BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

I got a 380 dollar ticket for rolling a redlight

in Portland OR. I had to extend my trip by 2 weeks

to contest it.

I plead poverty and ignorance. I said "your honor,

I rode my bike here from pittsburgh and was amazed at how cycling friendly your city is. However with that respect comes responsibility, and I did not realize that until it was too late." or some such. She told me to enjoy my stay and waived the fee.

ha ha!

I was caught running a red light on my way to work a few years ago, rolling through the intersection of Negley Run and Washington Blvd . Unbeknownst to me (before I started wearing a mirror), the first car in line to my rear was an Allegheny County Cop. Knew I couldn't get away from him down in that valley, so I proceeded down Wash. Blvd to pull over on Highland Dr where I felt it was safer to stop.

Cop was extremely pissed that I didn't pull over immediately, despite my safety objections, even though I signaled my intension to pull over ahead. He pulled up beside me and was yelling and me to "pull the f*** over when I tell you to" and the like. When I stopped on Highland, he was pissed. Stormed out of his car, scurried up and gave me a good chewing. Thought he was going to explode his face was so red. I simply can't understand where all of that rage came from.

He ticketed me for "failure to obey a traffic signal" or something of the sort. $105 fine and 3 points on my license, even though I didn't have any motorized transport at the time. I protested to the magistrate thinking dude wouldn't show up, but he did. Magistrate waived the points, but wouldn't budge on the fine.

I still wonder what would have happened had I not produced a drivers license.

Ironically, this is the only moving violation I've had to date. Never been pulled over while operating anything with an engine.

I wonder whether he would've been less PO'd if you'd pulled over right away. If he was parked right behind you, he, not you, would've been hit, and if he had his flashers going, that wouldn't be likely.

Good to know, though, that at least one county cop has no love for cyclists, it appears.

Interesting. Thanks guys. And wow, they don't play around in Oregon!

I found this (decade-old!) thread with an a propos title... so this is a 'reduce, reuse and recycle' post. Anyway, a friend told me today that he got a ticket for running a stop sign on Aylesboro at Murray. The ticket was $170. Ouch. He did go through the sign. But first, like any real biker, checking for traffic (there was none). And he was headed east, so it it was natural to try getting some momentum going up the hill. Since we don't have an "Idaho Stop" I expect there's not much legal recourse. What to do? Minimally, how to channel this into whatever (if any) ongoing effort to modernize PA/Pittsburgh traffic laws.

I'd say go to court, sincerely apologize, and stop running stop signs.

Oh man.  I go through that very stop sign often.    I think I'll start looking for the police.

Wow, me too.  Thanks for the heads-up.  The local police station is pretty near there.