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We're receiving a report of cops cracking down on cyclists running red lights and issuing tickets. The report comes from near Zuni at Van Ness and Market, and multiple cyclists have received citations in the last hour or two. Perhaps another way of beefing up the revenues of the SFPD, or a new phase in Gascon's quality-of-life campaign. Be wary out there, bikers! Traffic laws apply to you too!
Cyclists Being Pulled Over By Cops Today
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Awesome!
+1!!
wait i meant +1 for the first comment of "Awesome". somehow my reply ended up here.
Thank god.
> Perhaps another way of beefing up the revenues of the SFPD
Not to mention the comment count at SFist!
BRAVO!
/popcorn
Great! I hope that they stake out the Lower Haight...
oh noes! laws being enforced! better get the drum circle of peace fired up, because "the man" is crackin' down!
hey they're even ticketing drivers who don't yield to pedestrians too! next thing you know they'll issue citations for other lawbreakers! what WILL we do????
Wow, police enforcing laws in San Francisco?
Next thing you know we'll all be treated equally under the law. Crazy!
CVC 21-202, the CA vehicle code which is proudly cited on the "allowed full use of lanes" signs is the section of code that states that bicycles are subject to the same traffic laws as cars. yes they are. I am a daily bicycle commuter, and I approve this message.
CVC 21462. The driver of any vehicle including bicyclist(s), the person in charge of any animal, any pedestrian, and the motorman of any streetcar shall obey the instructions of any official traffic signal applicable to him and placed as provided by law, unless otherwise directed by a police or traffic officer or when it is necessary for the purpose of avoiding a collision or in case of other emergency, subject to the exemptions granted by Section 21055.
It'll be back to SOS tomorrow.
I'm a bicyclist, and I say huzzah!
OH in the City: When I'm in a car, I hate pedestrians, when I'm walking, I hate cars. No matter what, I always hate cyclists! - lmao!
Oh ok. So basically you're just a hater. gotcha.
"We're receiving a report of cops cracking down on cyclists running red lights and issuing tickets."
I heartily approve-- bicyclists should not be issuing tickets.
Good. And hopefully this is accompanied by aggressive ticketing of double-parked vehicles in bicycle lanes, cars that run stop signs, and folk who fail to yield to pedestrians.
They got very regular stings of cars failing to yield to pedestrians in the Inner Richmond. Probably once every three months or so.
Most of the folk who fail to yield for pedestrians downtown at least are on bikes. I nearly get wiped out once or twice a week on Market, esp.
But I feel you.
I watched a cyclist yell "WATCH OUT" as he barreled toward a pedestrian crossing the otherwise-empty intersection of 14th & Sanchez. What balls.
I watched a cyclist yell "WATCH OUT" as he barreled toward a pedestrian crossing the otherwise-empty intersection of 14th & Sanchez. What balls.
I hate that "WATCH OUT" crap from cyclists; most of them usually on fixies.
Hey, because in a world where hipster doofus messenger wannabes can easily purchase trendy bicycles without any brakes, it's everyone else's responsiblity to lurch forward or back at the last fucking possible minute because those cyclists have no means of stopping or slowing down to a safe speed - a decision they consciously made when they bought their vehicles, likely more for reasons of the amount of trim it might pull down at the Gestalt Haus rather than how sound it is for transportation in a hilly city like our own.
It's like they're actually angry that other people are using crosswalks and sidewalks other than them, which unless they're in grade school, they shouldn't be using in the first place. "WATCH OUT - how dare you not anticipate my reckless cycling by actually obeying traffic signals and not having fucking ESP to predict before I'm even visible that I'm coming at you against the light at 50 mph".
I don't know how the cops could be more aggressive about rolling through stop signs than they already are. There's a motorcycle cop who goes from ticketing those who exit off of Doyle onto Baker St in the AM (no-no except for taxis in the AM) to those who roll through the stop sign in front of Marina Middle school. Like clockwork.
And as Joel says, I nearly keeled over the last time a biker actually stopped while I was in a crosswalk.
We need more cops like that. I've never seen a driver get pulled for not yielding to pedestrians or making a California stop in my neighborhood.
I'm all for ticketing bicyclists who flagrantly and dangerously break the law, but as a pedestrian and from a purely selfish standpoint I'm a lot more worried about the cars...
There are 2 red light(s) near Zuni on market going towards downtown; nearly every biker goes through them because it's a 3 way and really no concern for bikers. Cops on bikes stop people there once every few months...always gotta be cautious there.
I saw a cop at Page & Octavia pull over a bicycle on Monday. I ride my bike to work every day, and I fully support this enforcement.
I'd like to add that the biggest hazard I see between cars & bicycles is cars that run yellow and red lights crossing market st.
I can't think of a single day where I don't almost get creamed by some idiot in a car that does this.
GOOD!!!!! Get em, get em, get em!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
...and if they don't, I say let those who go free be smashed!!!!!!!!!
Also: Fuck an asshole on a fixie. You live in SF, idiot!
critical mass ought to be interesting
I'm guessing that all of you people who are cheering on the police don't ever ride bikes in the city. Because if you do ride bikes and you say that you've NEVER rolled through a stop sign or a stop light (when it's reasonable safe to do so) then I'd have to get all Joe Wilson on your ass and say that YOU LIE!!!!
