Which cities give bicylists tickets?
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Which cities give bicylists tickets?
I recently found out that Pittsburgh police do not give tickets to cyclists! They say something like, no plate no way to give a ticket. I know that in NYC and around colleges tickets are issued. If you have been ticketed, do you have a drivers license and did you show that when ticketed? Anyone have a license and not give it and got off? Anyone ever get a speeding ticket? A sidewalk ticket?
#2
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Originally Posted by slagjumper
I recently found out that Pittsburgh police do not give tickets to cyclists! They say something like, no plate no way to give a ticket. I know that in NYC and around colleges tickets are issued. If you have been ticketed, do you have a drivers license and did you show that when ticketed? Anyone have a license and not give it and got off? Anyone ever get a speeding ticket? A sidewalk ticket?
I call b.s. on that, since my roommate has one from there dated two weekends ago... He coasted through a stopsign i think. they might not ticket very ofter, or they might have given one since he has a NYS driver's liscence, but they do give them.
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Originally Posted by slagjumper
I recently found out that Pittsburgh police do not give tickets to cyclists! They say something like, no plate no way to give a ticket. I know that in NYC and around colleges tickets are issued. If you have been ticketed, do you have a drivers license and did you show that when ticketed? Anyone have a license and not give it and got off? Anyone ever get a speeding ticket? A sidewalk ticket?
Both times I presented my DL and both times I was given a short lecture, had a bit of discussion and was then dismissed. In both cases, I had a good attitude and the officers ended up wishing me good luck and a good day. In both cases I was fully loaded for touring. The stop sign incident was funny as the officer said... ya know... one I could forgive, two was a bit touchy, but the third one and just had to pull you over...
Oh BTW, lest one think I was freed was because I was a stranger in a strange land... the stop sign running was in my home town.
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The town I live in (Davis, CA) tickets cyclists regularly. I've never gotten one myself, but I've seen people get pulled over by bike cops both in town and on campus. It's pretty funny to watch someone get pulled over, because usually they don't believe that the cop is serious and try and laugh it off, at which time the cop usually gives them an ass chewing and orders them to pull over immediately.
#5
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I've never gotten one in Lansing. The way we ride around here, the cops could have a field day.
I hear the Lansing police have pulled CM riders off their bikes and taken them away.
Two friends of mine were pulled over "for looking suspicious." One was arrested on an outstanding warrant.They didn't let him lock his bike and it got stolen. I thought that was bogue.
I hear the Lansing police have pulled CM riders off their bikes and taken them away.
Two friends of mine were pulled over "for looking suspicious." One was arrested on an outstanding warrant.They didn't let him lock his bike and it got stolen. I thought that was bogue.
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If they impound your car or motorcycle, they should impound your bike. He should have made a complaint on that one.
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Originally Posted by genec
In both cases, I had a good attitude and the officers ended up wishing me good luck and a good day.
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Originally Posted by Bikepacker67
Amazing how that works, eh?
Looking back I sort of think he was perfectly happy to let folks go, but if some a** wanted to talk himself into a ticket he was perfectly happy to oblige.
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Loudon County Virginia has started ticketing bicycles for traffic violations.
In late August there were two cyclists killed when they ran stop signs on a major local trail.
Other than stop sign and stop light running, I don't know if there is anything else they ticket for.
In late August there were two cyclists killed when they ran stop signs on a major local trail.
Other than stop sign and stop light running, I don't know if there is anything else they ticket for.
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I got a ticket in Newport Beach, for riding on the sidewalk, right below a "no bicycles on the sidewalk" sign. Yeah, I was an idiot. It was $20
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Originally Posted by dan828
The town I live in (Davis, CA) tickets cyclists regularly. I've never gotten one myself, but I've seen people get pulled over by bike cops both in town and on campus. It's pretty funny to watch someone get pulled over, because usually they don't believe that the cop is serious and try and laugh it off, at which time the cop usually gives them an ass chewing and orders them to pull over immediately.
Since posting, I have also found out that someone was ticketed by an off duty cop in a residential area, there was some agression involved according to the 3rd hand source.
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I got a $108 ticket in San Anselmo, CA (Marin County) for not coming to a complete stop at a Stop sign.
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Originally Posted by JohnSFO
I got a $108 ticket in San Anselmo, CA (Marin County) for not coming to a complete stop at a Stop sign.
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I ride in NYC ( Staten Island and Manhattan ) and if cops are giving out tickets to bicyclists, I haven't noticed any. Bikes commonly run red lights and stop signs, and are all over the sidewalks. Sad to admit that I'm one of them.
I don't think the cops in Staten Island are even giving out tickets to car drivers. We've had two fatal hit and runs in the last week, and with the exception of one of our city council members, NOBODY in local government seems to give a damn.
You should see the police presence at the CM rides in Manhattan, though. Thousands of wasted man-hours.
I don't think the cops in Staten Island are even giving out tickets to car drivers. We've had two fatal hit and runs in the last week, and with the exception of one of our city council members, NOBODY in local government seems to give a damn.
You should see the police presence at the CM rides in Manhattan, though. Thousands of wasted man-hours.
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Cambridge, Massachusetts tickets cyclists for traffic infractions. It's a civil violation, the fine is twenty bucks. When they first started doing this a few years ago, there were a few cases of "are you for real?" from cyclists, and one physical confrontation that I heard about. (Bad idea on the part of that cyclist! He was charged with assaulting a police officer, and resisting arrest.) Failure to give your correct name and address to a police officer, or willfully giving a false name and address, could result in criminal charges. (Don't test this.)
