GotSnow

Long story short

I was driving on a one-way and saw a few cyclists riding towards me on either side of the road. There are nice bike lanes on either side of the street. I started thinking , man that's just unsafe, that the laws should be enforced for cyclists, and thinking about what would have happened had I encountered the oncoming rider(s) while biking to work/around town. A few blocks later as I was waiting for a light to change, I see a guy on a bike cruise across the four lanes under the freeway (empty w/o bike lanes) to ride on the oncoming traffic side. As he was crossing the final lane, a motorcycle cop flashed his lights and pulled him over, just across the street ahead of me. They both got off there bikes, still facing oncoming traffic, and started talking. I hope the cop educated him. Not in the beatdown sort of way, but in the bikes are a vehicle and should follow the same rules kind.

Rants

Temperatures aren't the only thing to rise.......I was on the ARBT trail Sunday, and thought I was going to witness a fight between a biker and ped. Thankfully they only exchanged several heated words. The guy on the bike had actually skidded to a stop and turned to confront the guy. I don't know what the source of conflict was, but the ped was saying the biker should have slowed and waited to pass or what not.*Technically the peds were on the wrong side of the trail. Not the best way for two middle-aged men to act. The biker should have just kept on riding and enjoying his early morning ride.

Another quick rant to the 40's looking bearded guy on the red bike riding w/o hands blowing thru the stop sign headed west downtown this morning.....it's cyclists like you that give the rest of us a bad name. It wasn't a four way, he didn't slow at all, and I had the right of way.

not2fast

I actually got pulled over on Saturday, but no big deal. I was riding on the Naval Base in Jacksonville. Base cop (civilian) pulled me over, asked where my helmet was. I said I didnt know one was required. Then he told me I was also riding on a road closed to bicycles. I asked if any other were closed to bikes (I just moved here) and he told me the other main road was also closed to bikes. I had also been ridingon that one for about 2 weeks!

I said I would go back and get a helmet, at which point he said, "I'm supposed to tell you to walk back, but I'm leaving!" and he took off.

Enthalpic

I've been pulled over for running a stop sign. The way I was pulled over wasn't very nice. Instead of using his lights he decides that racing past me then cutting me off hard is the best way to get me to stop. O well, he never gave me ticket; he just yelled "you got to at least slow down for those" (which I did, but not enough I guess).

bmclaughlin807

Yes, helmets are required on all military bases. Sometimes it's not enforced, but most of the time it is. I've never been on a base that had any roads closed to bikes, but, I suppose they could... They write their own rules, one of the reasons that helped me decide to get out.

I have seen people pulled over occasionally... saw one guy (Someone off the same ship as me) get arrested for DUI on base on a bicycle. He was ALL over the road, and a danger to himself and everybody around, so I'm glad they picked him up.

I've been stopped one time... the cop quizzed me on the laws regarding bicycles, and I knew them better than he did... he ended up telling me to have a nice day, and I went back to riding. He saw me hop up on the sidewalk for a short bit to go around some debris without going further into the road... it's legal in the state of Colorado to ride on the sidewalks, but I usually don't. It is illegal in some cities here to ride on the sidewalks, unless it's specifically posted that it's allowed. And you wonder why people are confused about where cyclists are supposed to be?!?!

Psimet2001 

A cop pulled alongside and made out like he was PO'd and was going to write me a ticket for speeding... he asked, "do you know how fast you were going?" I covered my computer and said, "no idea."

He then said he was kidding and that he was impressed with how fast I was going. Told me to slow down and be careful. BTW I was a kid in high school, and was definitely speeding in a school zone. I should have gotten a ticket.


...I would have framed it though....

Da Tinker

Got my framed ticket at the house. Well, at least the summons. It was all a deliberate plan: motor pace behind a motorcycle to just shy of where the city cop with the radar gun could see us. The motorcycle pulls right & brakes while the cyclist launches a sprint. The first two guys didn't get any attention, but I did.

Ticket dismissed due to officer's failure to properly ID the vehicle, since he did not even get a SN. Plus, I think the judge did not believe I could go that fast.

caloso

Was this in midtown? I'm thinking of L, N, Q, or P Street. I see these wrongway riders at least once a week. I guess they think that because they're in a marked bike lane it's safe to ride against traffic. Next time I'm on the Beater and I encounter one of these Darwin Award Finalists, I'm just going to shift into the big ring and announce "Accelerating to ramming speed!"

toshi

On the weekends, cops stake out popular cycling intersections here in the SF area, particularly in Marin county... one big corner is the base of Conzelman Dr., right alongside the Golden Gate Bridge parking lot on the Marin side. There were two patrol vehicles sitting at the base of Conzelman, adjacent to the stop sign, last Sunday morning.

Cyclists ran the stop sign assuming cops were looking out for cars... little did they know. I hear the citation is $40.

Cypress

Pulled over twice. Going 47 mph in a residential area (25mph limit) and one for passing cars in the left lane.

For the first one, I was told that it just wasn't safe to go that fast, and let off.

The second one was for making the drivers nervous. I was going 34 in a 25. I was racing along with a tailwind and came upon traffic, so I passed them in the big wide open left lane rather than shoot down the narrow shoulder with parked cars all over it. Once again, I was given a warning.

GotSnow

It was Midtown on N St. They also do it in part because they think it's safer, "being more visable to the driver", etc. I've even seen them riding against traffic on the one-ways w/o bike lanes, that's just scary. Especially at night. That's a thought I'm sure a few others have had. Tempting, but not realistic.

badkarma

I went through a red light and got pulled over. He gave me a $75 ticket, which I think was a bit steep, especially considering how I was a graduate student at the time. Lesson learned.

spiderbike

I'm a DA and would nolle pross the hell out of any ticket given to a cyclist unless it was riding in the wrong direction...as to speeding laws and dui's most statute use some kind of language like motor propelled vehicle and wouldn't apply to bikes...depends on the state...

