Standing near a bus stop and crosswalk signal, Rodgers pointed his laser gun up the hill, where it measured speed feet away.
He pulled over a hatchback, a brown Jeep and a gray SUV. Next he measured an orange bicycle at 31 mph, waved the rider to the side, and showed him the digits on the laser device. Another bicyclist stopped and asked if the man was OK. Read more…. But it can increase your car insurance rates. The lower cost not only acknowledges that a traffic infraction on a bike is less dangerous than the same infraction in a car, but it also provides an incentive for officers to give more of them without feeling like they are handing out a disproportionate fine.
Davis, California, recently tacked the same issue. Their Bicycle Education and Enforcement Program does several important things. Once you do both those things, the police will throw out your ticket before it goes on your record and, thus, goes to your car insurance company if you have one. Ah, but can you get ticketed for distracted biking? However, if you break another traffic law because you are distracted, you can get a ticket for whatever that other infraction was stop sign, hitting someone, not ringing bell or using voice to pass, etc.
With few exceptions, opportunities like this should be taken to educate people in exchange for reduced penalties. It was dismissed by the judge as the cop had only estimated my speed, none of the boxes had been checked for radar, paced, aircraft timed….
Most of my interactions with Seattle Police have gone pretty well, this one did not. Fortunately the judge dismissed both tickets that I was given. Someone has to watch out for the people who walk across the street with their hoodies on, without looking while mesmerized by their iPhones. I get it. But yes, they are being generous by lowering the fine for cyclists. I kid…. So, sure, ticket cyclists for speeding, I hope the revenue goes towards SPD and Seattles much larger issues.
I passed the 8th Ave speed sign in Ballard yesterday, going uphill, with a loaded cargo bike, mind you — at a whopping 7mph. I can cruise down a hill at 30mph on my 60 pound loaded CycleTruck and be much more dangerous than simply riding my unloaded commuter. It seems like the laws already do this in an X or Y manner but it would be interesting if there were different sub-classes of bikes and motor vehicles. I just starting imagining a utopian world where speeding ticket fines were a factor of vehicle mass.
Maybe a bit steep…. Seattle times clickbait. Slow down. Smacking into a kid with your bike is not going to feel good. A school zone is an area where every driver on the street should be prepared to avoid colliding with some of the most vulnerable members of our society. That includes people driving bicycles.
Wait a minute. I wish the police would give a lot more speeding tickets to everybody, until the average speed of traffic slows down to the limit. Here is an idea, when you are on the highway you see a sign that fines double in work areas. Fines should double anywhere that vulnerable users are present as well. I am sorry to say that there are also places where cyclists travel at unsafe speeds. I often see it. Everyone could be safer with more law enforcement, and we would all drive better and maybe occasionally pay a ticket.
I would rather see speed limits enforced with good road design instead of making Seattle cops waste their time on speeding tickets. Road diets around schools! Third, I wish they ticked bicyclists much more. That includes the six people in my house all of whom own bicycles except one.
Also, you know, there are smartphones and those have GPS and as such can be used to show speed though, I guess, buying a handlebar attachment and waterproof case costs more than cheap bike computer. Why does this raise such ire in you as a driver? How does it affect your driving or impede your trip? I completely missed the inference that I am a driver. No, it irritates me as a bicyclist otherwise, why the hell would I even read this blog?
I own 5 bicycles and none of them have speedometers. The douche blowing through the intersection on a bike is probably only going to hurt him or herself.
A good place to start would be with your local bicycle advocacy group. They may already be working on a campaign to develop a class. Either way, ask if they need some help. If you are starting from scratch, you will probably need the approval of the local court that is responsible for handling traffic cases to develop a bicycle traffic diversion program.
It can also help you make your case to the court if you can get buy-in from your local police department and other local officials. Let them know that the goal of these programs is to change behavior through education, rather than punishment. In Portland, Oregon, a traffic citation diversion class has been available since A cyclist who has been ticketed for certain bicycle-related violations can choose to attend the two-hour class, pay a small fee, and have the ticket dismissed.
Talk to bicycle advocacy groups in cities that already have a bicycle traffic school to get their insights into getting a program started. With some persuasion, and perseverance, your town may be the next town to start a bicycle traffic school.
As I said above, a ticket does not mean that you are guilty of the charge against you. Law enforcement officers sometimes make mistakes, just like everybody else. An officer may be mistaken on the facts of the case; this means that what the officer thinks happened did not actually happen.
Or an officer can be mistaken on the law of the case; this means that the officer misunderstands what the law is saying, or is looking at the wrong law. It may even be that the officer is wrong on both the facts and the law.
The first thing you need to do is contact the court clerk by the date specified on the ticket. Tell the clerk that you want to contest the ticket; you will be given further instructions on when and where to appear.
Some jurisdictions may require you to appear in court to enter your plea. Other jurisdictions allow you to enter your plea with the court clerk when you indicate that you will be contesting the charge against you. After you have made your plea, the prosecution will present its case, and then you will be able to present your defense.
So if the court asks you to present your defense after you have made your plea, that means you are at trial. Some jurisdictions allow you to make your defense by a written declaration.
If you have this option, you can try this route first. In a trial by written declaration, you send in a written statement of the facts of the case telling the court what happened , and your defense your explanation of why you are not guilty. The prosecution sends in their written declaration stating the facts and why you are guilty. The court then sends you its decision. But if you are found guilty, you can request a trial in court, and have a second chance to make your case. For example, was the officer in a position to actually see what happened?
