Traffic Ticket

[dbb]

I think the significant observation here is the existence of variable emphasis on enforcement. The other day I observed a PP officer standing in front of the Jefferson (by the jersey barriers) when a stretch hummer limo parked in the “no stopping/standing” area right in front of the memorial. In spite of the clearly marked policy, the officer allowed the limo to park as it was there 15 minutes later when I passed through that area again.

[vvill]

@dbb 32947 wrote:

stretch hummer limo

Musta been an ELITE VIP.

[dasgeh]

@Tim Kelley 32928 wrote:

So what’s the strategy to fix the problem?

I’m assuming you mean to the broader problem, not this specific ticket. There’s lots of good advice on that already (e.g. are you sure it wasn’t 2 minutes).

1. Smart use of discretion in enforcement. In the situation that started this thread, a warning would have been more than appropriate.

2. Better infrastructure that makes sense for bikes. E.g. in Crystal City, wouldn’t it make sense to have a 2-way cycle track on Crystal Drive, and give bikes in the cycle track a “yellow” for pedestrians when cars have red — in other words, have bikes yield to peds crossing in the crosswalk with the light.

3. Fix the obvious problems with the laws. Some that come to mind: fines for bikes (if VA Code isn’t like DC’s), clarify rights and responsibilities with respect to unsignalized crosswalks, allow bikes to follow LPIs, even when they’re in the roadway.

[Dickie]

@mstone 32936 wrote:

Personally, I have not witnessed much “respect” for anyone on our roads, so I’m not going to reduce my safety in hopes that someone will deign to give me some. Your reference to leaving early so you don’t have to save a minute trivializes the very real decisions we all need to make about our safety. It is a quite rational decision to decide that crossing an intersection during the red cycle is safer than getting mixed up in traffic when the light turns green, regardless of how much time it takes or saves.

That’s a shame. As a whole I find far more drivers respecting me than not. However it is much easier to squawk about the bad ones. Every day I witness drivers yield to me, give me space, make eye contact and smile, wait to pass, etc. Of course there are always jerks in world, those that crowd me, yell, or honk, but I find in comparison it is rare. Of course I do understand it takes just one jerk to end my life, but isn’t that the same for anything we do? Riding in traffic is a choice we have all made and with that choice comes consequences. We have chosen to be the minority so it is up to us to earn our respect. If breaking the law is the only way you feel safe in traffic as a cyclist you might have made a poor choice, for each time a cyclists breaks the law my life as a cyclists gets less safe. The original thread was about a ticket, one which I feel was disproportionate in fee and more likely warranted a warning. However, the law was broken, the reason why is an important topic but is no defense.

[jabberwocky]

@Dickie 32965 wrote:

That’s a shame. As a whole I find far more drivers respecting me than not.

Same here, and I ride in the land of self-entitled jackasses (aka Great Falls VA).

As for running red lights, I personally think too many cyclists do it as a matter of habit and try to justify it as a safety decision. Its true that there are certain lights and intersections that I find it best to run them (usually by waiting to a certain point in their signal pattern where you know what traffic will be doing). But most lights I find I’m better off waiting like any other vehicle.

[thecyclingeconomist]

@jabberwocky 32967 wrote:

As for running red lights, I personally think too many cyclists do it as a matter of habit and try to justify it as a safety decision.

I try to always stop at any intersection where there are visible cars. Yeah, it takes longer, but the key to being safe is being visible and riding predictably. Cyclists that don’t signal, ride blindly through intersections, weave through lanes, do half-crossings while trying to stay up on their fixies… they all put every cyclist at risk because cars do not respect cyclists due to their highly unpredictable (and often unsafe) behaviors while in a motorway. I get WAY more angry at bad cyclists than I do drivers. They give the rest a bad name. It only takes one bad apple to spoil the bunch right?

Only once has a driver actively done a “road-rage” on me… and it’s on video. If he’d hit me, I’d be able to take him to court and probably get a pretty significant ruling against him.

Now, do I respect the letter of the law at all times? No. I’m to blame for getting a driver/other cyclist irked here and there too. (Though I do always try to apologize when I realize that I cut it too close, or made someone nervous.) By no means am I the picture of cycling perfection (according to the League of American Bicyclists safety instructor courses) when it comes to always being courteous to other riders/motorists. The lights/stop-signs that I regularly do a roll-through are definitely unjustified based upon any safety excuse… I do it because I don’t want to stop and have to get started again. I don’t have 150 horsepower at the whim of my toe. My max measured power output in a red-lined sprint is 2hp (around 1500 watts). If I could leisurely accelerate from 0mph to 20mph in 2 seconds, then I’d always stop. But, I do it knowing that it is not the law, it is a calculated risk. If I got into an accident, I’d be screwed, even if it wasn’t “all my fault” (as pointed out earlier in this thread). If I got a ticket, I’d be screwed.

[Tim Kelley]

@thecyclingeconomist 32973 wrote:

Yeah, it takes longer, but the key to being safe is being visible and riding predictably.

