darkmother

I just got the following fines this morning from Toronto's finest:

Red Light-Fail to stop $190.80
No Horn- Bicycle $110.00
Fail to Identify Self $110.00

Total: $410.80

The cop "let me off" for 3 other infractions-not signalling when he pulled me over, no lights, and no reflective tape.

MediaCreations 

Ouch!

Who did you tell them you were?

max-a-mill

holy f#ckin *****....

i am GLAD i live in philly where when i blow a light i just make sure to wave to the cop and it's all good!

i'da seriously laid in to that guy for giving me all those fines while i was out NOT polluting. f-ck him!

unless you were doing something REALLY bad at the time so the piggie just threw the book at ya, c'mon, admit it if you were....

if not, go to court, plead how ridiculous this is... it might not help but then again it might!

Grasschopper

I don't know...to me it looks like breaking the law just caught up to you and the cost of commuting stayed the same.

JohnCub

Exactly how smart did you get with the cop for him/her to have to bring up the no signal when pulled over?

rainedon

That is crazy! As much as it pains me, I can understand the first one, but $110 for no horn!?! I would say that the majority of people on bikes don't have horns. Is the cop pulling everyone over? Do you think that this cop is targeting you or cyclists in general, or are these types of citations common up there?

I feel for you. That is a bummer.

nate

monsterkidz

Whoa, just goes to show you, cops can do whatever the hell they want. It makes me really think about my ride and how many violations I am sitting on. YIKES! I would plead not guilty. Hopefully the cop won't show in court.

MediaCreations 

Do you think he might have just given you a warning if you cooperated instead of failing to identify yourself?

STEEKER

you could have faught and won against the light and reflective tape and won they are NOT required for day time you can still fight the warning device one but your screwed for the red light and fail to identify thats you fault ( red means stop)

JohnCub

It doesn't really go to show that cops can do whatever they want. It shows that there are laws and as vehicles we too must follow them.

sggoodri

Toronto requires bicycles to be equipped with a bell or horn. It's a stupid law that dates way back to when bicycle-pedestrian interactions were the primary concern of those writing the traffic laws. Local cyclist advocates would do well to repeal it.

In some US cities, police use local bicycle bell ordinances just to arrest people they don't like. They focus such enforcement in higher crime areas, where many of the people of color ride bikes without bells. Arresting them for not having a bell gives the police an excuse to search them for drugs or weapons, and to generally harass them for being out and about.

Here in Cary, North Carolina, I commute with front and rear lights. I obey signals and signs. But I don't have a bell, since none is requried. Police give me a wave of approval.

darkmother

Actually, I brought this one on myself. If I had given the cop my license right away instead of telling him I didn't have one, I probably would have gotten off with a warning. Oh well. Looks like it's time for one of my favourite moves: The plead guilty with an explanation scam. Pain in the ass though, and I'll probably still get stuck with 200 bucks or so.

John Ridley

I agree. If these are actual laws where you are, like "bikes must have a horn" then your bad. If there's no such law then just show up, point that out to the judge, and you should walk on that charge.

The "failing to identify self" - did you get in the cop's face and refuse to ID, or were you just not carrying ID? That may be beatable too depending on the law about carrying ID when riding or just being in public where you are.

Where I am, a bell is required. So I spent $3 at k-mart and put on a bell. I never use it, but it doesn't bother me to have it on.

As far as failing to stop at a red light, if that's true then that's ALL your bad. I might do a rolling stop at a stopsign on a back alley with no cars in sight, but not on a main road, and at a stoplight, I stop and wait like everyone else.

Sounds like a perfectly valid pullover for running a red light, followed by giving a cop grief.

The truth is, cops MUST maintain control of every interaction they're in, they MUST NOT allow people to get away with giving them a hard time. That's just a fact of life brought on by the kinds of crap they have to deal with. When I get pulled over, I treat the cop like a person, talk with them, and do not get defensive. Maybe in other areas cops are automatic bad guys, but I've never felt I was being abused by a cop. Of course, most of the time when I'm talking to them it's just casual conversation or asking them a question, not being pulled over. If you always think of the cops as guys who are just waiting for an excuse to get you, and always avoid them, never talk to them unless they pull you over, then when you do have to deal with them, you'll be defensive and nervous, which will be a bad start to what will probably be a bad encounter.

madhouse

Yes Sir! No Sir! goes a long way when dealing with the police.

I have been pulled over for doing 73 in a 55, 74 in a 55, and completly blowing through a stop sign that the police officer was stopped at across the road. All three times I was pulled over to a stop prior to them catching back up to me after pulling a U-ie. All three times I had my registration, proof of insurance and licence ready by the time they got to my window. All three times I politely answered all of their questions. And all three times I was asked to do better in the future and let go... The stop sign occurance was awarded a written warning.

