today i was riding my bicycle downtown Portland and i SAFELY ran a red light. Next thing i know is a cop honking his ****ing jack-horn at me and telling me to pull over. Mother****er pulls me over and gets out of his car all fiesty and condescending, so of course i tell him to calm down a bit and we can discuss the situation. with few words i end up with a ticket for $237...and i'm ALREADY in debt/broke. While i was standing there waiting for my ticket i saw 4 more bikes run the same red light that i did, so i told the cop to keep an eye on it, because THAT RED LIGHT IS THE WORSTE PROBLEM HE CAN BE ****ING DEALING WITH IN PORTLAND. no, drugs arent a big problem, gangs are nothing, murders and whatnot are same ol' same ol'....the real problem in portland is bicyclists using their good judgement to ride through small lights on side streets. The mother****er wouldnt tell me his name or even go so far as to write it ledgibly on the ticket, but i will find it and definitely send in a complaint about him. I wished him a good day and told him i'd see him in court. I know i'll end up having to pay it, but that man at least needs to be told that he is short...because he was.

sincerely.

Tom

To add to the suckage, the most a judge can knock down a "failure to obey traffic device" ticket in Oregon is to $160 or something... and they rarely throw them out/dismiss them.

you broke the law and got caught. can't afford tickets? then don't run the lights unless you're 100% sure its legal (around here it is IF you stop and look both ways)

stop your ****ing *****ing - you broke the law. You got a ticket. Get over it.

If he didn't fill out the ticket legibly, how is it even valid?

Bike laws for Oregon
https://www.leg.state.or.us/ors/814.html
814.400 to be precise.

I can't imagine why the police officer didn't tear up the ticket! Telling the fuzz to calm down and explaining their job to them always works for me. Must be an American thing.

Good point Matt!

listen- bicycles getting pulled over and fined without prior warning is not just a matter of breaking the law and dealing with the consequences of your actions. It's a lot of money, the police are jerks, and be careful what you say because i got pulled over today and ticketed for not having a reflector on the back of my bike. It was mo*t*her f*ck*ng noon.

troll much?

if you're in debt already, don't get traffic tickets.
simple as that. dumbass.

awaiting everyone else's responses.....

Synopsis: You broke the law, got caught, and now have to face the consequences. The issuing officer's height was less than average for an American adult male. Correct?

I'm not exactly shedding any tears... Sounds like you gambled (by knowingly running the light) when you could least afford to lose (being broke).

By the way, your whole argument about there being more serious crimes that this guy could be solving, preventing, etc. really doesn't have a sound basis. Many criminals are caught with outstanding warrants for violent crimes over broken taillights and other traffic violations. His visible presence on the streets is also at least a temporary deterrent to the more clever deviants in your town. By ignoring "safe" crimes, he'd be allowing chaos. Sound like fun?


I think my point is that it's not the light's fault, and that there's really no discussion to be had since you admitted knowingly running the red light. While your keen observation of the officer's height is admirable, I don't think you'll find the judge siding in your favor, and for good reason.

instead of begging for money get a job

Of course it's the cop's fault! (read sarcasm here) tombo, you broke the law and got caught plain and simple. If there was any chance the officer would have given you a warning instead of a ticket, you shot that down with your attitude. I am a police officer and have been for 15+ years. I've had more people talk their way into a ticket or jail than ever talked out of either. Also, one of the biggest complaints I get from my local people is about traffic violations. People constantly call in to complain about speeding in their neighborhood. To them it is a big issue. Also, traffic enforcement is just as much a part of the officer's job as is catching a burglar. How do you know you weren't stopped by a traffic officer who's job it is to enforce traffic violations? Also, do you know how they caught Oklahoma City Bomber Timothy McVeigh? It was for a simple license plate violation. If the dumb a** had had a plate on his car, he may never have been caught.
Be pissed as yourself for being stupid, not at the officer for doing his job!

you forgot to mention to the cop that your tax dollars pay his salary.

dumbass...i run lights all the time and I expect that if I am caught I will get a ticket. Not the cops fault.

you know, you can always just run from the cop if he's in a car. just sayin.

Ya man he does have more important things to do. ****up

There ya go, run from the cop. Then he can beat on you for a while and maybe you'll end up on TV!

I'd be pleased if I just got a ticket. To put it in perspective: last week I ran a stop sign (which I all too often do) and collided with another guy doing the same thing from another direction- f***ed up my bike and my shoulder for 1 to 2 months, which I have to pay a lot more than your ticket price to fix and can't ride in the meantime. Or tie my shoes very easily. Or put a shirt on. You get the idea. A ticket sounds dreamy right now.

Oh polish...bad luck. Talk about being at the wrong place at the wrong time. I hope you recover quickly.

yes yes...i'm not denying the fact that i broke the law and i'm not trying to sound like a self-rightous moron, i just thought that the situation really didnt need to come down to me getting a gigantic ticket. I was rather polite to the officer, actually, unlike he was to me. I smiled and asked him how his day was going when he first walked up...he didnt even greet me, just said "that was a red light" like i didnt know. I slowed to a stop and i played it safe. My only real point is that the cops shouldnt give bicycles **** and there should be more of a personable relationship between the two. I dont believe tickets are required unless it is obviously a serious safety issue being confronted.

A lot of that first post was sarcasm and humor...i think a few of you missed that detail.

Tom

good luck steering clear of tickets in the future.

Pedal faster next time.

One day, you will realize that paying more attention at the intersection is obviously a serious saftey issue.
I used to street race cars, that landed me on probation for two years. While in court, I heard a cop explain it this way..."If the driver didn't see me, then he wasn't paying attention, if he saw me, then he deliberately broke the law.." Soooo, if you didn't see the cop watching you run the intersection, then you are super lucky that all you gat was a ticket. The next time might be a drunk driver or a racer running your ass over. If you can't afford the ticket, explain that to the judge and do some community service. That might humble you.

running from a cop is always a good idea. those motherlovers are slow as love.