Guy gets ticketed for not riding in bike lane

"Chris Clarke" (shiftsandgiggles)
10/02/2013 at 16:11 • Filed to: None

...makes video of himself smashing into things in the bike lane. Also, its legal to ride outside the bike lane.

DISCUSSION (22)

Arandomvirus > Chris Clarke
10/02/2013 at 16:20

Best thing ever! In Philly, it takes 20 minutes to get to school in a car, but 15 minutes on my bike ... so I'm often leaving my car parked instead of short-tripping the motor, and there is always asshats in the bike lanes

Party-vi > Chris Clarke
10/02/2013 at 16:20

Dear entitled bicyclist,

I'm sorry your ignorance of local transportation laws cost you $50. I hope you choke on public transportation exhaust fumes.

Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast. > Chris Clarke
10/02/2013 at 16:23

Whenever possible, I use the sidewalk on my bike. It's pretty easy, no one in SoCal walks anywhere.

Shamoononon drives like a farmer > Chris Clarke
10/02/2013 at 16:25

Knd of dumb. I'd give him a ticket too.

Tekamul > Chris Clarke
10/02/2013 at 16:26

"I'm doing the world a favor"

No you're not. You're doing yourself a favor. Don't do it for the world, do it for yourself.

I'm pretty sure he's just getting a douche fine.

 > Chris Clarke
10/02/2013 at 16:27

Double Panther abuse! He must pay.

ttyymmnn > Chris Clarke
10/02/2013 at 16:27

I'm interested to know just how out of the bike lane he was. Was he simply swerving around an obstruction, only to return immediately to the bike lane? Or was he lane splitting, cruising in a traffic lane, or otherwise being a nuisance? If it were the former, I bet the cop would have let it go. I'm guessing it was the latter.

That being said, selective enforcement of laws is maddening. Ticket everybody, or ticket nobody.

sfmikee > Party-vi
10/02/2013 at 16:31

Dear ignorant poster. You don't know what you're talking about. It's not illegal. I hope you get mowed over by the bus belching fumes.

Fed(oo=[][]=oo)uken > Chris Clarke
10/02/2013 at 16:53

NYC is the pits for ticketing. Car, bike, UFO, doesn't matter. The thing is, they consistently seem to ticket everyone but the people mucking it up for everyone else.

That cop is clearly, 100% in the wrong on that one, even if the ticketee seems to not be the most tactful of angered citizens.

I got ticketed in front of my apartment for riding my bike on the sidewalk by two cops who CLEARLY didn't have anything better to do. My apartment is mid-block, and it's nice to ride from the curb cut at the corner to my door. It was dismissed because of some sort of juris-my-diction crap. Bike laws in NYC are a serious mess, leading to cops (like above) who may not know what the hell they're doing.

As to the culture of driver-on-cyclist-on-driver hate, cars are big and heavy, bikes are small and riders are fragile. Everyone pay more attention and respect the laws, they're there for a purpose.

Fed(oo=[][]=oo)uken > Tekamul
10/02/2013 at 16:54

Oh how I wish douche fine was a thing.

Casper > sfmikee
10/02/2013 at 17:02

How do you know it's not illegal? Do you know where he is, what his local laws are? It most certainly IS illegal in many places.

Party-vi > sfmikee
10/02/2013 at 17:03

Dear burner,

This whiner complained he was fined $50 because he was ignorant to the fact that it's not against the law to bike outside the bicycle lanes in NYC. No shit it's not illegal. GTFAC.

Casper > Chris Clarke
10/02/2013 at 17:04

PS: It a lot of places it is illegal to ride out of a bike lane when one is available. Especially in major cities or if they are mixing with traffic illegally.

sfmikee > Casper
10/02/2013 at 17:11

RCNY § 4-12 (p) Bicyclists should ride in usable bike lanes, unless they are blocked or unsafe for any reason.

... He stated a number of times his lane was obstructed. Not illegal.

Casper > sfmikee
10/02/2013 at 17:18

Assuming he immediately returned to the bike lane and signaled he was merging into traffic. He didn't specify exactly what he was cited for or why. Just because he is on a bicycle doesn't suddenly erase the responsibilities of being a vehicle on a road way.

cazzyodo > Chris Clarke
10/02/2013 at 17:24

As your name says, it made me giggle. I enjoyed that thoroughly so thanks for bringing it up.

I rented a bike in Montreal and found it to be a pleasant experience. Bike lanes were good and clear, everyone cooperated...things were smooth.

In Boston though, hate it all. Bicyclists make it up as they go...and so do drivers. Combining the two never works out well.

It does raise the issue of what's appropriate to ticket. Really. He pointed out worse infractions. The time it took to write that ticket and argue cost $10 in wage (an argument my boss uses whenever he doesn't want to waste time on low gain projects haha).

Gamecat235 > Chris Clarke
10/02/2013 at 17:27

As a former bicyclist, I still truly hate people who park in bike lanes. Especially cops when pulling someone over or delivery trucks just dropping something off. It's not a motherfucking shoulder, it isn't a parking space, it's a lane, for traffic. You're blocking it. MOVE.

UserNotFound > Chris Clarke
10/02/2013 at 17:38

Listen, if you just work hard you can have a car.

The Opponaut formerly known as MattP123 > Chris Clarke
10/02/2013 at 19:56

How do you get pulled over on a bike? I mean they have no plates to trace... Just let the cop stop, turn your bike around, and zip away down a snug alley and lose the cops. I doubt they would honestly get into a pursuit with a bike.

Burrito de EJ25 > UserNotFound
10/02/2013 at 23:26

What an incredibly douchy thing to say.

UserNotFound > Burrito de EJ25
10/03/2013 at 08:22

Well, it is a quote by Jeremy Clarkson so I suppose I have to agree with you.

Bruno Martini > Chris Clarke
10/03/2013 at 12:02

It is not illegal in ny for people or cabs to block the bike lane as long as they are loading and unloading passengers/goods. It is illegal however for entitled bicyclists to wonder out in general traffic and lane split.

The big difference is that one act is not ilegal because its done by necesity.

The other act is being done by duche bags. I am mostly a pedestrian in NYC streets these days as driving to Manhattan is a nightmare. I can say bike riders are a nuisance to pedestrians as well. These guys ride like the road belongs to them. Have to watch out for them on sidewalks too..... And god forbid as a pedestrian your at a light and it turns to walk. These guys blow red lights and nearly run into pedestrians on a daily basis.