Do you ever ticket bicyclists?

[Tronite]

I'm curious if any of you ever ticket bicyclists for traffic violations. I constantly am seeing them run stop signs, red lights, and riding in the middle of a motor vehicle lane even when they have a bike lane.

[tyrist]

Yup....bicycle stops are often the best. Cannot even count how many people I have sent to prison and it started with no bike light at night.

[Jonathan Doe]

Yes, I have, and the riders deserved the tickets.

[ke6guj]

I'm curious if any of you ever ticket bicyclists for traffic violations. I constantly am seeing them run stop signs, red lights, and riding in the middle of a motor vehicle lane even when they have a bike lane.

not a crime.

[OneNcustdy]

Yes I do. Also moving violations are like $.10 cents for every $10.00 for the fine. Most moving violations that end with fines have the money sent to courts for processing some to the county etc. etc leaving pennies on the dollar for the city the cite originated from. So its really not a "revenue generator." At least in my city, we get more for parking tickets than sending it to court.

[FLIGHT762]

not a crime.

As long as the bicyclist is going the same speed as traffic, but if the bicyclist is going slower than the speed of traffic, the cyclist is required to ride as close to the right edge of the roadway as practical. 21202(a) V.C.

[ke6guj]

correct, but just the act of riding in a traffic lane when there is a bike lane present is not a crime. The OP did not say that the bicyclist was impeding traffic, plus the fact that there is a bike lane there doesn't make it safe to ride in it.

[Tronite]

Glad to hear they're being ticketed. In San Jose and Los Gatos area, violation of traffic laws is rampant. Flight and ke6, thanks for the clarification. I was going to follow up and ask if they could be cited due to unsafe riding, which impeding traffic would be.

[B.D.Dubloon]

When i was 19, i was riding my bicycle on a "touristy" part of town, 1lane road. Next to me were two spandex clad road bicyclists, i was on my BMX. All 3 of us rolled through a mid block stop light ( ped x only - no cross traffic ) at the same time.

I get pulled over and searched while the spandex guys were left to keep cruising (and run another light right in front of cop that stopped me - only this one had cross traffic on a very busy cross street )

Dude, by your own account they were wearing spandex. You don't need to search someone in spandex, you can tell if they have anything on them. Hel, you can probably tell the minting year on the change in their pockets

Plus, your post was kinda obnoxious, but ymmv.

[5150bronco]

this is good to hear cause some bikes just do whatever they want and expect the same laws or something as peds.

[PolishMike]

Wow... this thread sure got cleaned up.

[rkt88edmo]

As long as the bicyclist is going the same speed as traffic, but if the bicyclist is going slower than the speed of traffic, the cyclist is required to ride as close to the right edge of the roadway as practical. 21202(a) V.C.

The full 21202(a) reveals why taking the lane IS LEGAL. Many streets do not provide adequately wide curb lanes to split the lane. Also, many have road debris towards the curb which is hazardous. I am curious as to whether you knew that and omitted it when citing the vehicle code. Many bike lanes are also not adequately wide enough to avoid the "door zone" if adjacent to a parking lane (not sure if parking lane is the correct nomenclature) and are not safe.

21202. (a) Any person operating a bicycle upon a roadway at a speed less than the normal speed of traffic moving in the same direction at that time shall ride as close as practicable to the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway except under any of the following situations:

(1) When overtaking and passing another bicycle or vehicle proceeding in the same direction.

(2) When preparing for a left turn at an intersection or into a private road or driveway.

(3) When reasonably necessary to avoid conditions (including, but not limited to, fixed or moving objects, vehicles, bicycles, pedestrians, animals, surface hazards, or substandard width lanes) that make it unsafe to continue along the right-hand curb or edge, subject to the provisions of Section 21656. For purposes of this section, a "substandard width lane" is a lane that is too narrow for a bicycle and a vehicle to travel safely side by side within the lane.

(4) When approaching a place where a right turn is authorized.

(b) Any person operating a bicycle upon a roadway of a highway, which highway carries traffic in one direction only and has two or more marked traffic lanes, may ride as near the left-hand curb or edge of that roadway as practicable.

[FLIGHT762]

RKT, yes I'm aware of that. I just didn't post the whole section. I wasn't trying to hide anything. Like I posted, I worked in the Patrol Division for 28 years. I was also a POST certified Bicycle Officer. I've cited numerous bicyclists and I do take into account roadway conditions as to how far to the right, if at all a bicyclist is to safely stay to the right as 21202(a) states. When I've cited for 21202 it was for blatant violations. If after I stopped them and was given a reasonable explanation Re: something I didn't see. They were not cited.

I never wrote citations for stats. I wrote them because they were well deserved.

[BigDogatPlay]

I never wrote citations for stats. I wrote them because they were well deserved.

^^^This^^^ is how all citations should be, IMO. They were for me in my time.

[Doheny]

Yeah, it really fries me when I see a bike just cruise through an intersection. No lights at night bug me too, you'd have to be nuts not to use lights on your bike at night.

this is good to hear cause some bikes just do whatever they want and expect the same laws or something as peds.