I got Pulled Over for 2 Tickets today!? (On my Bike!)

[nismo driver]

Oh you had better not break the rules, you may get in trouble. . .

I hope you were wearing a full face helmet, padding on your knees, elbows and bottom because you could get hurt. Oh my, on second thoughts, you had better just sit at home and never leave coz there are just so many laws.

Jeesh, some of you are so Anally retentive.

I concur, way to up tight, live alittle people..

honestly your just as at risk on bike following the rules as you are breaking them, so he ran the stop sign, what if he stopped at the stop sign and the stupid campus cop dropped his dough nut and spilled his coffie and ran him over because he was sitting at the stop following the rules?

 

[Salsa Rider]

Hey Salsa, wasn't me complaining. I was replying.
<snip>

Oops sorry, Maxprime was the original poster.

 

[JohnO]

On a more practical note - I'm no great lover of laws, but the drivers you irritate today by blazing through red lights, repay this by being rude to me tomorrow. The pedestrians you terrorize by speeding past, get a mental image of an irresponsible group that their tax dollars should not be spent on, so they don't vote for representatives that support cycling initiatives.

Nothing good ever comes out of irritating people. All you do with that sort of behavior is create angry motorists, and votes against better cycling facilities.

 

[Telegram Sam]

Man- we have a bunch of goodies in here. Of course, you break the law, you have to suffer the consequences (so don't whine about it- that's just not punk rock), but your certainly not going to change the laws by obeying them. Did someone really post that if we didn't **** motorists off, we'd get more priveleges? ****- have you seen what not wanting to pay taxes has done to our schools? Yeah right, goodwill among motorists and cyclists will get us better bike lanes...You have officially bought into their hype.

Anyway- 31+ in a heavily populated pedestrian area is assinine, so are rent-a-cops at the campus- just throw the warning in his face and ride off. I know that irritating people is not the best policy- unless they are cops. I haven't met one yet I liked and think that irritating them is worth the energy...hell, ever see one of them obey the traffic laws? And yet we buy them a lot of nice perks with our taxes...it's funny isn't it?
Sorry, I just got two wammy's from our local boys (skateboarding is now illegal on every street in our town - wait till the chief see's the protest for that one) and they told me I had to make a citizens arrest on a noise complaint I have made for the 10th time (and I am not alone), after they said it was a party of fourty people this time. Nope- I don't have any use for them at all.

 

[keydates]

It's a no-win situation. If you're courteous to other vehicles, some will think that you shouldn't be riding because you didn't pay for a license to ride, only motorized vehicles belong on the road, etc. etc. If you're a total ass, those people will feel vindicated, and other drivers may feel that way as well.

I can't really comment as most vehicles, pedestrians, cops, etc. are courteous to cyclists. When they pass, most will give as much room as possible, only a very small minority will do anything more than yell at you when driving by, etc. etc.

 

[fallensparrow]

Best to keep your roadrage in check. We had a car buzz our group ride... and he was given the finger. Apparently it ****** the guy off enough that he got behind us again... but this time past he took two of us out... resulting in broken collar bones and trashed bikes. The guy was never caught despite the police and media coverage over the next week. As far as tickets go I've had a few on my bike... but I deserved them so I can't get too hot under the collar about them, heh.

fallen^sparrow

 

[TechJD]

oh yea real good argument I didnt make the rules so I dont have to keep them
geess people growup

some of you remind of of these mothers ya hear on TV when their son has been caught killin someone "Oh not my son he's always been a good Boy"
he gets convected with an eye witness and they say same thign except add
well they lied on him ( and eyewitness dont even know them )

sorry it's a petpeave with me:
If you are goin to break the law be prepeared to pay the price! thats all there is to it

 

[FreeHueco]

oh yea real good argument I didnt make the rules so I dont have to keep them
geess people growup

some of you remind of of these mothers ya hear on TV when their son has been caught killin someone "Oh not my son he's always been a good Boy"
he gets convected with an eye witness and they say same thign except add
well they lied on him ( and eyewitness dont even know them )

sorry it's a petpeave with me:
If you are goin to break the law be prepeared to pay the price! thats all there is to it

In response to riding with headphones..

I do it all of the time. Only keeping one speaker in my ear, I can hear traffic and whatever I'm listening to just fine. Also, I have never, in 9+ years of doing so, been pulled over or hassled in any way for riding while listening to the radio.

Of course, I also obey all traffic laws..

 

[Ratty]

In my opinion, obeying the laws as a cyclist does not guarantee your safety or confirms in the cagers opinion (i.e. motorists) that you are actually entitled to be on the roads on a bicycle. Of course, how dare we impose on a motorists' divine right of passage on roads.

Courtesy while riding has a much better effect, so just use some good sense, abide when it's in the interests of everyone, and decide to obey, or not obey the law at other times. Believe me, if I arrive at a red light at 5am and it is safe to run it, I will. If I am exceeding the speed limit and feel that I am in control, I'm going to continue. If I crash, or get reprimanded by the long arm, I'll deal with it. So what's the big deal.

Oh, and I always ride with a radio. Volume is low enough that I can hear what's going on around me, and I ride defensively (i.e. ALWAYS expect motorists to do daft things, like turn in front of you.) It has saved my ass many times, on both bicycles and motorcycles.

