jon c. 

That's sort of a local tradition.

The registration is absurd and I can't quite imagine why they did it. Unless it was to legalize random stops.

The cost of the tickets is crazy, but unfortunately not that far out of line these days. Speeding tickets around here run a bit over $200 I've heard.

rydabent

Obscene and abusive fine. Isnt there something about cruel and UNUSUAL punishment?

SylvainG

Something similar happened in Quebec last month since they changed the law and increased the cost of fines.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montr...fine-1.4689170

"This is abuse," she said. "Bikes need six reflectors. Are we going to give six tickets to someone who doesn't have reflectors on his bike when he's cycling in broad daylight?"

OBoile

Yep. The lesson, as always, is to obey the law.

The other lesson is to not be a jerk to someone who has power over you (like a cop).

OBoile

The law (rightly) gives cops some discretion when writing tickets. It would be nice if they could be completely detached, but since they're human too, that isn't very realistic. In the vast majority of cases, cops are writing fewer tickets than they could.

OBoile

Try it and find out... my guess is yes, a driver going the wrong way down a street at night without lights would face some serious penalties.

rydabent

Just more money grubbing by B'crats to fill they coffers.

Milton Keynes

True, but $920 is a bit extreme.

jefnvk

Don't disagree. Would really be interested in seeing how that actual exchange went though. Could be wrong, but if you got a cop to write you up for that much at 4am in friggin New Orleans, attitude might have played a part.

Anyways, I was curious, the breakdown:

32:79 Improper Lane Usage $297.50 - LA fee
154-240 Improper Lane Usage $152.50 - NO Fee, NOLA website indicates you'd pay both

154-1403 Bicycle Registration Required $152.50
154-1251 Equipment General Requirement $152.50

Couldn't find the actual fee for the "car laws apply to bikes", but some simple math says another $152.50 (seemingly the default value) would bring it close to that $920 mark.
https://www.nola.gov/traffic-court/schedule-of-fines/

And to be fair, the article did say the registration and equipment fees would likely go away if he presented them in court.

mirfi

Maybe a ticket(or threat of) would have saved a life.

Cyclist, 20, killed in Towson hit-and-run crash wanted to 'make the world a better place' - Baltimore Sun

Milton Keynes

Yet another example of why when I ride in the dark my bike is lit up like a Christmas tree.

rydabent

I still say in the absence of any accident this is an obscenely high ticket. And------------------it appears this is a first offence.

Does anyone here know of a driver that was fine $1000 for driving the wrong way on a street?

UniChris

You mean driving the wrong way down a one way street in the middle of the night without lights, and the car turning out not to be registered?

I suspect that would cost quite a lot indeed.

jefnvk

Well, I posted the prices a few above your comment. Anywhere from $150-300 based on the infraction.

And I would argue the overwhelming majority of traffic tickets are for harmless and insignificant offenses, but they are offenses nonetheless.

Chris0516

Sure seems' like the officer doesn't like bicyclists' being on the road at any time.

Jax Rhapsody

Eff all that bullspit. $920 ticket, he could buy 830 of those beach cruisers.

rydabent

At 4 in the morning just how much traffic was endangered********************? While I totally support the police, I suspect that one was bored with nothing happening and just decided to nail this criminal monster on his bike.

Doohickie

I'm not sure why the cyclist felt compelled to turn this into a news story. Get a ticket or four? Fine, be an adult and deal with it. You don't have to make a big deal about it. From the article:

If he's riding after dark, he *should* have lights. The registration is $3. Put those on the bike, show the judge, those two infractions go away, and he's just left with the two wrong way riding citations. Be polite and contrite, and one or both of those will be tossed too.

But I'm still trying to figure out why this is being reported on the news.

OBoile

I'm going to guess it was a case of the cop pulling this guy over, guy mouths off to the cop so the cop decides to through the book at him.

Doohickie

Yep. You've got your rights, sure, but if you just take your ticket and go, you can get out of there quicker. If the cop his being a jerk, telling him he's a jerk isn't going to fix anything....the remedy comes from the court system.

Leisesturm

Where is that 800lb. gorilla meme when you need it ...

rydabent

Stupidity like this fine is why people learn to hate B'crats!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Paul Barnard

Well, we tend to be selective in our indignation. We'd love to see a hefty fine levied against a motorist who brush passed us.

JoeyBike

New Orleans is a 24-hour city. Although it can get pretty quiet in some neighborhoods at 4am, it is not uncommon to see cyclists returning home from service industry jobs, or getting to work for an early shift on bicycles. Or going home from the bar to avoid DUI or because their DL has been revoked due to too many DUIs.

Added to this, we are a backwards Caribbean nation with lots of poor people cycling around without safety equipment. It is the NORM, not the exception. So...why THIS guy is the question.

Clyde1820

Wrong way in the street ... no lights ... no registration. Try doing that in a car, and it'd likely be a fairly stiff set of fines for the group of infractions. Doesn't surprise me that it would tally to several $hundred, even for a bike.

Also is typical that, if correcting the deficiencies (lights, registration), in court some items would get dropped from the citation.

I'd think that >$900 sounds a bit excessive, but it's a fairly deadly combination to be riding the wrong way without lighting, whatever else the guy might think of the registration part.