beeftech

Because the laws were not written for us cyclists, they were written for cars.
I hardly ever come to a complete stop anywhere, it's a massive loss of momentum. If I don't have to, I wont stop, but I always at least yield and look.

blondetigers

wait, i thought cyclists can just YIELD at stop signs, not stop. we're technically above pedestrians so we have right away compared to automobiles.

AEO

where do you live?

most of america and canada has it listed like so:
pedestrian > vehicle (bike falls under vehicle category)

mikeee

owned, heres a tip, next time bust a right turn at stop signs and then do a U turn around and head right again.

dsh

But you're still required by law to stop at stop signs, even if you're turning right...

This would just get him like 3 tickets instead of one.

Ken Cox

I received a $271 ticket for making a rolling right turn from bike lane to bike lane.

I had seen the police officer before arriving at the intersection and I even made eye contact with him and nodded to him.

I figured I spent as much time in the stop zone as a car, and that unclipping and putting a foot down required a lot more energy and time from me than it would for a car.

I pleaded guilty and sent a check and a letter to the judge.

I said I respected the law and did not realize that the police would enforce that specific stop law as stringently as they did, but now I knew and I would make sure it never happened again.

The judge returned my $271 to me with the instruction that it had better not happen again.

mikeee

so does this ticket apply to bikers making left turns in the car lane?

eMXiMeR

Negative, pedestrians = movement by foot. It's ridiculous to say bicycles get the right of way in every situation, if that's the case then you should have to ride on the sidewalks.

CaptainCool

The ticket applies to the OP. The reason is cruising through a stop sign. Lanes and turns make no difference.

dsh

I've always found it ridiculous that rolling for a full 3 seconds at 2mph is illegal, while flying up to the stop sign, slamming on the brakes, and then roaring off immediately satisfies the law.

LupinIII

don't run stop signs

not as bull**** as a story i heard of here in Davis, CA. someone got a ticket for running a stop sign when they were trackstanding. apparently it didn't count as a stop because a foot never touched the ground. at their court date the judge was basically "i don't have time for this ****" and they had to pay somewhere around 270 iirc.

pedalpedalpedal

More like this guy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzBzdPkd58g

Anyways, I understand that if cyclists want privileges of motor vehicles (riding on the road, etc), it's only fair to receive the same punishments, but I guess since we're slower and smaller it doesn't seem right to get charged just as much as a 1500-lb chunk of metal w/ at least 100 hp

dsh

Ok but what about my truck which is a 1500 lbs chunk of metal with LESS than 100 hp?

pacificaslim

Actually, a bicycle is not considered a "vehicle" by the state of California. It's considered a human powered "device". Not all "vehicle" laws apply to bicycles. Stops signs do though!

CVC 231. A bicycle is a device upon which any person may ride, propelled
exclusively by human power through a belt, chain, or gears, and having
one or more wheels. Persons riding bicycles are subject to the provisions
of this code specified in Sections 21200 and 21200.5.

untwisted

For real? I would think he could have argued out of that one. I regularly trackstand at stop signs, and have even done so in front of police (in Santa Cruz, CA). It seems silly that you'd need to have a foot on the ground to consider it a full stop. Lame.

LupinIII

yeah, apparently

i usually have to put a foot down anyways. I was standing for a while waiting for a car to go, but they were freaking out since I was on the pedals but not really going anywhere. I stumbled and almost fell, then they floored it across the interection. wtf

mondaycurse

Me too. I live in a residential block and stupid me, I thought I wouldn't be woken by cars at night. But sure enough, every stop sign has some blasty-ass truck/ricer "Vrrrrrrrroooomm, SCREECH!!!!!! Vrrrrrrrrrrrrooooooooomm."

LoRoK

I remember the last time this forum was talking about a "footdown" ticket, and someone said something along the lines of motorists don't have to open their car doors and put their foot on the ground, why should we? There is no ****ing way I would let some judge say that he didn't have time to deal with this **** and make me pay a fine. **** that. I would eat that judge's babies.

NinetiesKid

I got a ticket in Gainesville,FL for flying through a stop sign. Potentially a $128 ticket. However, because so many people ride bikes at UF without an understanding of the bicycle laws, there is a class for first offenders that waives the cost of the ticket. I think it was about 2 hours or so, the clerk gave me some guff because they were about to change the rule, so you couldn't waive the cost of the ticket, but it all worked out in the end. It was open to anyone, but had I not been a student, I wouldn't have known. If there is a large bicycling population of college students near you, something similar may exist.

untwisted

Emphasis on one... I fail to see how a single wheeled (or any number > 2 wheeled) device is a bicycle. Maybe I'm just being pedantic.

milkcratebasket

Im not too sure where you live, but I got a $107 ticket for not having a rear light and have never paid it. I don't have a DL so they can't "come after me for it". However if I were to apply for a DL I would have to pay it but I don;t plan on doing that.

Fugazi Dave

In Denton, TX, one night our entire group ride got pulled over for running a stop sign on a deserted street on campus at 10:00 at night. The first 20 riders all got written warnings. The same cop gave my girlfriend a $250 citation for running the same stop sign another time. The prosecutor at the courthouse laughed and threw it out as soon as it was noted that she was on a bicycle.

University cops may well be the worst of all. They've got so little to do and want to feel like big, powerful men they've got to flex their muscles with stupid **** like ****ing with cyclists.

gelpicorp

i figured the laws were written to keep the users of the roadways acting in a uniformly accepted manner thereby ensuring safety for all users.

problems are caused by vehicles (or devices or pedestrians) not following the rules.

why would it be and should it be any different for a cyclist? I do not come from a cyclist friendly city. In fact I often see why people do not respect the cyclists here. Most of the ones i see do not follow the traffic laws. they don't stop, they run out in front of cars nearly causing wrecks because the car has to slam to stop, at their own green light. they ride in on coming traffic. they dick around in the busy neighborhoods with no care or bit of attention paid.

yet, cycists begs for the same rights to space and road usage and respect. you can't pray with one hand and flip someone off with the other.

i think the OP has it right. man up and follow through. best case is he gets a break cut, but ultimately he does his traffic obedience like he should.

i sure as hell haven't made an illegal right turn on red since my ticket.

gelpicorp

i do agree with this ... campus cops are the worst, getting your skateboards "impounded", cycling through the grass, locking your bike up to anything but the approved bike locks. they are the regular police force rejects and need to take it out on someone.

igknighted

Is this written into law anywhere? There is no way if the law doesn't explicitly say this that you could be forced to pay that fine.