I have to agree here. Too many riders think laws don't apply to them. Now perhaps it's a bad law. Perhaps it's one that should be looked at, or perhaps that intersection needs a redesigned to accommodate bicycles. Thing is till change happens, you still have to follow the law. I have lost count of how many bicycle riders have blown past me just this year while I was on my bike, waiting at a red light. It makes us ALL look bad.

Before pleading guilty, find out if it will add points.

I would fight that ticket because you have nothing to lose. I won both my tickets but had to take a “Personal Day” off work to attend the hearing. In the first case, I paid a “Lawyer” who worked at the court to represent me and the officer just walked away! The second time, I just showed up and they discharged the ticket just for attending!

Also, find out if this is going to add points to your license.

I've heard that if you show up to fight your ticket, and the officer doesn't show up, you automatically win. And the officers almost never show up.

You got it!

If that was the case then people would speed all the time. Oh, nevermind.

another unique story about fighting speeding tickets

I was in court to argue why I had sped up over the speed limit on the road outside my condo. this isn't the story but bear with me. the exit to my condo is at the top of a hill and you can't see very far in either direction especially to the left. you have to look both ways twice and then make a judgement call when it is safe to exit. in the morning this rd is used as a cut through for out of towners on their commute so there are these out of towners speeding on this rd making it dangerous for us in this condo complex. so cops occasionally stake out the rd. anyway, one morning I looked both ways twice and then made my right turn, but some ahole was speeding up from the left and I didn't see him until my car was already committed to exiting into the lane. to avoid being hit I accelerated more than I would have normally. at this point there is a downhill section and after I avoided being struck I just coasted with this ahole on my tail. since I was in front I got nailed. that was my argument but the cop didn't show so I got off

but here's the unique speeding story. while I was waiting my turn this other guy gets up, and his state trooper is there. he was doing 80 in a posted 55 zone I think, in a mercedez not that it matters. route 128 in Waltham area. he says this to the judge: "I admit I was speeding your honor, and I'm sorry, but I have a clean record and I'd like to keep it that way" the judge let him go, just like that.

you can never predict what will happen in court, and even if you are guilty, you have nothing to lose by fighting it. I beat a parking ticket once, I was parked facing the wrong way on a one way street, but the person who filled out the ticket was missing some info, like the date or something, and I got it dismissed

I can go on if you like :-)

When I was young and stupid I street raced a buddy's car, there were cops, and I was the one who got busted. I went to court to try to keep it off my record. But it turns out that the cop wrote down something that usually applies when there's a crash (there wasn't) and so the judge let me off with court costs only.

Another time (again young and stupid) a trooper coming the other way clocked me at 113 in a 65... short story is I was trying to distance myself from an a-hole driver in a pickup. Cop said he could have hauled me to jail but had to be somewhere. This was in the next county over from me. So I went to the county courthouse in person, paid the fine of $200-something, NO court appearance, and apparently it never went on record because my insurance never changed.

Thankfully I don't do stupid stuff like that anymore.

Rather than coming from Tax rates, at the top tier, like in the 50s, paying for governing,
the Police have to become revenue collectors .

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/10/op...-gop.html?_r=0

A true martyr stays their course without complaint. On the right of you, and on the left, lesser brethren will deny their faith and live (or simply save 10 minutes on their commute). You are called to a higher order of existence. Rejoice, and stop sniveling.

This isn't a moving violation. It's an administrative citation that a whole different city department handles. They use the same tickets to write people up for smoking on the CTA or getting busted with a joint. So it doesn't affect your driving record.

This isn't court, it's an administrative hearing. The city specifically set this up because with all the minor citations that the cops were handing out (read: $$$ for the city), cops were having to spend too much time showing up in court. So the cop doesn't have to be there. I would assume it's possible to fight this and demand a day in court (where the cop would have to show up), etc., but Chicago being Chicago, that would be an exercise in masochism.

NYC is now doing a tricky sneaky thing with their red lights. they have shortened their yellow lights and installed red light cameras that automatically issue tickets. the ticket goes to the registered owner not the "driver" which I think eliminates any chance to fight it

wow, wonder how much of an increase in rear-end crashes NYC has seen. If approaching a stale green light on a bike you better watch your back in case of it turning yellow and someone behind you wants to try to run it.

