closetbiker

Cyclist gets four-digit abusive rider fee for traffic infraction

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (AP) -- Kajuan Cornish didn't know he was such a danger on his bicycle, and now he's facing hefty fees that could have paid for him to have a car.

One day after Gov. Timothy M. Kaine admitted the state's so-called abusive driver fees had failed and called for them to be repealed, Cornish was ordered to pay a fee of $1,050 for recklessly operating his 18-speed Huffy in an intersection during rush hour.

"A bike with pedals -- a 4-year-old can ride a bike," Cornish said Thursday. "I could see it happen if I'm riding the wrong way down the expressway -- that's dumb."

Cornish, 19, doesn't drive and was convicted of reckless driving in Newport News traffic court for a ticket he received after riding his bike across Warwick Boulevard.

Cornish was returning to work when he received the summons.

Officer George Evans said drivers had to slow down to avoid hitting Cornish when he crossed the intersection and that he would have written a warning if not the ticket.

"If he gets hit, then we have a mess," Evans said, adding that as a citizen, he thinks the abusive driver fees are too high, but also out of his control.

The fees were instituted last year against drivers with egregious traffic offenses.

Cornish is due back in court to appeal in February.

"I'm stuck," he said. "I'm trying to be Christian about it, but it's frustrating."

CommuterRun

I'd just about bet money he was crossing the intersection illegally, instead of riding vehicularly.

closetbiker

I'd bet your right.

What's good for the goose is good for the gander.

ChipSeal

Ha! I get to be the first one to speculate whether he was wearing a helmet or not!

I say not!

Nyaa Nyaa! I got it in first!

chipcom 

Yeah, it's ok to blow intersections if you are wearing a helmet. Everybody knows that!

-=(8)=-

Not knowing the full story, I wll just comment on the cop
concerned that drivers had to slow down for Cornish, like that
concept is just too outragious for consideration..........There are
ad campaigns to slow down for cops and construction workers
but to slow for a bike rider is just too ridiculous a concept to
entertain.

genec

No word on whether he was running a red or not... anyone know the full story?

closetbiker

what would be the fun in knowing the whole story?

twahl

I don't know any further details on this, but having lived down there I can say that if he did cross illegally pretty much anywhere on Warwick during rush hour, he was certainly putting himself in serious danger. It's a very heavily traveled road with numerous very busy intersections.

For what it's worth, the current Virginia Senate has passed it's first bill, which includes a repeal of the abusive driver fees and payback to anyone that has paid them, with interest.

syn0n

I imagine he probably ran the red, forcing drivers to brake hard, and that's what earned him the ticket. That sort of thing can cause accidents. I don't think it should get the kid pegged with anything other than a warning, but when drivers have the right of way, cyclists shouldn't be pulling out in front of them.

On the other hand, it's possible that the cop was simply being an ******* and the kid wasn't doing anything illegal. There's no way to know from that story.

randya

Team 1065! A ZooBomb record! I went by as the cop was giving this one out.


https://www.zoobomb.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6412

bcart1991

Will a mod combine this with the other thread in Road Cycling?

syn0n

There's one in commuting too.

genec

What exactly is zoobombing?

randya

Late Sunday night event. ride the train / elevator and hike to the top of the hill in the park at the zoo, party for a while, bomb the hill on little kids bikes, catch the train and repeat two to five times.

https://www.zoobomb.net/

hotbike

Zoobombing, AFAIK, is a tradition in San Diego, California, where the participants take their bikes aboard the Light Rail Train (LRT, or trolley) and go to the stop at the San Diego Zoo. From there it is a downhill ride for like , two miles or so.

hotbike

Thanks for that correction. It's Portland Oregon and not San Diego, CA.

That's why I said "AFAIK", which is an abbreviation for "as far as I know".

randya

Although Portland is the epicenter and original location of ZooBombing, it has spread to other cities nationally and internationally

syn0n

I checked it out, and immediately started looking around at my spare parts to see if I can make a zoobomb bike. Never heard of people doing this here, but there are some great long hills near my house I could do this on. Awesome. Though I will have to walk back up.

Juggler2

Please! I've worn helmets before, and my styrofoam hat is not a helmet!

BarracksSi

Crap... I never was slapped with the abusive driver fees... oh well, there goes the interest money...

Oh yeah:

I can't be the first to say that he probably wasn't riding without a helmet, but I CAN be the first to say that he probably wasn't riding without lights!

genec

The Trolley doesn't go near the zoo... in San Diego. However, back in the day, I used to love riding down Park Blvd from University toward downtown. Now it seems like there were fewer stop lights on Park back then... but I could be wrong. Park Blvd is a gentle downhill past the zoo and Balboa park and I would often ride early in the morning, hands free while just cruising along...

I had this cool idea to have a friend video tape me doing that ride while I made a PB&J with ingredients from within my handle bar bag. It was that smooth a ride, and a perfect slope to keep up a good speed, easily.

I never did it... but it just seemed like the thing to do.

But no Trolley, so technically no "zoobombing," by definition.

BTW back in the day I was also a Pedicab driver in the park. I spent a lot of time in the saddle... riding to the park, driving a Pedicab, and being car free.

But I've just never heard of zoobombing... at least not around here.

mike-on-da-bike

dont ride across the roads or on the roads you only get abused or run over,the city should put up bike lanes like they are now doing here in sydney,these run along side bus only lanes,really fining a bike rider is diging the bottom of the barrell hell we even got the bike police out in force now haaaaaaaa

joejack951

Hey, my current fine (that I'm appealing) is up to $187. I could have avoided it by going straight from a right turn only lane. Oddly enough, it exceeds any fine I've ever received in an automobile including when I got pulled over doing 110mph

HoustonB

logic police citation for your double negative he either wasn't riding with lights, or he was riding without lights. But wasn't riding without lights means he did have lights!!