Today on my way to work, I witnessed a police stakeout on 38th St and 6th Avenue. This time there was at least a 8 or so NYPD bike patrol officers writing tickets or about to do so for cyclists. This location has been a ticketing trap for at least a few months now....maybe once a week or every other week.
[Warning: Vent mode on]
It must be a concerted effort to get bike messengers off the street to make more room for more delivery trucks. In turn they may write more parking tickets, NYC's greatest source of revenue. Yeah, that's the ticket. ;-)
Praise the day the NYPD finally decides to perform some real (motor vehicular) traffic enforcement like ticketing cars running red lights on 42nd St (and 6th) - a few blocks up the street. It would be like fishing out of a stocked kiddie pool.
As for the gadflys in the audience...that's correct, I don't always stop at a red light. I don't blast through them either with reckless abandon either.
Thanks to natural selection, like may others I haven't hit any peds on my bike as it would be just about equally bad for both parties involved. I'm sure it's a safe bet that pedestrian accidents involving 2+ ton moving objects are much more endemic.
Ok, I'm done preaching to the choir. Thanks for letting me vent. Carry on!
Ticket Blitz for Cyclists
Not too long ago I was ticketed coming off of the Brooklyn Bridge into Manhattan for going through a red light. I explained to the officer that you can't come off the Bridge UNLESS you go through the red light. When I explained the situation, with photographs, the judge laughed and I won.
. [submitted by troll]
"I was traveling east on 58th Street this morning, at about 8:00 A.M. ish. Made a right turn on 5th Avenue and was promptly pulled over by a policeman. I had apparently gone thru a red light. I'm dreseed as a ""business man"", suit and tie. Riding my old commuter bike. Very, very non-threatening. Didn't matter. He was going to give me a ticket for going thru a red light. $200 fine. Whoa! $200 buckaroos!. I was real nice to the policeman, very apologetic, very polite. Because of that, he wound up giving me a ticket for not having a working horn. $60 bucks. Bummer. There were a number of policemen there, they had a number of bikes stopped. Beware. BEWARE!!!!!"
Same exact thing happened to someone I work with at the same location!!!
You have to be kidding, you're supposed to have a horn on your bike? A ticket if you don't? And May is BIKE month!
Cheers to Judy for the most sarcastic comment on this thread. Makes me proud to be a fellow member of the bar.
Not that I condone this sorta behavior, but do you think there's any law about having proper ID on your person? What about giving your real name and address? What about giving a good friend's name and address?
"I mounted a bell on my bike the week Giuliani decided to make bike bells his obsession. I call it ""Rudy."""
Ayn says it best:
There's no way to rule innocent men. The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren't enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible to live without breaking laws. – Ayn Rand
"Ain't it nice that at least on paper, we have laws against resolving arguments by killing the people we disagree with? Against getting where we want to go faster by running others off the road? Against throwing bottles at cyclists? Against dooring? Or are those just the sinister creations of authoritarians, too?
Frankly, cyclists who complain about ""ticket blitzes"" sound like crybabies to me. Want to ride on the street? Be prepared to obey the rules or pay. Otherwise, it's back to the ""bike path"" or the sidewalk (with training wheels.)"
"of government is to protect the people against violence and fraud. All of your examples are acts of violence, except ""dooring"", unless it's done on purpose, then it's violence, too.
There are bigger problems for the cops to take care of than cyclists running lights- muggers, rapists, murderers, etc. Ticketing cyclists when they run lights, (without interfereing with traffic), is just fund-raising– legal mugging by the state."
">The only just purpose of government is to protect the >people against violence and fraud.
Bill, you throw that out as a ""given."" Who cast that in stone?"
The Constitution... The Bill of Rights... and my own damn opinion, but this is a forum about bicycling, not politics, except when the two converge. I've got my own website for that.
Sorry Bill, you started...
