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Tickets For Bicyclists
By spokesman | June 11, 2009
There was an article in the Washington Post today discussing traffic tickets that were issued to bicyclists who rode through stop signs without coming to a complete stop. To make the matter even more controversial, the tickets were issued during a charity ride.
As of 10PM on the day that the article was published in the paper and on the Internet, there are nearly 200 comments on the Internet. The comments fall into several categories:
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Cyclists are responsible for all that is wrong in the world and have no right to use the road. They deserve the tickets.
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All motorist are evil and are trying to kill cyclists.
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The Government is so desperate for revenue in this recession, they will resort to anything to raise more money.
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Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time. (See Youtube video of Baretta Theme)
Go to the article and skim the comments. It is very interesting to see the wide range of comments and high level of passion. There is very little I can add to the debate except to say that when I get a traffic ticket on my bike, I want it for speeding.
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Topics: Bike Commuting, Bicycle Culture |
June 12th, 2009 at 4:27 pm
I live in Los Angeles and one of my frequent routes turns south on a bike path on my way to Palos Verdes and beyond. There is an odd stretch through Hermosa- and Manhatten Beach where the path terminates and you’ll have to follow a road peppered with stop signs every 200 to 400 yards. I can’t even begin to tell you how many riders I have seen get tickets for not coming to a complete stop, despite the entire cycling community knowing how fierce the enforcement is.
It is a shame that a task force would pick a charity ride as a target, but the flip side of the coin is that every participant signed a waiver and rule sheet which requires to abide all traffic laws.
We (cyclists) can’t have it both ways; we can’t demand equal rights on the roads when we are not willing to observe basic traffic laws. Just my 2 cents.