My wife gives the officers attitude and is one ticket from having her licence revoked!

felcunje

I almost got a running a red in Toronto on Spadina south of College. I was a courier at the time with a "Emergency" Package. The cop was Motorcycle cop. He let me off with a warning. Another time I got charge with riding on the sidewalk at Dundas and Sherbourne (he let me off for failure to identify myself- I gave him a fake name). I gave him a hard time because Dundas/Sherbourne is like the worst intersection in the city for drugs. I said "You are charging me with riding on the sifdewalk and there is someone selling crack ride beside us" 52 divsion cops are hard asses.

monsterkidz

I was trying to illustrate the point that a bored cop can do whatever he/she wants. They should be out stopping real crime instead of worrying about a guy on a bike. I guess stopping real criminals is too hard, go figure.

darkmother

I've gotten off with a warning every other time I was pulled over, mostly because I puckered up and kissed some stanky pork rump. This time I was a little annoyed, because I didn't really run a red -the light turned yellow just before I entered the intersection. I might have been able to stop, but I would have definately been in the pedestrian crossing, so I decided to go through. I gave the cops a hassle, and I lied to them and so they let me have it. I definately asked for it. I still think it was a wasted display of power on thier part.

STEEKER

in case you drive a car too did you make sure the cop marked on the ticket that you were riding a bike and not driving a car ,, there is a little check box on the ticket or place on the ticket that has that if if he did not your insurance will go WAYYY up ( that is if you drive a car ).........................

ofofhy

I know in PA, the fines for a bicycle infraction are much less than for automobile infractions. Sounds like the cop may have stuck you with fines for an automobile. I would check the law.

Chapter 35 - SPECIAL VEHICLES AND PEDESTRIANS
Subchapter A - Operation of Pedalcycles (Bicycles)

"Section 3502. Penalty for violation of subchapter.
Any person violating any provision of this subchapter is guilty of a summary offense and shall, upon conviction, be sentenced to pay a fine of $10."

Boogs

That's good to know - though I'm trying to make myself more disciplined.

STEEKER

stoping crack dealers up here causes to much paper work for the cops hence they bugg and ticket everyone else instead and that won't stop until the courts actually put the crack dealers in jail instead of letting them go which wastes the cops time our tax dollars and I STILL wonder why the police don't pull over drivers talking on cell phones making turns or ladies puting on makeup when driving but will pull over a bike riider for nothing

wasted weasel

jeeze dude, your a student though right? so you might be able to plead 'poverty' (paying for school etc...) to the justice of the peace that should help knock the costs down if all else fails (it worked on a speeding ticket for me up around York a few years ago).

What intersection were you at?

I find downtown I can get away with more nonsense, but when I'm leaving in the mornings or just coming home from work to my East end apartment where there is less traffic and more opportunity to run lights safely I've been hassled.

There is this one particular old bag of a school crossing guard near East York Collegiate, it's a 4 lane street, 2 or 3 kids may be crossing on the other side (like 80 feet away) just as I'm riding up to the painted line so I'll ride through right? cause there's no harm with the kids way on the other side of the street I figure. She's yelled at me for it a bunch of times, and twice I've glanced over my shoulder and noticed her dialing on her cellphone.... a few blocks later a cop car will suddenly be coming up behind me and slow right down to my speed and follow me for about 3 or 4 blocks. I guess since they can't charge me without actually seeing me make a violation, they'll just watch me for a bit to see if I do anything else illegal.
Cyclists are high risk I guess, rather than being on the lookout for kids dealing drugs or carrying guns to east york schools (where there have been how many shootings/stabbings there this year so far?) they feel they should harass a guy on a bicycle going to work....

sometimes man, how can you not give a cop attitude, it's tough.

spanky4x4

a little OT but
really you should wait until they ask for them. if they see you reaching (for wallet,glovebox whatever),they can assume you are hiding things,and it makes it more dangerous for them.

for me I always wait until they ask and then tell them "its in my wallet and I'll have to get it from rear pocket" or whatever that way they have clear communication what you are doing. I used to carry a gun in the truck with me all the time(legally) and that was always the first thing to say as well as the aforementioned routine of telling them exactly what you are doing. it might sound silly but looking down the business end of a state troopers .45 changed my opinion. all for squeling the tires from a standstill in a car I wasnt familiar with!

OT make sure they know you were on a bike. in the state of Indiana they use the same ID number for drivers liscence and ID card so its pretty common for things to get on you drivers record that arent related.

Totoro

Remember, this guy is from Toronto, Canada. That means not having a bell on your bike is "real crime." It's all relative I guess.

ghettocruiser

Odd timing.

This morning, in Toronto, when I slowed to stop for a light that turned yellow, a hi-powered car that had been behind me hit the gas and blew by me to run the red.

Had I been "signaling" anything his rear view mirror would have tore my arm off.

Maybe if I had a bell on my bike I could have rang it at him over the scream of his 5-litre engine

Bikes are nice to pull over because we are less of a high-speed chase risk. The Toronto Police have been in a lot of hot water lately, as it seems whenever they try to pull a motorist over these days the resulting car chase ends up piling up a body-count of bystanders.

The police in Toronto have long since lost control of the motoring public. People on bikes are much safer to pull over, and the fines are often even higher since they still have the bell laws and the like to pile on top of whatever else