1. form a more perfect Union
2. establish Justice
3. insure domestic Tranquility
4. provide for the common defence
5. promote the general Welfare
6. secure the Blessings of Liberty
http://www.house.gov/Constitution/Constitution.html
just not on this message board- it's for cycling related things. You can e-mail me. Check out my site: SimonJester.net
Christy, do you plan to contest the ticket?
No, I won't be contesting the ticket. I know I'm not supposed to go thru a red lite. Did anyone see that news article about the 97 year old lady who's auto registration expired? The law said something about if you drive with an expired registration, you can be arrested. A cop pulled over the 97 year old lady, put her in handcuffs, and took her in. I sort of feel the same way about my ticket. A bit of an overreaction. A lot of an overreaction. But I also know that I'm not supposed to ride thru red lights. I did. The policeman has a job to do. He was nice enough to give me a bit of a break - $60 fine for a non-working horn instead of a $200 fine for going thru a red light. No, I'm not going to contest it.
your post reads like you got $60 in addition to $200.
:-) Seriously though...
I would contest it on the grounds that it is a gross misuse of public services. The city has limited resources. Police should be pursuing muggers, murders, misfits and malevolent motorists.
I can hardly imagine any soul joining the Police Academy dreaming of the day they finally graduate and start issuing tickets to non-threatening suits riding a bicycles to work. It's definitely bad policy coming from above.
This is the much bigger issue in my opinion. If not contesting it in court, then raise the issue with a letter to a newspaper or some local news station.
it's not a bad idea to give out tickets once in a while- keeps us from not getting too comfortable disobeying traffic laws, but 200 bucks is pretty steep.
I also can hardly imagine any 'sole' joining the Police Academy dreaming of graduating and issuing tickets to bicyclists. Maybe of doing harbor patrol, but not bike duty. :)
"It's discouraging to hear about this ticket blitz. I seem to remember the same thing happening last year during Bike Month--and in previous years as well.
FWIW, I was riding up Park Ave. South this afternoon and stopped at a light. Two cops were on the corner. I said to one of them, ""Excuse me officer, but there are so many cars parked in the bike lanes, it would be great if you could ticket them. There's no place for us to ride."" He asked me where I had seen cars parked, and I said there were three on Lafayette below Houston, including one with no one in it. He said okay, as if he was going to call it in. While I doubt that happened, a little PR never hurt.
Maybe Rich Stokes, our NYPD club member, can put in another good word for us.
Three blocks from my apartment, I got sideswiped by a cab who seemed to think that lane changes can be made directly into the path of a moving bike. When I caught up with him at a light, he didn't seem to think he had done anything wrong. Not only did he get a tart lecture, he will be getting a date at the TLC."
yes, there is a push to ticket bicyclists in the last couple of weeks. Though, I haven't heard of anyone in my precinct giving a ticket to a bicyclist. We get a phone call from the Boro level every morning to report the number of bike tickets given out the previous day. So far, none.
When they told me of this blitz, I scoffed. My bosses and coworkers know I am an avid cyclist, and would never give a ticket to a fellow cyclist. Besides I'm too busy writing cell phone tickets at 72 & 3rd Ave.
Best advice I can give you: tell the cop you don't have any ID with you. The only option he has then is to arrest you. I doubt any cop would arrest a bicyclist for a red light. But, on the other hand, do you want to be the first?? Also try to outrun the cop, he probably needs the excercise.
There is probaly no good answer for what to do, but DEFINITELY fight the ticket.
And go to the Critical Mass Ride, last Friday of every month, from Union Square, 7PM.
A few days ago I was speaking to a fellow who has a place in Rockland County. He told me he got a ticket from a Nyack cop for breaking the speed limit on the descent into Nyack on his bike. When he spoke to someone from Nyack he was told that said office gives tickets for everything. I don't know how long ago the incident was.
Has anybody out there heard of such a thing?
Bathroom wallpaper, no. That is something worth framing!
When? I would pay to watch that.
LOL.
