bklyn74

I sure did! In fact I got three tickets in total on Saturday. One for "failure to stay right" (a totally bogus pretext for pulling me over), one for no bell and one for no reflectors. A miserable experience and I noticed the police were pulling cyclists over left and right when I went back out on Sunday to ride River Road.

I plan to fight them and I think they'll get thrown out. Hoping everyone else does the same because we'll probably all have the same court date.

dendawg

Ticket blitz by Ft Lee started a couple of weeks ago.
https://nycc.org/message-board/warnin...side-gwb/57323
https://forums.roadbikereview.com/new...wb-283387.html
Looks like you'll have lots of company

Needs

They were there yesterday by 9 AM as well. I came back from an early run up River Road and back down 9W and made the exact turn that everyone is getting ticketed for right in front of the police car. Luckily for me, he was already ticketing someone else, but I had no idea until I saw this thread what the ticket was for. I have to imagine that 99% of people who ride 9W to the GWB have made that exact turn. I'm sure you won't be the only one contesting the ticket. What a lousy way to extort municipal revenue from non-residents.

v70cat

Yes it seems that making a left turn in Fort Lee is illegal? The bike groups should fund a class action suit over the harassment and sue.

bklyn74

I think I may just make it a rule to take River Road back to the bridge from here on out. My legs are just going to have to suck it up for the little extra up and down.

v70cat

Fighting the ticket in front of a local traffic judge, is like going to a kangaroo court.

aixaix 

If you are familiar with the Ft. Lee courts (I'm not), and basing your statement on experience, then you could be right. If you are stating a general rule about local court treatment of traffic violations, you are wrong. Some judges rubber-stamp traffic tickets but many do not. It would be silly not to contest a ticket because you believe the fix is always in. It isn't. I've seen judges throw out tickets & even get annoyed at the cops who wrote them. Bicycle ticketing is an area where the police are rarely up to speed on the law and often make mistakes.
Even if you lose, you don't risk much by fighting it, though the time lost is a nuisance. It is good to make them work for their money: if enough riders fight tickets, the cops, et al may come to see that ticketing cyclists for no good reason will not add to the revenue stream.

cks

No bell and reflectors? seriously?

What are the fines for those?

zacster

I always found River Rd to be easier heading back to the bridge, so it won't be too bad.

Needs

I agree, except for the last short but rather steep climb up Hudson Terrace, where the choices are a too narrow sidewalk bike lane that folks bomb from the other direction at 30+ mph or the street where drivers get annoyed when they're stuck behind me huffing uphill at 6 mph.

Seems what they want people to do, judging from the NYCC website, is ride to the stoplight past the bridge, wait for the walk signal, essentially use the crosswalk to pull a U turn, and then turn right onto the bridge. Ridiculous, but I'll probably do that at least if I see a car parked in the GWB service road (IIRC, the police car on Sunday was unmarked).

v70cat

I am not familiar with the local court but I do think the police were directed to undertake the harassment action by the local officials. It is also clear that they are singling out riders coming (or going) from out of state.

d.vader123

I don't know what the cost of the fine is, but it's the law to have a bell and reflector. Yeah, I know it sounds silly, but it doesn't matter...we, as cyclist, are required to have them. Personally, I wish more cyclist rang a bell instead of yelling "On your left!" just before zipping by me. That phrase is something many pedestrians won't understand. Do cyclist mean that I go to my left or are they coming on my left side? The reflector and light is absolutely necessary. I am surprised not many cyclist carry these items, especially at night.

The "illegal" turn, I hope, gets thrown out because the flpd didn't seem to understand the rules for that, but I don't think the bell and reflector violations will get overturned. Just mho.

Vonruden

Where are the NJ bike laws posted? I wasn't aware of the Bell and reflector laws.

zacster

Just because the police WANT you to make a turn a certain way doesn't make it a law. They are only supposed to enforce the laws, not make them up.

Bacciagalupe

https://www.state.nj.us/transportatio...gulations.shtm

Bell is required (but obviously not enforced), reflectors/lights are only required at night.

zacster

And I was just looking at my wedge bag under my seat, and it has reflective tape on it, so it could be considered a reflector in the absence of the plastic ones.

unterhausen

I've never seen a reflector law that required a reflector at any time other than dusk to dawn, so that should be fought. The bell laws are ridiculous, but I just bought a bell for my road bike because I ride in New Jersey and New York occasionally, and they both require bells. There are some really small bells.

v70cat

It does not say anything about reflectors?

d.vader123

Here's what it says.
39:4-10 Lights on Bicycles.
When in use at nighttime every bicycle shall be equipped with: 1) A front headlamp emitting a white light visible from a distance of at least 500 feet to the front; 2) A rear lamp emitting a red light visible from a distance of at least 500 feet to the rear; 3) In addition to the red lamp a red reflector may be mounted on the rear.

But I stand corrected. It appears that a reflector is optional, but the front and rear light is required at night.

As for the bell, I don't know why people think it's ridiculous. Cyclists, especially those that ride way too fast need them. And even then it's really not enough because of the speed at which some of them ride. If a cyclist is passing a pedestrian at a high speed, then screaming "On your left!" or ringing a bell won't do much. However, if a cyclist is going at a reasonable speed, then calling out your presence gives pedestrians ample time to turn (a natural instinct) and see where you are coming from and move out of the way. There were many instances where I turn only to realize that the cyclists was already passing me. That is dangerous, irresponsible, and downright rude.

I do wish the bell law was enforced. People I know who thinks it's silly usually mean that it looks silly to have a cute bell on a fancy $10,000 bike. Well, it doesn't matter how it makes you or your bike look. It's necessary for your safety and the safety of those around you.

Bacciagalupe

Seems more like you just need something, but only at night. So that part of the ticket should get thrown out.


Sound travels at 768mph. I don't believe it travels slower because you yell as opposed to ringing a bell.

A bell is very useful if I'm on the D&R Canal, kinda pointless if I'm on 9W. And unlike lights at night, I seriously doubt many accidents could be avoided because of a bell.

zowie

They give a lot of no-bell tix in NYC. I find the bell useful on bike paths where I get sick of calling out as I approach joggers.

I'd make sure I check all local laws before making assumptions about what is and isn't required. For example, Rockland County requiring helmets for adults when most of NY doesn't.

zowie

This harassment of cyclists seems to be part of a bigger policy. If you look in the NJ papers, Ft. Lee has twice been sued by neighboring towns for closing the local roads -- which I think are COUNTY roads - to cars driven by people who don't live or work in Ft. Lee to prevent people from gaining access to the GWB other than on the Interstates. It looked like they settled the lawsuit brought by Leonia by letting just Livonia drivers into Ft. Lee. I find this outrageous.

Here is the email form for the NJ Attorney General if anyone wants to give it a try.

https://www.nj.gov/lps/formmail.htm

zacster

Bells are generally useless on a bike. Drivers won't hear them in a closed car. Pedestrians pay no attention. I have one of those tiny ding-ding bells on my commuter and never think to use it. My road bike weighs 16 pounds, but I still have all those accessories on it. What would one more tiny bell do other than save me from a ticket?

v70cat

I think that they are targeting riders head out of state, is a constraint on interstate trade and is unconsttutional.

Bacciagalupe

I've never gotten a bell ticket in NYC; what's likely is that when they zing you for one thing, they tack on the bell infraction.

I'm not saying bells are useless. I'm saying that mandating a bell is over-reach. (Whereas mandating lights at night is not.)