Commuting - Police give me ticket, what should I do?

Dear All Biker,

I went out for a ride this morning. I ride up to a traffic light and make a right turn in a residential neighborhood. After looking both ways and make sure I am not blocking the traffic, I move to the left far lane prepare turn left in the next block

By the time I realized there was a motorcycle officer behind me I was already half way through to the intersection so I decided to keep on riding. Well, a few seconds later I heard behind me the sirens coming from the motorcycle police and I thought "What did I do was wrong? ". The police officer yells me to pull over on the side and than he give me a ticket for using the fast lane. He said my bike was going too slow and block the traffic behind me. He also told me go to DMV to find out the rule of riding a bicycle on the street.

On the Violation ticket description section he wrote down “CUC 21966 Bike Lane Use” and circle INFRACTION.

I been driving for over 20 year and always have a good driving record, and the last time I got a driving ticket was more than 10 year ago. This is the first time I received a ticket for riding bicycle on the street, I was so suspire that police will give me ticket for that reason when I though I fellow the rule.

I want to know if this bicycle ticket will go on my driving record?
Do I need to go to traffic school for this ticket?
Which dept should I contact for more detail regarding of this ticket?

Thanks for any input

Los Angeles. City of San Marino

Rick

Dear All Biker,

I went out for a ride this morning. I ride up to a traffic light and make a right turn in a residential neighborhood. After looking both ways and make sure I am not blocking the traffic, I move to the left far lane prepare turn left in the next block

By the time I realized there was a motorcycle officer behind me I was already half way through to the intersection so I decided to keep on riding. Well, a few seconds later I heard behind me the sirens coming from the motorcycle police and I thought "What did I do was wrong? ". The police officer yells me to pull over on the side and than he give me a ticket for using the fast lane. He said my bike was going too slow and block the traffic behind me. He also told me go to DMV to find out the rule of riding a bicycle on the street.

On the Violation ticket description section he wrote down “CUC 21966 Bike Lane Use” and circle INFRACTION.


I'm guessing that's actually CVC, as in california vehicle code, the entirety of which is available online at www.dmv.ca.gov.

I was under the impression that bikes followed the same rules as motor vehicles so your use of the left turn lane should have been perfectly legal.

At any rate, you can probably get off on a technicality anyway 'cause the section you quoted above, if in fact that's what is actually written on the ticket, has nothing to do with left turn lanes, or even bicyclists for that matter.

See for yourself: http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d11/vc21966.htm

"21966. No pedestrian shall proceed along a bicycle path or lane where there is an adjacent adequate pedestrian facility."

Show that to the judge and ask him what it has to do with you making a perfectly legal left-hand turn.

-Trevor

Please continue discussion here: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=69274