Several years ago I sought to learn from the Central Park precinct, for an article I was writing, how many tickets were issued to drivers for speeding and for being in the park when it was closed to motor vehicles.
My request was kicked along to a Det. Burns in the NYPD Public Information office. He said there were no statistics kept of this. That was a lie.
This year when I sought the same information, at least Burns didn't lie. He simply didn't return my call in the weeks he could have before the article was due.
You may read the article at:
http://www.metrosportsny.com/story.cfm?story_id=6105&departmentid=20
-Richard
You may (unsucessfully) try a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the NYPD and Park's Department.
Generally, government documents are accessible to the public, with exceptions. The most pertinent is where the information is necessary for law enforcement. But, it's fairly easy to make a FOIA request- either send a letter or you can use one of the agency's forms.
Be as specific as possibly- i.e., the number of traffic tickets issued by the NYPD to motorists in Central Park during non-traffic hours for 2000-2003.
Once the request is denied, you can appeal within the agency and/or the Courts, if you care to pursue the issue. In my opinion, the number of past tickets issued has nothing to do with current/future law enforcement.
NYPD is One Police Plaza. Park's Department is The Arsenal, Central Park (I assume Park enforcement is within their jurisdiction).
They should keep the damn cars out the Park 24/7 anyway.
Interesting article with respect to the lane use rules in Central Park.
I always assumed the two small lanes were opposite direction multi-use lanes. I have seen the paintings and signs of runners, walker/joggers and bikes, and arrows, but had no idea that they had different rules at different times.
One day I rode the inside lane the wrong way around the park for a change, and had some lunatic screaming and swearing at me. Now I know that he wasn't a lunatic, just a jerk more adept at bike lane marking hieroglyphics.
Here's another idea. Be very, very careful. Follow the rules. If you do those two things, you won't get a ticket.
"I was once stopped at the interesection of 23rd and 6th, along with about 2 or 3 other bicyclists who had just crossed 23rd heading north....when no cars were near us traveling in either direction. This was during the last ticket blitz for bicyclists mentioned by Carol. We were all promptly pulled over and asked for ID. I only carry a credit card when I ride. The officer, as Rich had mentioned, chose not to arrest me for failing to have ""proper ID"". Fortunately, he also had at least some sense of humor. When I gave him a phony address in an area outside of Boston, he smiled and asked me whether I would use the ticket as wallpaper in my bathroom. His casual approach allowed me the freedom to respond, ""quite possibly"". He smiled, finished writing the summons, and let me continue.
Now I wonder. If one were to ride away from an officer telling you to halt and then get caught (radios are even quicker than skilled cyclists in traffic), what would the charge be?"
that would be the charge. But any cop that put a pursuit of a bicyclist over the radio would be looked down upon by his coworkers.
that could be the charge, if you get caught. any cop that put a pursuit of a bicyclist over the radio would be looked down upon by his comrades and probably his boss. the radio is usually much too busy to be concerned with an errant bicyclist.
I tend to look at it this way...luck has its limits. And if one of us comes across a police officer in, let's say a bad mood...and he actually is annoyed by a dishonest or disrespectful response...there are probably statutes to cover this and then some...ending up with an appearance at 100 Centre Street. And the Judge.
Also, if one decides upon flight (a very low IQ response) and someone gets injured...or worse...
well, I understand the lunch meat is cold and ugly, the rolls are white and stale and the penalties severe.
I simply do not understand where this whimsy comes from...one bad mood police officer or injured individual and, I guarantee...certify and swear...this will be no laughing matter.
So, I pay the fine...say nothing...and give correct answers. Of course, if someone wants to be a jerk...
you can e-mail us from lock up...with my sympathy.
Maybe next time have ready a driver license containing a photo of Alfred E Newman. ;-)
Forget that, how about a license with a photo of George W. Bush!!
How about The George Washington Bridge?!?
Christy,
I was told by a bike shop that if you provide evidence of purchasing a sounding device the charges will be dropped.