Be a PAL! http://www.BikeArlington.com/PAL

[GuyContinental]

I’m in the crowd of folks that will drift a light/stop (if safe) but totally, completely expect to get a ticket if I’m caught doing so (one day the Reston – Herndon section will absolutely get me one). What’s bad news is that since I ride more than I drive, I occasionally have to fight the same impulse while in a car! Not quite sure why it’s intellectually any different to roll Highland & Lee in a car vs a bike at 5am, but I would NEVER do so in a car (I’ve had 1 speeding ticket in my life- 10 years ago*…)

In this specific case, I’d be righteously indignant as well and probably try and fight it. BUT at the end of the day a law that makes some objective sense, even if under a stupid interpretation, was broken so I’d suck it up and chalk it up as a cost of riding (offset by what I save in not driving!)

*OK, there was that damn camera on 395 downtown but that was just revenue bs so I don’t count it)

[Steve O]

Riding a CaBi bike in Crystal City is a definitely a hybrid between being a car and a pedestrian. I likely would have done the same thing.
Given that the CaBi bikes are probably better off crossing on the ped signal, perhaps it would serve all populations to add a bike traffic signal at some of those intersections to coincide with the crosswalk signal. This would clear bikes out of the way of right-turning cars, keep bikes off the crosswalks mingling with peds, help overall flow, and make everyone feel safer.
Let’s do it.

[creadinger]

Since our apartment overlooks this intersection I feel like I can offer some information about this area.

1) This summer it seems like every two weeks or so there’ll be a motorcycle cop who sits on the corner of 23rd and Clark St waiting to pounce on people in an extremely target rich environment. It must be a huge boon to the AC budget. He may get more than 15 law breakers in an hour. Most of the infractions are speeders or red-light runners on Rt. 1, but occasionaly there’s something else worth going after.

2) Clark St. sucks! It’s two narrow lanes with parallel parking on each side. There’s a bike lane, but the road is so curvy that cars and buses round off the corners through the bike lane. Drivers on Rt. 1 consider it to be a highway and Clark St. is an extension of that. There’s a ton of hotels in the area and the hotel shuttles, Super Shuttles and taxis race through there on their way to the airport or coming back from it. When the hotels are full there’s a lot of clueless pedestrians walking around and often walk into the street without looking. There’s a lot of defense contractors and other people that work in the area and they routinely fly down Clark St. on their way to work. There’s also a lot of semi-blind driveways to the left and right to get into parking garages and hotels. When I drive through there to get into the garage under our building, a-holes in big luxury cars routinely tailgate me or aggressively change lanes because I actually drive a reasonable speed. My wife and I ride down Clark St. a lot on our way to the grocery store and it is chaos most of the time. On a slow, lumbering CaBi bike you’re not too far off from being a sitting duck. I would not blame anyone for trying to get ahead of the chaos by going through the light with the peds. $161?! Is that what they charge cars too? I always thought it was more like $90 for running a red light. Sorry about that.

I hate Clark St. and I’m glad I don’t have to ride through the 23rd St. intersection daily. Is there another way to go? Cross Rt. 1 to ride down Eads?

[chris_s]

Rumor has it Clark/Bell is getting a Northbound cycle-track as part of the two-way conversion, at least between 12th and 20th – possibly farther.

[DCAKen]

@thecyclingeconomist 32973 wrote:

I do it because I don’t want to stop and have to get started again.

This line of reasoning always makes me roll my eyes. Why are you on a bike if you’re going to complain about the effort of pedaling? Would you accept this excuse from a driver who rolls through a stop sign or light to conserve gasoline?

[creadinger]

@chris_s 33099 wrote:

Rumor has it Clark/Bell is getting a Northbound cycle-track as part of the two-way conversion, at least between 12th and 20th – possibly farther.

What’s going on with the conversion? When is it supposed to take place? Sorry I’m out of the loop on future plans.

[Tim Kelley]

Things could be worse: http://grist.org/list/this-poor-guy-got-a-1550-ticket-for-biking-in-new-york-city

A $1500 ticket…

[GuyContinental]

@DCAKen 33146 wrote:

This line of reasoning always makes me roll my eyes. Why are you on a bike if you’re going to complain about the effort of pedaling? Would you accept this excuse from a driver who rolls through a stop sign or light to conserve gasoline?

Not that I totally disagree and do not condone ever blowing a stop fully, but I recently tried coming to a full, foot-down stop at every intersection on my commute. It was nearly 20 minutes slower than my fastest time (tailwind and lucky on the Elden, Maple, Gallows and Lee lights) and fully 10 minutes slower than my median. Heck of a workout too. Now there are a LOT of minor/major stops between Courthouse and Sterling (like 40 when you include private property) so this may be a special case, but still.

Riding for sport- totally ridiculous to complain about the speed ramp and extra exercise; riding a long way just to get home- less ridiculous to add up the time implication.

[Author]

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