Cops know that us DA's hate doing traffic stuff anyways and will not do cyclist tickets...

p.s. reckless driving is impossible to prove if you just say you got cut off by a unidentified black suv...unless your a felon or convicted of any crime involving lying, cheating or stealing

Kimbercop

I work in a pretty popular bike community and from time to time, warn people about running the stop sign at the bottom of a hill that leads to our PD. I myself have almost clipped a few because the corner is kinda blind and they fly thru it. I have never written a ticket or yelled tho, nice friendly warning usually works fine. I'm waiting for someone with attitude to test me tho

A friend of mine who works for a local sheriff's dept. wrote a few stop sign violations during a ride a few years ago due mainly to citizen complaints. He sat at one stop sign for a while, then moved to a different one later. One of the guys he wrote at the first sign, stopped at the second sign, got off the bike, walked to the middle of the interesection, mooned then flipped off my friend and rode off. My friend was laughing too hard to give chase.

I guess the mooner was an attorney who organized all the cyclists who had been written to appear in court so he could defend them altogether. He came in , made a big speech, claiming harassment and how cyclists are decent hardworking law abiding people etc. When it came time for my friend to testify, they simply popped the vcr tape from the dashcam in, of course it was set to the mooning incident. The judge didnt think the mooning was very funny. I belive everyone with the loudmouth paid $375 or something like that, those that seperated themselves got off with the minimum fine.

markwebb

I got a ticket on Ventura Blvd in 1974 when I was riding home from UCLA to Woodland Hills area. I had to go down to Van Nuys station and pay the $15 ticket. I was in middle of intersection when it changed from yellow to red. The cop used his lights and siren.

Tom Stormcrowe

I definitely saw a cyclist get pulled over, for speeding! $%#@ Officer wouldn't even give me a written warning, much less a ticket! He didn't want to give me the satisfaction for a ticket on a bike! He implied I might post it on Bike Forum! I would NEVER do that!

STEVO820

i love seeing cops in around my house. i was riding with my dad on a street called wheeler (freshly paved and flat) and saw a cop. i told my dad to hold on a sec. and i when speeding past the cop car about 30+ in a 20 but the cop didnt even care.

oh yeah and i was the guy with the red bike. wanna make something of it?

Sco++

I got blocked by a city cop for riding the wrong way on a one-way street. It was February, really cold, I was on my mt. bike and totally covered head to toe, face and all, wearing shades. This guy came roaring up the street and opened his door so it blocked my path. This was a really narrow street with parking on both sides.
I think he thought I was a kid, and he started to do his thing, until I unwrapped my face and put my reading glasses on to see him! He started to spit and sputter, and "Sir" me up and down.

I told him it was safer for me to be able to see the traffic coming at me on a street this narrow and congested, rather than ride with the flow, not be able to see what's pulling up behind me, and get sideswiped in that narrow, crowded street. He explained that the law was the law, to which I agreed.

He left, but didn't he circle the block to see if I was still riding the wrong way. I tricked him, though - I got on the sidewalk and walked the bike for a block or so, then bailed down a side street.

He was just doing his job.

Sco++

Bike path rage!

operator

And he is right anyways. Riding against the flow of traffic is super stupid.

furiousferret

I had a cop stop me for running a red in front of him. I explained that I was avoiding the unleashed pit bulls (which I really was) and he had a nice talk with the owner.

I know 90% of the law enforcement around here, so its all good.

Silverserpent

I've been pulled over twice. The first time the officer thought I was suspicous out riding at 2am and wanted to make sure I wasn't up to something. The second time I got a warning about not having a headlight while riding at night and was forced to ride on the sidewalk till I left the county or get a ticket. Thankfully the county border was only a mile away.

redtires

I don't know how many of you have ridden in Boulder County (Colorado), but there used to be (there may still be, but I have'nt lived there for five years) the famed Tuesday night "Bus Stop ride" that headed north out of town. It got so big that the Sheriff's office started to patrol the highway in order to keep literally up to 100 riders from spilling out into the highway. Another funny one...I have a really good friend with the Boulder P.D. and we were hanging out on the Pearl St. mall downtown and we both watched this guy just blow through a stop sign, right in front of us...and he's on duty..in uniform. My friend called out to him, summoning him back. He made the guy go back and ride back to the stop sign, come to a complete stop and then let him go. It was so much fun, we did it for about 45 mins or so... it was just unbelievable that pretty much EVERYONE failed to even attempt stopping at the sign!!!

oboeguy

I've seen a cyclist get pulled over and assessed a $250 ticket for not riding single file in Piermont, NY. They get medieval on your padded a55 their on that narrow Piermont Road (but apparently nothing's wrong with cars parking all the way up and down taking up most of the lane...).

Just today I think I narrowly avoided an encounter with The Law. At the top of a rise on Riverside Drive heading south where the viaduct to Grant's Tomb begins I (an 99.9% of other cyclists) normally go through the light there as there is no traffic coming from the right. I spotted a cop car about to go up Riverside the other way having made a turn on to it. A quick stop and unclip (easy to stop like that on a recovery day, heh) saved me a ticket, because the cop visibly had slowed to a near stand-still to see if I was going to blow the light. Phew! Another tailed me for a block in the 100's area more or less. Coincidence that this thread should have appeared today, go figure.

toshi

$250... that's ridiculous. Cops need to find something better to do.

sentinel4675

Hey, we cops don't assess the fines, the courts do. We just write tickets to those who break the laws.