Can anybody verify this?
"This was my experience when I was once ticketed for a non-working taillight (on a car.) The cop told me (and it worked) ""provide a receipt for a taillight dated within X days and enclose it with the ticket and the charges are dismissed."" Easier than mailing the car ;)"
Not sure of the origin of this or if it is law or at the discretion of whoever's at the precinct desk.
How to Void Light and Bell Tickets
From Transportation Alternatives Magazine, Jan/Feb 1999
Got a ticket for not having a bell or lights on the front and rear of your bike? Often officers issuing these tickets neglect to mention that you have 24 hours to procure the missing gear, bring it to the officer’s precinct, and the ticket will be forgotten.
http://www.transalt.org/features/lights.html
"
Perhaps the NYPD is gearing up for the republican convention in NYC this summer. With all the bars in the midtown area, we the cycling community need to improve our bike handling skills dodging inebriated pols from all across this land.
I wonder how the impending ""Lockdown"" of Manhattan will affect our trips around town and over the bridges?
Whose bright idea was it to have it here in hostile territory? Like other policies, maybe it seemed like a good idea a year ago.
"
(b) No person shall operate a bicycle unless it is equipped with a bell or other device capable of giving a signal audible for a distance of at least one hundred feet, except that a bicycle shall not be equipped with nor shall any person use upon a bicycle any siren or whistle.
I'm not sure about NYC, but in MI, cyclists have successfully fought these types of tickets by claiming their voice to be the audible device that can be heard 100'.
"I received a phone call from a friend at 7pm this evening who overheard 2 police officer's conversation on East 86th Street:
The first said: ""I'm hunting cycylist's"" to which the other replied, ""I only got 2 today.""
Since my friend was on foot & no cyclist's were in sight, I suppose these officer's felt bold in voicing their work objective/ethic of ""hunting cyclists."" Since the officer's were 1 woman & 1 man & I'm cofident NYPD could easily identify this pair, on East 86th at 7pm on May 24th, I'd be curious as to NYPD's response to such work ethic & conduct of ""hunting.""
Clearly, there are those cyclist's who are reckless in their behavior on the bike but just as clearly, these officers were segregating cyclists as a group, since my friend lingered, specifically to hear the entire conversation, & there was no mention of those cyclists who run red lights, those cyclists who endanger others...without bells...lights, etc. Does NYPD condone such segregation & abuse? Is such ""hunting"" now considered to be department policy?"
"Sorry to say this, but I think you're being rather naive. Ever hear of the Blue Wall of Silence? You might be able to file some sort of inquiry, but all you'd get is a boilerplate ""yada, yada, yada"" letter from some Community Relations hack.
I mean, Abner Louima gets it with a broom handle, and the wagons circled, and ""nobody saw nuthin'"". Do you really think they'd go after two of their ""brother"" officers because someone overheard some disparaging remarks?
"
"To compare 2 rookie cops saying ""they're hunting for cyclists"" to a person getting sodomized with a broom handle is just absurd. While I don't condone what they said, as you can read in previous posts in this thread that just won't die, there was nothing wrong with it.
What if they had said ""I'm hunting for drivers on cell phones"", as I say every morning??? Everybody on this message board would be cheering.
"
"No comparison was made, as it indeed would be absurd.
The point was that, historically, the NYPD has failed at policing itself (everyone in the precinct was willing to go along with Volpe's ""rough sex"" theory until the IAD and the DA got involved, and it was evident that their own jobs and pensions were on the line), and that if it's reluctant to act on the most egregious of offenses, then you can be pretty certain that little will be done on minor ones.
I'd also agree that a couple of cops wisecracking about their Quality of Life assignment du jour is not an offense at all, and that the first poster's suggestion that some sort of investigation could be launched is, as I said, rather naive."
"I somehow suspect that the ""blue wall"" does not extend to auxiliaries. I've heard that ""real"" police refer to them as ""toy cops."""
