Arlington Traffic Enforcement

[JAM]

I was given a traffic citation yesterday by an Arlington motorcycle policeman. I was coming up Veitch St. in the Courthouse area. The light on Clarendon was red and I stopped. It is an intersection where the bike lane is on the far right. Crossing with the light, to get to the bike lane on Wilson heading west, one has to make sure any car beside you turning right sees you, head out across the intersection, make sure the cars coming behind you that may be continuing straight onto Veitch St. or turning left onto Wilson see you, and make sure that cars coming from the other direction on Veitch St. either turning right onto Wilson or going straight across the intersection see you. It’s a terrible intersection to navigate. I travel the route twice a day. To avoid getting caught in that mess, I will wait for the east bound traffic on Clarendon to clear, move out into the intersection between Clarendon and Wilson and stop, check to make sure that the west bound traffic on Wilson is clear, signal a turn, make eye contact with motorists on the other side of Wilson see me, and, if it safe and I have their attention, go on through and move into the bike lane on Wilson heading west. It has worked well for over two years now.

The policeman never asked me why I did what I did – he just wrote up the ticket. In all fairness, he was polite and professional, but when I tried to explain the situation at the intersection and that what I did was well thought out and careful, he simply said “tell it to the judge.” His explanation was that it was not fair to cite vehicles and not treat bicyclists the same.

My question – is there any percentage in trying to explain to the judge that what I was doing in crossing against the red after stopping and checking for traffic and getting out ahead where I was visible was safer in this situation than crossing on the green with the traffic – or should I save myself the court costs and lost time from work and go on and pay the fine? Any one have any experience with the Arlington judges? Observation for the many riders in Arlington who regularly apply the “Idaho Rule” at lights and stop signs and who think the police will use judgment as to what is a safe versus reckless cycling practice, they may not. As my citing officer correctly observed, “We are not in Idaho.”

Topic

[OneEighth]

If you have the option to plead it down beforehand, you may want to consider it. Doubtful a judge will rule in your favor. Best of luck.

[Author]

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