pulled over on my bicycle...

DAMN.

I like this idea... maybe...

 

A bicycle is not a car, so this legality that the traffic laws apply in exactly the same way is just laziness on the part of the legislators. Bicyclists blow through stop signs because it takes a big effort to get back up to speed again once you’ve stopped. For sure some roadies take it way too far. That all said, I gave up riding on the street years ago because distracted drivers are far more dangerous than asshole cops. This ticket is just a money grab for the broke and pathetic state of California. That is another thing I gave up years ago, living in California.

 

The thought has crossed my mind. There's one part of my ride that goes along a busy street. The city has allowed the shrubs along the bike lane to grow, meaning I have to ride close to the road. Even so, people will drive right next to me at 60MPH. A few have almost nailed me. Scary stuff.

 

I've been nailed by 3 full size chevy's, an excursion, a garbage truck and a mitsubishi eclipse.

those trailer mirrors fold as they throw you 10 feet, so they arent to bad. but the garbage truck about knocked me out. and the kid with the eclipse got his windshield stomped out after he hit me.(he actually HIT me, like he ran over my bike.) had he actually stopped, and not just slowed down enough for me to get footing. we could have just talked about it. but as soon as i could see he was gonna run, I gave his window a good kick and rolled off his hood.

cops never found him, so I was unable to press charges.

but I'd rather get slapped in the back by a towing mirror/hydraulic arm... than get T-boned by a ricer.

definitely!

 

When I was in college I was coming down a huge hill. A lady in a car pulled right out in front of me. She had obviously not seen me at all. I slammed on the brakes, flipped and landed on my face. I broke my nose and shattered 4 of my front teeth. There was a pile of crumbed teeth on the street. I wound up having to have 5 root canals and four caps. Took me years before I felt like getting on a bike again.

 

That fine is very excessive. I recently ran a red light in my taco and it was only $100. However, being part of the racing community I hear lots of stories and see many injuries due to both careless drivers and riders and personally think both parties need to be cracked down on... especially the riders who don't follow any rules.

But hey... I know people who've gotten speeding tickets on their bike before so it could be worse than a simple stop sign.

 

well, all the chevy's happened to me at once(like, over two days), so my whole back was just a big bruise. the excursion hit me more in the neck area, so it was just kinda like wip lash. the garbage truck actually caught my back wheel, and threw me on my ass.

I saw the kid in the eclipse coming, so i was letting go of the bike just as he hit me. I got a few bruises, plenty of scrapes and a big gash where his grille broke and dragged up my leg.

but otherwise I was lucky enough to escape with no real permanent damage.

funny thing is. none of them stopped. the chevy guys laughed, I reported the garbage truck from its number, and I got the plate from the excursion.

cops did NOTHING.

kid in the eclipse only had paper plates, and I couldnt read them.

 

OK, here's where everyone can bust out with their nono speeches but IF there is nothing else but to have to ride down the edge of the street to get somewhere I'm riding on the left side of the road where I can see what's coming & bunny hop the curb if need be. Fuck gettin blindsided from behind. Yeah, go ahead now with the "you just wanna see who kills you" but gettin run over from behind leaves you no chance to save yourself & people notice things coming at them far more often. I ride fat tire bikes for this reason & can always roll down the sidewalks around pedestrians thru the grass or flower beds or whatever. I refuse to ride in the road unless absolutely necessary which isn't often with fat tires or if it's an organized ride. I'll jump curbs, cut corners thru fields or empty lots or whatever, fuck riding in the road. It's a bike, I'll ride it wherever & however my legs will make it go. I'm taking off from the house & doing whatever I feel like or have to do to get somewhere & back the safest most entertaining way. OMG, it's a bicycle, I'm not registering it, insuring it, putting gas in it, having to haul it somewhere legal to ride. The government can fuckoff as far as my leisure activities go. Sorry, others have their own ways of survival on 2 wheels, don't copy me. I'm not even condoning how I ride as something anyone else should do. I'm just not gonna put myself in position to have my life in someone else's hands when on a bike. I don't trust cars waiting on me at intersections nor do I time things where cars have to wait on me. I go behind them when crossing where they would be waiting.

edit - Don't we all need something unregulated that you can just bust out on and have a blast free of charge whenever wherever however you want to? Well my 10 bicycles are it, lol.

 

Only problem with riding on the left side in the area I ride is that there's a ton ofl the rich Lance Armstrong wannabees riding around. We're talking serious guys in their little airstream suits and $4,000 bikes. The go pretty fast and if I was on the wrong side of the road, they would nail me. I did it once and this one guy nearly nailed me, turned around and proceeded to cuss me out. ( as a side note, I'm actually faster than about 90% of these guys on my POS 25 year old 10 speed with my old T-shirt and shoes.)

But I digress... Just got back from my ride. Stopping at all the stop signs sucks. It ruins my rythem and I have to exert lots of extra energy just getting started from every stop. Looks like its time to find another route.

 

I just jump the curb, go around in the grass, they can cuss & I don't care if they like it. My rules on the bike are....don't get hit by anything & don't hit anything & hydrate or die & wear a helment. Rest is different every time & subject to change at any given moment depending on what each situation calls for. Had one guy wanna talk about it once. He's the one who said I'd get to see who hits me riding on the left. I said he would NOT have the chance to avoid being hit blindly from behind riding on the right. I dodge the danger, he only has common direction with what flattens him lessening what? I see both sides of this but I choose my own path. Others choose theirs.

 

Riding in the road is a last resort for me. That's why I have fat tires, to not have to. Only road riding I do is organized rides, then it's rules of the road time.

 

Wish more people had an attitude like that ....But I agree the fine is excessive, so good luck.