Boston PD has been known to stop messengers, and issue tickets for violations. Working messengers are required by local ordinance to register their bikes. A plate is issued, and must be "prominently displayed", although I see a lot of the plates wired into spokes. This local ordinance is permitted under state law.
The small, exclusive town of Weston passed a resolution that requires the police to enforce existing bicycle laws, after numerous complaints from residents regarding cyclists' behavior. I don't know what the ticketing situation is though. Weston is among the wealthiest towns in the country, and has no shopping malls, beer joints, or even much of a downtown. So, it's very popular with a lot of the big clubs in the area on weekends. They had one bike patrol officer, but he may have left the department.
You are not supposed to ride through Harvard Yard, (It's even posted) but I see cyclists do this all the time, sometimes in full view of Harvard Campus PD officers.
You don't want to ride through the yard. You want to walk your bike, and enjoy the scenery.
Boston PD has been known to stop messengers, and issue tickets for violations. Working messengers are required by local ordinance to register their bikes. A plate is issued, and must be "prominently displayed", although I see a lot of the plates wired into spokes. This local ordinance is permitted under state law.
The small, exclusive town of Weston passed a resolution that requires the police to enforce existing bicycle laws, after numerous complaints from residents regarding cyclists' behavior. I don't know what the ticketing situation is though. Weston is among the wealthiest towns in the country, and has no shopping malls, beer joints, or even much of a downtown. So, it's very popular with a lot of the big clubs in the area on weekends. They had one bike patrol officer, but he may have left the department.
You are not supposed to ride through Harvard Yard, (It's even posted) but I see cyclists do this all the time, sometimes in full view of Harvard Campus PD officers.
You don't want to ride through the yard. You want to walk your bike, and enjoy the scenery.
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Here in Savannah, there's a widely-ignored city ordinance that prohibits bicycle riding through the squares and on certain sidewalks in the National Landmark Historic District. In fact, the ordinance was probably violated a dozen times in the time it took me to write this.
Cyclists (usually college students) are ticketed every once in awhile. The fine is $90!
Cyclists (usually college students) are ticketed every once in awhile. The fine is $90!
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I've gotten a ticket in Manhattan, although it was in a subway station. I was coming back from a ride, and had gotten off the train, walked the bike up the stairs, and stupidly started riding through this long empty mezzanine area.. a cop saw me and gave me a ticket. $25
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Originally Posted by Ubie
I call b.s. on that, since my roommate has one from there dated two weekends ago... He coasted through a stopsign i think. they might not ticket very ofter, or they might have given one since he has a NYS driver's liscence, but they do give them.
bk
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Cops here in Los Angeles don't seem to care about anything cyclists do. However, in Glendale, a city that is surrounded by LA, there are waaaayyy more cops and they give tickets for everything all the time. My friend got a ticket for riding on the sidewalk.
I wonder if cops consider a track-stand a complete stop.
I wonder if cops consider a track-stand a complete stop.
#21
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I wonder if it goes on your driving record.
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I've never gotten a ticket in NYC, but I know the cops do it. In fact, there has been more than one "ticket blitz" for cyclists. I'm very careful if I see cops nearby to stick "to the book". It's not that I'm what you would call a scofflaw (am I??) but stopping at every light and stop sign as a cyclist is, IMO, lame (keep the "stop like everyone else" arguments to yourself!). Cars run an estimated 1 million red lights a day in NYC... and I don't think I've ever seen anyone ticketed for that either. Meh.
What I have seen is a $250 ticket given to a cyclist for failing to ride single-file in Piermont, NY (non-NYC people, it's on the road most frequented by weekend cyclists heading outside of the city).
What I have seen is a $250 ticket given to a cyclist for failing to ride single-file in Piermont, NY (non-NYC people, it's on the road most frequented by weekend cyclists heading outside of the city).
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Once a year the DC cops do a safety blitz, ticketing motorists, pedestrians and cyclists. This year 30 cyclists were ticketed, of the estimated 75,000 daily cycle commuters. The other 364 days of the year it's pretty much anything goes for everyone, DC cops don't generally write moving violations. Under DC law the penalty for any infraction on a bike is $5 (rising to $20 soon) and it may not be put on your driving record.
One peculiar thing about DC is that in addition to the Metropolitan Police Department, there are over a dozen federal police forces. You're most likely to get action from one of these forces. For instance, the Capitol Hill Police agressively ticket jaywalkers and cyclists around the Capitol. They are very concerned about the bad publicity that would result if a member of Congress hit someone, and they can't control the driving of the members, so they respond by reducing the number of potential targets in the vicinity.
One peculiar thing about DC is that in addition to the Metropolitan Police Department, there are over a dozen federal police forces. You're most likely to get action from one of these forces. For instance, the Capitol Hill Police agressively ticket jaywalkers and cyclists around the Capitol. They are very concerned about the bad publicity that would result if a member of Congress hit someone, and they can't control the driving of the members, so they respond by reducing the number of potential targets in the vicinity.
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I hopped onto the sidewalk to get around some cars right in front of two cops. I doubt they even turned their heads to look at me as I rode past. I've also run reds on a bike and yellows in a car (it ain't red yet, I can make it!) and been ticketed once. It does bring up a good point though. I may get a non DL ID to carry around if I ever do get stopped by a cop so the points don't go on my record.
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Originally Posted by kuan
I wonder if it goes on your driving record.