.... ??? who knows.

cheers
kat

actually i didn't paid it. i was a minor at the time (11 years old) and i don't recall ever doing anything about it. in fact i think i ripped it up and threw it out cause i was P.O.'d that i got it in the first place. hmmm wonder if i still have that on record.... never came up when i went to get my license at 16 so i'm guessing it's disappeared.... ??? who knows.

You know someone's gonna dig it up if you ever decide to run for public office. ;)

I got a "too fast for conditions" citation from a SC State Trooper. He claimed I was riding too fast on a bike path. The judge threw it out when I testified, and the trooper agreed, there was no other pathway traffic at the time. The pathways have a "as conditions require" speed limit.

I've had to deal with rental customers that have recieved various citations such as double file riding, wrong side of the road, left of center, dangerous operation of a bicycle, running stop signs, and running a red light. Then I've had rental customers get arrested for open container, DUI, disorderly conduct, and endanering a minor.

Heh, I had one ticket on a bike, as a kid...reckless driving.

He caught me getting air off of one of the very weird curbs they had near the police station. the curb had a gently sloped edge, but shrp enoug angle that if you hit it fast enough you could get a good 12-15 feet horizontal distance if you have proper technique. He saw this, and didn't like it one bit...about two blocks down, I got pulled over lights and all, bullhorn blaring. Needless to say he cited me, and made me take my front wheel off to transport hte bike home, where he told my parents what happened (woulda just rather had antoher ticket...jeez...).

In the end the judge threw it out...a 14 year old should not be getting tickets...especially for "reckless driving"....key word "driving"....not riding :D

I wish I had the ticket still...we used it as tinder on a camping trip. I thought it was appropriate at the time since we had mostly pork as hte meat of choice for that trip. :p

This thread died a tragic death 2 months ago let us grieve in peace.

This thread died a tragic death 2 months ago let us grieve in peace.

:lol: :roflmao:

Can I use that one?

:lol: :roflmao:

Can I use that one?
By all means

I came close this past weekend. After having lost my job I needed to blow off steam, so I consumed 3 32oz High Life Lites, loaded my backpack with fireworks and headed out on my bike with my friend in tow. Fireworks are very illegal in our city and there were TONS of parties going on that night, so I was riding around lighting them off and then taking off on the cops... we had about 6 or 7 different units coming after us at times but we got away no problem... thanks to some parking lots and shortcuts. So I guess I didn't get a ticket, but I came close. Its funny because there were about 200 people at one of the houses we passed and I'm sure 1/2 of them were underage but the cops cared more about bottle rockets.

Apparently some others can't check dates or read for that matter. Eh ol' Posture-pedic one?

Let it go Raiyn, it isn't really a big deal.

I work at Vancouver International Airport and the airport allows bike to ride airside on approved bike areas. Trouble is, my locker area is not on an approved bike area. What I usually do after I pass the security check point is put one foot on a peadle and slowly coast the 60 feet to my locker room door. These 60 feet are on a walkway that is enclosed by concrete barriers. It takes me all of (at most) 60 seconds to do this and the biggest reason I do this is because I wear slick road shoes with Look cleats and walking on them is relatively unstable and wears the cleats down. I get airside traffic violation tickets for this all the time. I could just walk, but the penalty is miniscule. The airport security guys just get all worked up about it. I just laugh at the concern these guys have to catch me 10 feet from my door rolling at about 2 kmh. like I'm breaking the biggest rule in the book and someday, by doing this, I'm going to kill myself.

...my locker area is not on an approved bike area. What I usually do after I pass the security check point is put one foot on a peadle and slowly coast the 60 feet to my locker room door...The airport security guys just get all worked up about it. I just laugh at the concern these guys have to catch me 10 feet from my door rolling at about 2 kmh. like I'm breaking the biggest rule in the book and someday, by doing this, I'm going to kill myself.
Funny how people get worked up about small things and let the bigger things slide (like trucks barrelling down the freeway at 80 mph.)

One guy who has given me a couple of tickets I've seen riding his "security" bike on the wrong side of the road against oncoming traffic, and he thinks I'm the one being dangerous.

The first time someone officially exceeded the (at the time) national 55 mph speed limit at the Human Powered Vehicle Association time trials, a California Highway Patrol officer presented the rider with a ceremonial traffic citation.

I got a speeding ticket once for doing 45 in a 25. cop thought it was funny, i didn't.

If I ever got a speeding ticket on my bike, I'd frame it over my workbench in the garage.

"Yeah, I was doing 45, and here's the proof."

Of course, this would be after putting much effort into being found, "Not Guilty."