Local criminal apprehended by the authorities in Rosslyn

[Dirt]

All joking aside, I think it is great that we’re getting some local enforcement at these intersections. It helps people be aware of how dangerous those places are.

Like I say every year during Bicycle Safety Week (I’m not going to call it “bust a cyclist but ignore the drivers week” like I usually do), it would be good if they gave similar warnings to cars on the dangers of turning right on red without stopping, looking or both.

Doing part of the job is a good thing. Doing the whole job will have to remain a dream of mine.

Love,

Pete

[bArlington]

Yeah, except Scott St isnt a dangerous intersection – at least not as the light is designed. 95% of the time a bike will be stopped at a red light for no cause; there will be no crossing South Bound car traffic. That North / South traffic light goes green for Scott Street so that North Bound Scott Street car traffic can turn left on Lee Hwy. 95% of the time bikes are stopped at the traffic light; there is no south bound traffic. Useless traffic signals trains humans to ignore the traffic signals (whether they are bikers or car drivers). And ticketing bikers for pointless traffic signals will breed frustration, drive bikers into the street, or other problems.

But here is my bigger problem. The ticket says “Cycle on the right.” Please quote me from the “fine print” where it says bikes must cycle on the right. As I recall, a cyclist in Clarendon had a real run in with police because of this a few years ago. She got ticketed. She went to court. The police were unable to show any law she had violated. Charges were dismissed.

The problem with this educational campaign is that its wrong.

[Dirt]

Maybe we travel through that intersection at different times. I encounter traffic on Scott street going both directions on an almost daily basis. I see close calls with bikes fairly regularly where the bicycle ignored the old stop sign that was there and blew through in front of cars. I’ve also been hit twice at that intersection by cars turning right on red. It isn’t as bad as Lynn street, but it is still worthy of a light and a bit of extra enforcement in my book. I’d love a bit of enforcement on Lynn street for both cars and bikes though.

[JimF22003]

I saw a pedestrian get nearly chopped in half by the Marriott on the Custis Trail yesterday. She walked right out into the path without looking, and a rider coming up the hill blew through the stop sign. Pretty deadly combination. They made some contact, but fortunately it didn’t look like there was any major carnage.

[donkeybike]

Hee, my coworker saw this guy get ticketed. She saw the cop car and had stopped.
Riding south on N. Highland St. yesterday, I was stopped at a 4-way stop because I could clearly see a car at the perpendicular stop–and he was there first. I never assume that people are just not using a turn signal. Right behind me comes a cyclist and he blew right through. I just shook my head. Not cool dude, you give us all a bad rap!

[Brendan von Buckingham]

Huh. So the text on the warning says regarding stop signs: “All persons riding a bicycle on a sidewalk or public highway shall stop at all stop signs.” Highways? Now, I suppose all public roads are qualified as “highways” somewhere in the primordial ooze of ancient Virginia Law. But what if that supposition is wrong? Might I NOT be breaking the law by blowing through the stop sign at Henderson and 2nd. Neither of those residential streets fit the common sense idea of “highway.” A scofflaw cyclist can still dream.

[CCrew]

@Brendan von Buckingham 5713 wrote:

Huh. So the text on the warning says regarding stop signs: “All persons riding a bicycle on a sidewalk or public highway shall stop at all stop signs.”

Let’s take it a step further though. Is it a MUP or a sidewalk. If there’s not another law that ties a MUP to being a sidewalk you *might* be able to successfully argue that that law doesn’t apply. It is signed as a “trail”

Now that said, if they cite you for the more generic “failure to obey a traffic control device” then you may be up poops creek.

I’m happy with just tripping the redlight cameras every morning at Fairfax and Glebe.. I got my $170 ticket in the district for running a red on the bike (at 4AM!!), paid it and licked my wounds.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

Wait. Seriously? You got tagged for running a red at 4:00 a.m. ? That’s nonsensical enough that it’s pretty funny. Good for you paying and moving on though. That’s one of the reasonings in the back of my head about going through reds safely: even if I get a ticket, it’s still worth it in terms of the years of beating traffic I’ve enjoyed.

