pulled over on my bicycle...

So around a couple of weeks ago I was out riding my bike on my lunch break. Its a real shitty, old bike I found in the trash a few years ago. Anyhow, I ride through a quiet neighborhood. There's a few stop signs here and there and if there's nobody around I just keep on going. Well out of the blue a cop pulls me over for running one of these stop signs.

He was nice about it and all and assured me that the fine would not be that bad and it wouldn't show up on my record. I thanked him and he went about his way. Last night I got the fine in the mail. Guess what? The fine is for $350 FUCKING DOLLARS! On top of that, I have to go to court about it too. Now I know that California is broke for money right now. But seriously?! $350?! WTF! That's a shitload of money for running a light- let alone on a bicycle in a quiet neighborhood with zero traffic. Don't get me wrong- I'm not pissed at the cop. Its more than $350 dollars of my hard-earned money is going to a rich, gentrified town in Silicon Valley, and likely to schools that have parents with deep pockets to ensure their kids have it a lot better than those in the poor areas like Oakland. Fuck that.

I cannot fucking believe this. $350!

 

Jeez that sucks. More than a speeding ticket! I'd be pissed.

 

That sucks man...Good luck with the court appearance.

 

Ya, I was blown away by the amount. I'm going to call today and make sure I actually read this right. I guess I just find it stupid because even though I know I broke the law, back home where I'm from the cops don't give a shit about that kind of stuff and the worst thing they would do would probably just give you a little warning.

 

Might be time to call a lawyer.

That's nuts.

 

I don't want to deal with it anymore than I have to. A lawyer would cost a lot more than $350. So I'll just have to pay them their money. I'm just venting now because the amount seems really steep.

 

WTF! $350. That's insane. I better start stopping at the signs now.

 

X2!

A friend of mine got pulled over here not long ago for the same thing. She got off with a warning though.

 

It's CaliforniKookulous. In the rest of the country, it's a traffic ticket to modify personal behavior. In CaliforniKookulous it's just another TAX.

 

Just looked on the court's web site. Apparently the original traffic fee might not be that much, but its the "court fees" that add up. If you have say- a $20 fine, you could easily have $160 in fees. I know all the court is going to do is have a judge ask how do I plead then say I owe "x" amount of dollars. Now why I have to show up to court just to be told what I already know is beyond me.

 

Bob,

First, You should be mad at the cop. They have discretion and he was not using it.
Second, I would move the heck out of that state.

Ok, You have a bike, you were not drunk, you were not stoned, you were riding your bike and there was no traffic. You went through the light and got pulled over for a 350 fine!!!!! HOLY $#%#$%@#%^.

I think I would go nuts on the cop, call him and tell him what its costing you and let him know what pain this has caused. He might be stupid to think its only a 20 fine.

FIGHT IT!! Hopefully a sane clerk magistrate laughs at it and thinks the cops are going overboard.
WOW...

 

The cop was cool about it. But according to my ticket, he did have the choice as to whether or not to send me to court, which he did. I would have rather had gotten just the fine.

 

Just called. Yes indeed, the fine really is for that amount. Again- absolutely insane amount of money for such a minor offense. God I can't fucking wait to move out of this state.

 

Go to court and talk to the judge, I bet he will reduce the fine. Just leave the "f" bomb at home.

 

Yes. telling the judge to go F%$ himself would probably not win me any brownie points. I get a feeling that I have about a 0.001% chance of having to pay anything less than the fine. Guess I'll just have to suck it up and pay. Lesson learned: Don't run stop signs on bicycles.

 

I feel your pain, I got a ticket for turning right on red where allegedly prohibited to up in Monterey. 10 hours of traffic school DVD's from hell, and $450 later I was finally finished. You need to be sure that it is only $350, my ticket was "only" $180, but the court fees (even though I never went to court), drivers school referal fees (a smooth $50 for them to hand me a crappy xerox of local schools), the traffic school fee ($40 to blockbuster to rent the darn thing) and bail (which was $130 that you don't get back, I mentioned that it really wasn't bail and the clerk was not amused and basically told me to pound sand), took the number to $450.

What do you expect from the Peoples Democratic Republic of California.

 

I sure hope your wrong. My son has had some "fair" luck on having fines reduced. Start collecting aluminum cans and bottles.

 

So it's OK for all these roadies to ride on public streets without insurance, inspection, registration, proper lighting etc,etc,etc & causing traffic delays out there where you in a vehicle will be ticketed for not having it but you'll get ticketed for that shit in that situation. Don't people get jaywalking tickets if not crossing with the signal in the crosswalk stripes? I know they do. So if vehicles have to treat bikes & pedestrians the same then why wouldn't bikes get tickets all the time when they are in traffic instead of on the sidewalk or a bike lane? Don't say because bikes on sidewalks are a danger to pedestrians when vehicles are a much bigger danger to bikes & pedestrians when they play in the street. It's a bicycle for god's sake & you were in a neighborhood not on a highway or busy thoroughfare & caused no incident. On one hand, complete nonsense & on the other, well technically it's the law. Uneccessary gestapo popo action tho..........

edit - Ask for defensive driving so it'll be dismissed, lol