NYC traffic scene is whole other animal, that's why I played the game and hired a NYC traffic attorney

I got pulled over for 60 in a 30 but I was going 30. turns out I was being tailed by a cop at the exact same time a cop in the opposite direction was scanning, their radars read ea other resulting in the 60 mph reading! I had to take a day off of work and drive to the cape over a hundred miles to fight it, the first hearing was with a clerk magistrate with an officer representative, I made my argument and brought documentation explaining how opposing radars can do that. and I closed with: "you think I would drive over a hundred miles in a snow storm if I was the least bit guilty?" they let me go not responsible. oh, I can go all day ;)

Good news for me. I had my hearing this morning at the City of Chicago. I checked in at the hearing room with the city attorney. A few minutes later, they called me over to tell me that the city decided to put this into "non-suit" status which basically means that they were dismissing the charge because don't believe they have a case or that there was something wrong with the original citation. I waited for my turn before the administrative judge, and they formally dismissed it. Took less than 30 minutes altogether. I was shocked to say the least.

I guess it was meant to be. On my way in to the city I hit a huge pothole and gashed my tire. I went to put on my spare tube and that wouldn't inflate. I was running out of time to get downtown in time for my hearing. I had a Uber car coming to get me to the L station to make it the rest of the way in, when a guy with a bike rack on his car stopped and offered me a lift. I made it just in time. Then I forgot I still had my leatherman in my pocket and the security at the administrative court said I should hide it somewhere outside because they can't hold anything. I ran outside and put it under a traffic cone. I was relieved when I came out and it was still there.

That's a crazy @ss story!

His story didn't have anything at all to do with @ss (although to be fair, you didn't use a hyphen)

what a story. i haven't heard what it's like in other cities to receive these.

in NYC these tickets are particularly painful. the cops have been targeting cyclists, specifically thru T intersections and they set up stings as a way to "achieve vision zero." the problem is motorists continually run over pedestrians in the crosswalk, nothing to do with cyclists, and they continually get off the hook even when murdering with their cars. the summons is outrageous - for $180, rolling thru a clear T intersection. $25 is i agree, basically free, as another bikeforums member said.

i have not received one of these, so i'm not complaining b/c of me. but i think it is HIGHLY unfair to my fellow cyclists who do an Idaho stop/roll thru a red light in a T intersection to pay $180 for this. it's completely bogus and doesn't help achieve vision zero at all. i also think it's highly unfair to pedestrians who are injured, maimed and killed on a regular basis.

the NYS governor's inaction is appalling (NYC can't do anything on its own). i would really like to see NYC secede from the state. the bulk of NYS taxes are funded by the city but the state's "hands are tied" when it comes to improving the city (i.e. i'm sure you've read that the U.S. secretary of transportation has to get NJ and NY governors to address transit issues that have been plaguing our city). the politics surrounding it - it's such crap. meanwhile Gov Cuomo has wasted taxpayer dollars to get national funding for a bridge that directly impacts him - the tapanzee bridge, but does not suffer the usage level the city bridges and tunnels do. the entire thing - it's sickening. (ok end rant).

holy ****...you should hate to say it. You should hate to say ******** bull**** that makes you sound like an *******.

This.

haha I used to carry a pocket knife back in college, and when visiting the Gateway Arch in St. Louis one time, I had to run out and hide the knife under a pile of leaves under a park bench before they would let me in (full on airport-style security at the Arch). I came back out and there it was. :P

well done sir

I heard an npr story once about an airport that collected so many pocket knives and razors at TSA that never got picked up, they commisioned a sculptor to make a statue from it all.

I subscribe to their weekly blog. it's amazing what they do find and what so many dumbarsses think they can board with

The TSA Blog

Great story! I got a notice from the city of Chicago that I hadn't paid a parking ticket that I never received. I wrote them about it and got an official response that said something like don't pay anything until we can prove you got the ticket. I saved that letter for many years and never did hear back from them.