Unless people start thinking while they're riding or driving, the laws will achieve nothing.

 

[Ratty]

Oh, Ratty, he was most likely just jealous of those legs....

You should try to understand what a devestating effect your thighs may have on an insecure male.

S

er, I AM an insecure male. . . I think. . .

I am a winner. . . I like me!

 

[less'go]

I like me, too.

All together now, time for an affirmation:

I like myself.
I am a good person.
I ride like the wind.
I am one with the universe.
I am a winner!

er, I AM an insecure male. . . I think. . .

I am a winner. . . I like me!

 

[TechJD]

If I am exceeding the speed limit and feel that I am in control, I'm going to continue. If I crash, or get reprimanded by the long arm, I'll deal with it. So what's the big deal.

This part shows an Adult speaking here

 

[decisivemoment]

There are campus "cops" and then there are Campus Cops. The variety we have at University of Illinois at Chicago are genuine sworn officers of the state, complete with power of arrest, guns, and big flashily painted and boat-like Ford Crown Victorias. (We also have "UIC Parking Enforcement", who also have big boat-like Ford Crown Victorias, but with a less flashy paint job and no real power other than the power to raise your blood pressure by $25 per infraction.)

Incidentally, you will find the same thing on railroad property. Certain Class I railroads including Amtrak have the authority to operate their own police forces, with guns, power of arrest, power to equip Crown Vics with flashing lights etc. etc.

31 in the middle of campus? What were you thinking??

 

[SpearSlinger1]

Some A$$hole campus cop nearly ran me into a parked car trying to "pull me over"

So, were you pulling over to a nice smooth stop as soon you realized he was there, or did you give him reason to think you were trying to evade?

because I had my headphones on. He got me for speeding - 31 in a 15 and running a stop sign.

Break multiple traffic laws, and one over twice the legal speed limit, on a vehicle and then whine about getting caught? Patently uncool.
Did you hit 31 after you realized he was trying to pull you over?

Anyone else been pulled over?

Yes I have, for speeding, on a bicycle.

In case nobody realized it - I was on my bike for all this!

WOOP-DE-Hoppin'-DO, a moving violation is a moving violation, doesn't matter if you were on a Kent or in a Kenworth.

The only bad part to this is that he, for whatever reason, couldn't issue tickets with financial penalties.

I feel this way about this situation because from what I've read on other forums, non-bicycling, a majority of drivers say the biggest problems they have with bicycles are unpredictability and blatant disregard for traffic regulations. Very few drivers that I have read responses from actually ascribe to the right to the road because of taxes thing.

When I'm on my bike I was issuing verbal warnings pertaining to vehicle regulations and safety to other cyclists fairly often, about three to five a week. That has dropped off substantially on the base I work on because everybody I've seen lately on a bicycle is in compliance. And I'm not even law enforcement.

 

[gemelk]

Some A$$hole campus cop nearly ran me into a parked car trying to "pull me over" because I had my headphones on. He got me for speeding - 31 in a 15 and running a stop sign. He realized he couldn't give me a ticket so he gave me a written warning for each - what a tool!

Anyone else been pulled over?

In case nobody realized it - I was on my bike for all this!

FOR THE RECORD - count yourself lucky.

In all 50 States you, to the best of my research (I work for a large law firm) yes YOU, a CYCLIST, are covered by your States Moving Vehicle Code of the LAW!

Cyclists are legally obligated to ride on the street (or designated trails) and it is illegal for you to ride on sidewalks!

Cyclists can be ticketed by the Police, Sheriff's or Highway Patrol (and even some campus's where local city govts. have empowered them) for any standard traffic violations, including running stop signs/lights, speeding, illegal turns, riding against traffic, etc.

OH, those tickets COUNT ON YOUR DMV RECORD!!! Whether you drive or not!

It's all true guys and gals!

Eric

 

[Glowingrod]

my whole point is that it wasnt a real cop. last time i checked cyclist didnt have a bad name, i thought that was skate boarders?

No, cyclists have a terrible reputation for running stop signs, stop lights, illegal turns, illegal passing, riding on the sidewalk, blocking traffic unnecessarily, recklessness, etc etc etc. Especially in urban areas where you just don't see much of that being done by drivers. For some reason many cyclists believe the rules don't apply to them. They do and with good cause. Besides the fact that they are -safety- rules, rules for your own safety and -others-, I don't trust my fellow man to make that decision for me. If you don't trust that guy behind the wheel to judge for himself whether he really needs to stop for that light or sign, you yourself must stop.

 

[Glowingrod]

bah, I guess my point is that in just barely 250G miles of cycling, I've never hit a ped, another cyclist or a car, but I've been rear-ended 5 times by autos not paying attn and once intentionally, I've been rear-ended by a cyclist commuter who thought by how I looked (a racer) I'd be blowing through lights & crosswalks (I don't and though I could he couldn't stop his 200lb self&ride as fast as a car or me). I often have to make it very very clear that I am stopped and will be waiting at a light/stop sign, or traffic will stop because someone thinks I'm sure to run the light. It's annoying that the perception of cyclists as scofflaws interferes and endangers me while I'm doing it right, but it's gratifying that I get there before the scofflaws by just plain being faster. So it does have it's rewards.