[Mark Blacknell]

@Brendan von Buckingham 5736 wrote:

Wait. Seriously? You got tagged for running a red at 4:00 a.m. ? That’s nonsensical enough that it’s pretty funny. Good for you paying and moving on though. That’s one of the reasonings in the back of my head about going through reds safely: even if I get a ticket, it’s still worth it in terms of the years of beating traffic I’ve enjoyed.

Yep. Credit to you, CCrew. My eventual charges in that situation would have resulted in something involving the phrase “Are you )(@#@# kidding me?!”.

[CCrew]

@Brendan von Buckingham 5736 wrote:

Wait. Seriously? You got tagged for running a red at 4:00 a.m. ? That’s nonsensical enough that it’s pretty funny. Good for you paying and moving on though. That’s one of the reasonings in the back of my head about going through reds safely: even if I get a ticket, it’s still worth it in terms of the years of beating traffic I’ve enjoyed.

@Mark Blacknell 5779 wrote:

Yep. Credit to you, CCrew. My eventual charges in that situation would have resulted in something involving the phrase “Are you )(@#@# kidding me?!”.

That “Are you $%#@ kidding me?” was EXACTLY my response.

I brought it on my own self. I was coming down M street and hit the red light at Wisconsin. The right turn lane there is tight and filtering left can be a bit dodgy even at that time of the am because the cabs run through there like idiots. I pulled up into the crosswalk, looked both ways, nothing coming so I went for it. Middle of the intersection I realize it’s a DC cop sitting at the opposite light. I hammered it, he banged a U-turn and that was that. I did the crime, I paid the fine. Simply couldn’t see going into court to try to beat it when in reality I had done exactly what I was charged with.

I still run it and a few others just for safety in positioning. I just look closer now! $170 bux stung a bit writing that check.

Son got a speeding ticket on my tri bike last year in Winchester for 37 in a 25. We took that one to court and won. That was just plain funny. It’s framed on his bedroom wall.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

How does a bicycle beat a speeding ticket? I’ve always assumed that speed limits apply to bikes as well. Maybe something about bikes not required to have speedometers, so there’s no expectation that they know how fast they’re going?

[Dirt]

@Brendan von Buckingham 5809 wrote:

How does a bicycle beat a speeding ticket? I’ve always assumed that speed limits apply to bikes as well. Maybe something about bikes not required to have speedometers, so there’s no expectation that they know how fast they’re going?

Getting the judge to laugh helps.

[CCrew]

@Brendan von Buckingham 5809 wrote:

How does a bicycle beat a speeding ticket? I’ve always assumed that speed limits apply to bikes as well. Maybe something about bikes not required to have speedometers, so there’s no expectation that they know how fast they’re going?

Dirt pretty much got it.

Went to court with him. Biggest issue I was working with was he had just gotten his license, and it was points against that. Judge asked the cop what happened. Cop clocked him on a long downhill just getting it. Said he wasn’t doing anything stupid, just going fast.

I was with my son. Judge asked me my take on it – was pretty informal. I told the judge that while my son and I had discussed it and he realized that technically he was wrong, I certainly wasn’t going to punish him. Considering he wasn’t sitting in front of a game console and wasn’t a problem kid that I was actually quite proud of his accomplishment. *I* certainly couldn’t have done that speed.

Judge just paused for a sec, said “Case dismissed”. Then he asked the cop if he couldn’t find something other than citing bicycles for speeding and to NEVER come in front of him again with a ticket like this. Cop was pissed.

Bike had a Garmin on it.. he knew EXACTLY how fast he was going and was winding it out. Just never figured the cop would give him a ticket. Said the cop pretty much was an ass about it too.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

Did you check under the Judge’s robe? Because he/she MUST have been wearing bike shorts. No way a cyclist gets a break unless the judge is one of us. Cool story, no doubt.

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