"From CRCA by way of ebikes:
FYI -- Tonight I was issued a ticket in Central Park for ""riding three abreast."" It happened at about 8:00pm when the park was closed to cars. When I questioned the law, the cop said ""yes, even when the park is closed you are not allowed to ride three abreast.""
Ben
"
And what was the actual code citation? The state law about two abreast doesn't apply in NYC, since it is explicitly repealed by the NYC VTL.
Also, what flavor cop was this? NYPD, or PEP?
Remember, when the cops get quotas, they write their tickets. I've seen speculation that the police are deliberately writing bogus tickets against cyclists so that there is less likelyhood the ticket will be sustained.
and invite that cop on our club rides, but make sure he can't count past 9.
Not trying/wanting to be ignorant here, but surely something must be able to be done about this, yes? Ben from CRCA was, after all, riding his bike in a public PARK when it was also closed to vehicles, not down Lexington Avenue at rush hour.
Can anyone out there shed some light on this for the rest of us. I'd fight such a ticket, sure, but what a nuisance and so insulting. We're just a hated subspecies, aren't we?
I wish I could add more to this situation than simply fire and ire, but this enrages me (as it should us all, I feel).
Any suggestions for ways around these situations are greatly welcomed and appreciated.
Andy
> I wish I could add more to
> this situation than simply
> fire and ire, but this enrages me
> Any suggestions for ways around
> these situations are greatly
> welcomed and appreciated.
Write to your elected officials - mayor and city council rep - to complain.
Actually, if you are stopped by an officer for no reason and/or are given a ticket that you believe is unjustified you have some options that are much more effective than calling your local representative. These are:
1. File a complaint with the Civilian Complaint Review Board. You can do this by going to the Central Park Precinct which is located on the 86th St. transverse or on-line. The desk sergeant at the precinct is required to give you a CCRB complaint form if you ask for one. Filing the complaint in person at the precinct has an added advantage in that the word will get back to the subject officer immediately that you are pissed.
2. Call the NYPD's Internal Affairs Bureau and make a complaint to their investigators. They may refer it to the CCRB if it doesn't involve corruption, but a call to the IAB gets the officers attention immediately.
3. Sue him. An officer can only stop you if you are committing a violation or he has a reasonable suspicion that you are engaged in unlawful activity. If you are doing none of the above, and you are wrongfully detained - even for a matter of minutes - you can sue for damages under State law or the 4th amendment for wrongful arrest/malicious prosecution, and indeed, if it appears that the stop was made as part of a an unlawfuly policy or practice you can make a claim against the City itself.
I suspect that if the cycling community began filing serial justified complaints against the arresting officers in the Central Park Precinct that the brass would take steps to stop these unlawful acts by police officers.
"To ""lawyer with a bike,"" I thank you. I understand--to a degree--why you'd post under this anonymous name and appreciate what you've informed us of. If this indeed can be done, count me in. Not sure if I'd pursue the suing angle, but I'd absolutely stop by the precinct and file a complaint and would encourage anyone I know to do precisely the same. It's well within our rights as citizens to voice up about things unfair and unjust."
Not that I want to be accussed of defending the police for the ridiculousness of Monday's ticket, but I made an observation this past week!
Being off this week from work, I road 4 laps each day(Monday-Tues-Weds) and noticed an unusual police presence all around the park> They were not the usual; just drinking coffee and talking on the cellphone, but actually were pulling CARS over for traffic violations(ie-going through redlights) It caught my attention as well as a couple of others I road with! Happy holiday Alan
"Makes me sick!Once this cop up at Piermont road pulled 5 of us over because my buddy was riding ""to far out onto the road"",but I think it was that everyone else was riding to the extreme right side.Words were exchanged and he used the F word and called me a pip-squeak.I looked at his fat ass stomach bulging out and then looked at his gun and shield and understood where he was comming from.After he apologized he then told us how hes also a cyclist!I would like to take his fat ass on a ride and watch how he gets dropped 1 minute into the ride or better yet take him as far as he'll make it and then leave him.Such a shame these fools have no idea."
If you think you are being harrassed now just wait until the police adopt their new parading policy. I've been pulled over in CP, I think I went through a red light when the park was closed, and given a warning. The harrassment is sure to increase when they give themselves increased powers.