But even if the officer is right on the facts, the officer may be wrong on the law. If you were breaking the law and got caught red-handed, your options for presenting a defense are limited. But there are a couple of reasons to consider contesting your ticket, even if you are guilty. First, the officer may not even show up in court on the day of your trial.
If this happens, the judge should immediately dismiss your ticket; if not, ask the judge to dismiss the ticket. But even if the officer does show up for trial, you can admit your guilt, perhaps offer an explanation that you made a mistake, and ask the judge to give you a break and reduce your fine and if the fine will be a financial hardship, let the judge know.
You might even consider asking the judge to send you to bicycle traffic school, if one exists in your town. Suppose you run a stop sign and get ticketed, but the reason you ran the stop sign was because it was concealed from your view, perhaps by foliage, or a large truck.
Technically, you ran the stop sign. Be sure to bring photographs to present as evidence at trial but remember, do NOT fake any of your evidence, or you may find yourself facing criminal charges.
Now consider a different scenario—you were ticketed for riding on the sidewalk in a business district, but the reason you were on the sidewalk is you swerved to avoid a right hook and ended up on the sidewalk. Although you might consider that to be a reasonable explanation of what happened, the court will not. After listening to as much of your defense as it cares to, the court will find you guilty, and order you to pay the fine.
Sometimes, the officer is just wrong on the law. It happens. Or sometimes, the officer or an eyewitness makes a mistake on the facts of what happened. Either way, you may get a ticket. If the officer or eyewitness believes they saw you do something, did they actually see it?
Or did they assume they saw something? If the officer is simply mistaken on the law, introduce a copy of the law into evidence at trial, and argue that what the officer is saying is not what the law says.
Most judges will try to be fair to you, but you are expected to follow the rules of the court, so there are a few things you should know. First, do not be late. When your trial date arrives, you must be in court, on time, and prepared to go to trial. If you are late, you will very likely find that a bench warrant has been issued for your arrest, and it is unlikely that you will be allowed to proceed to trial. Second, you must arrive in court appropriately groomed and attired. This means that you must be cleanly groomed and wearing clean, appropriate business attire.
If you ignore your grooming and attire, you run the risk of angering the judge and losing your case. You may not agree with any of that, but that is how the court works. Third, you will have a limited amount of time to present your case. Use it wisely. You may feel outraged about your ticket. You may feel that it is unjust. You may feel that you are upholding the rights of all cyclists and that this is the case of the century. You are one of dozens of cases the court will hear that day, and hundreds the court will hear that week.
Therefore, you will be allotted a limited amount of time in which to make your defense. And because your time is limited, you will need to plan ahead and determine what your best arguments are.
You do not need to argue every minor detail. Instead, decide what points MUST be made to win your case, and make those points. Fourth, mind your manners. The bottom line is that you want the court to view you as a likeable, credible defendant. By being on time, prepared, appropriately groomed and attired, and courteous, you are allowing the court to get past these extraneous issues and focus on your arguments.
When your trial begins, let the court know that you are present. You will be asked to step forward towards the bench. If the court asks how you plead, state your plea.
After the prosecution has presented its case, it will be time to present your defense. After you inform the court what your argument will be, make your argument. You may question the officer, you may introduce evidence, and you may argue why the officer is wrong and you are right.
For example, you might ask the officer where the officer was when you were alleged to have violated the law. You might then follow up with evidence that proves the officer could not actually see you from that position.
Your goal in questioning the officer is not to help him reinforce his case against you; instead, your goal is to get the officer to reinforce your own argument. If the officer is wrong on the law, bring a copy of the law and introduce it into evidence. When you present your defense, make sure that you are mindful of your time, and present your most important arguments. Your goal is to finish your defense before the court cuts you off.
You are not limited to one argument. You can argue more than one point. For example, you argue:. After you have presented your defense, summarize for the court what your argument was. Then ask the court to dismiss the charge. When your trial begins, introduce yourself to the court. Tell the court that you are not guilty. The officer will testify as to what he or she saw. Then it will be your turn to present your defense. Tell the court what your argument will be.
After you have made your argument, summarize for the court what your argument was. Then ask the court to dismiss the charge against you. The reason you want to state what your argument will be, then make your argument, then summarize your argument, is to remind the court of your argument every step of the way. After you have presented your defense, the court will render its verdict.
You have just successfully defended yourself. It depends. From a subjective perspective, this case may be very important to you. But from an objective perspective, are the underlying legal issues in this case important? In states that do not consider bicycles automobiles, drivers are still subject to the same rights and duties of a driver of an automobile.
For a full list of which states consider bicycles as automobiles, you can visit this link. While cyclists typically do not reach speeds of up to 40 or 50 mph, while riding through an area with a lower speed limit-such as a school or construction zone-may present a situation where a cyclist unknowingly goes over the speed limit. Additionally, bicycles traveling downhill have been known to reach very high speeds, sometimes up to 60 mph, which, in addition to being a violation of traffic laws, can be very dangerous.
Most bicycles do not come with a speedometer built-in, so it is difficult for cyclists to determine what speed they are riding at. Unfortunately, not having a speedometer or not knowing that you were speeding is not a defense to a speeding ticket on a bicycle. Since cyclists are held to the same standards and duties as drivers, they are expected to make sure that they are riding at the posted speed limit at all times.
For this reason, it is a good idea for cyclists to invest in a speedometer so that they can ensure they are in compliance with the laws while riding. Traffic laws and ordinances will differ, depending on the state and county you cycle in.
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