d_wilks

I recently got a ticket for riding brakeless and the bail amount is nearly $200. The officer said i can have any other officer sign off the ticket if i installed brake(s). Though this was said by the ticketing officer, the notice in the mail says i dont need to appear in court and to just pay the bail amount. if i follow the officers instructions will my ticket bail amount be reduced to a fix it ticket?

d_wilks

By the way, i live in California.

wphamilton

I know less than nothing about CA traffic law, but there's no way I'd pay bail and skip the court appearance. If you meant "fine" rather than bail then maybe but I still don't think I'd trust it, even less so for some kind of "fix it". I'd get brakes on it, get an officer to sign off if possible (but I don't know exactly what that means either, go up to a cop and say please sign this??), or pictures and a shop invoice if not, and take that all into court and ask for lenience.

d_wilks

Yeah, personally i think the cop made a few errors. I'm thinking of just appearing on the court date with proof that I installed brakes. Defintely confusing though on the process of having another cop sign it off.. An annoying process all together..

SpeshulEd 

I wonder if the cop would even show up in court? Might be able to plead not guilty with no contest or however that works.

You might want to find someone who knows more about this type of stuff. If you're in college, you might be able to get some free legal advice from someone associated with the school.

Leukybear 

Fix it tickets are easy, no need to pay the fine, just fix it and be done with.
They usually work by having an appointment or walking in at the issuing PD office and requesting the ticket be signed off by a police clerk or inspector after having vehicle inspected by said person with corrected faults to make road worthy as following laws (i.e. with brakes installed).
Once signed off you might be able to hand it in or complete the paperwork to mail it in depending on the department.

loverrellik

A law really exists that you need certain types of brakes on a bike? It seems a little odd that this is justified on just bikes as there are many other modes of man powered transpo. that do not have non-man powered brakes (i.e. roller blades, skate boards, uni-cycles,....). Anybody else live in a state with these laws?

prooftheory

Almost all of us.

David Broon 

This.

It's generally used as a reckless cycling ticket for guys bombing on their sw8 fixays.

d_wilks

I shall appear to court then. Thanks guys!

bones_mcbones

No man, just go to the PD with a brake on your bike. Done-zo

d_wilks

That will expunge the ticket bail amount?

bones_mcbones

They will expunge the **** out of it. that's the point of a fix it ticket, you fix it, they expunge.

d_wilks

Even if the ticket has "correctable violation" checked no? I'm just gonna try going to the PD as you said and if all else fails.. Court appearance it is

bones_mcbones

If it's not correctable, it's not correctable. Pay the fine.

d_wilks

I dont get why the cop said i could fix it then.. How ********

Tel0004

What does the ticket look like? Is it a Citation, or a Mechanical ticket?

if it looks like this:

Then you can fix it. If its a citation, you can fight it or pay it.

TRac

Please tell us the outcome because I live in California too and often ride brake less.

SlamThatStemBRO

Fix it tickets are no problem. They are expunged when you get them fixed. In California the law says:

21201. (a) No person shall operate a bicycle on a roadway unless it is equipped with a brake which will enable the operator to make one braked wheel skid on dry, level, clean pavement.

Don't bother trying to argue that your legs can lock up the rear wheel on a fixed gear, it won't work. Just install some brakes, go to the police station with the bike and the ticket, get an officer to sign it and mail that to the courts.

TRac

Yah but the op said he didn't know if it was a fix it ticket and anyways that's what I would plan on doing. But for fear of jinxing myself and getting cited tomorrow I will not say "but we don't get too many cops around here."

Rootman

I hope the OP gets his bike fixed and avoids the ticket, there seems to be a lot more things that need a ticket than this.

A guy I occasionally meet said he met a cop on the MUP one day, he was just hanging with the guy, he was just starting out on bike patrol, was fat and sweaty from exertion so the rider figured he enjoyed the brief break. The cop looked funny at his bike and asked about the brakes as he didn't see any. The riders bike had disk brakes, he proceeded to explain about them and was surprised when he whipped out his ticket book and started to write a citation. WTF! This cop could just NOT understand about disk brakes, he figured if he didn't see rim brakes the bike had none. He kept trying to explain, even pushed his bike forward and squeezed on the front brake and lifted the rear wheel, the cop muttered something about "non standard" and kept writing. Well his supervisor rode up and wondered what was going on, the cop started to explain and the super just looked at the rider, rolled his eyes and told him to move on. The rider said the super was chewing the new cop a new one as he took off. Talk about stupid! I pity the fool that dares to run coaster brakes!

TejanoTrackie 

The law reads exactly the same here in Texas, and is really stupid, because it essentially says that a rear brake is required, but a front brake is not. Also, you could technically be cited for not having a rear brake, even if you had a front brake installed.

JeremyLC

I think it's stupid because a front brake will stop you faster, and more safely, than a rear. :/

pdxtex

at least in oregon, and im sure in california too, bikes are subject to the same laws as automobile, ie they are both vehicles on the road. cops in downtown portland have a constant hardon for fixie riders going brakeless. they love to write those tickets......

Huffandstuff

My buddies had two tickets for brakeless in the last 2 1/2 years, I've had zero but I also avoid riding like an ******* where as he embraces it.