Word
i think you're missing the point. there's a sense that bicyclists flaunt traffic laws, and you're right, most of us that ride a bike often or just every now and then go through lights, etc. but the logic of 'we all do it so what's the big deal' doesn't really hold up. sure, i roll through a light. i might also drop a cigarette butt, hop on the bus without paying, park somewhere and don't pay, etc. when i get caught, i don't make a big deal out of it - i broke the law. basically, we all break laws, but act like fucking babies when someone actually calls us out on it. so yeah, deal with it.
No no. I get it completely. If you break the law, you pay the price... IF you get caught.
I think your reply to my comment would be better if it were directed at some of the more morally superior commenters above who seem to think that their shit don't stink.
how does anyone know that the cyclists being ticketed are "acting like babies?" if it were me, i would take the ticket and continue quietly on my way with the full knowledge that i broke the law and got caught. it seems presumptuous to assume that because cyclists are getting ticketed they automatically fall in the hipster/fixie/aggro-dickhead faction. in fact, most people riding up market past that intersection are commuters and cycle-nerd types.
upon rereading your comment i guess you weren't quite saying that. but still.
Actually, no, I don't do any of those things because they're illegal and not only that they're pretty damn inconsiderate and irresponsible.
I'd also like to see greater enforcement for people jaywalking, often across fairly busy streets and skateboarders who think they can just roll through stop signs.
It's almost as if people want to get into accidents.
i'm against it.
as a bicyclist, i think it's safer to cross a red light if there are no cars crossing. on busy streets it can be very stressful and dangerous (for cyclists and drivers) to all charge ahead at the same time when the light turns green.
Great. Change the law. Until then, stop thinking.
screw all lights. traffic circles for everyone baby.
"Look kids! Big Ben...Parliament!"
I apologize to the pedestrians getting off the shuttle this morning at 11th and Market. I didn't yield to you because your driver didn't pull over and was dropping you off in the bike lane, blocking both the auto and bike lanes simultaneously. Sorry.
Yeah, but giving a ticket and going to court are two different things. Anyone that gets ticketed ought to take the time to go Bryant Street. Cops rarely show up, even more rarely than they give tickets!
What do you mean they won't show up. If it's overtime, they will show up!
if i wasn't in the office right now I'd be on the street watching the shit show of self-righteous bicyclist piss & whine why they shouldn't get a ticket even though anyone else would.
Right because no motorist has ever whined about rightly getting a ticket after breaking a law
except that motorist are (for the most part) use to getting nailed for traffic violations. meanwhile cyclist have gotten away with A LOT for a very long time so they're going to be a bit more defensive & offended when they finally get popped. which means their argument w/ the cop will be a bit more self-righteous than the dude in the bmw
Oh, and I forgot, the expressions that every real cyclist should live by:
Braking is a sign of failure;
If you don't like the way I cycle, stay off the sidewalk;
My other bike's a bike;
and, my favorite,
The bicycle isn't above the law, the bicycle is the law.
Also, some tips for folks vis a vis cops:
* Wear sunglasses and ear plugs, and never make eye contact with cops;
* If you think that a cop may be behind you, turn into a street against traffic to shake off the undetermined;
* If you see a cop just before you break the law in front of him or her, make sure that you do not make it easy for them to nab you (i.e., head directly at them, making them have to do a U-turn, which they won't)
The basic premises: plausible denial; never lose momentum; always test the laws of physics and probability in equal measure; the cop isn't going to put that much time/effort into cyclists.
Finally, keep the pedestrian at the top of the pyramid, bike next, taxis, buses, cops and others are at the end of the line. Nobody should be forced to break, but they shouldn't get pissed off just because you fit in a space they could only dream of.
Cyclists ubers alles!
SFPD has been doing this even when the old police chief was at the helm. Bicyclist should follow all traffic rules like every car driver. Bicyclist are not exempt from the vehicle code.
Cyclists ubers alles!
Finally, keep the pedestrian at the top of the pyramid,
Yay, ticket bikers. But, please, ticket cars too ... double parkers and red light runners.
You know that the city has set up an automated system using [Dr. Evil fingerquotes here] "la-zers" to operate cameras which take pictures of red light runners and send them tickets? You know this, right?
Seriously, why not just write a post which polls the following debate proposition:
Bikers should only be issued tickets for breaking the law when every other possible crime, whether to property, vehicular, etc... has been eliminated.
I wish we could get an Idaho stop law going on here, though it still wouldn't legalize running stop lights, something I do frequently on my bike. Cyclists rely heavily on momentum to travel, especially uphill. I don't believe most of us run lights to piss off/injure pedestrians or drivers. I maintain that everyone would be better off if we ride/drive/walk predictably, then I won't have to shout, "Watch out!" when you're walking across the intersection with your headphones on - even for those of us with breaks it's not always possible to stop in time (again, momentum).
heres a pretty great video talking about the idaho stop
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84eB0N-LG6M
This kind of enforcement is equivalent to a CHP sting in which every driver exceeding a 65 mph speed limit by one or more mph gets ticketed. Targeting reckless cyclists who endanger others or even just take a motorist's right of way, is something completely different. Nay to the first, yeah to the second.
Boo.... the rule of law actually coming to SF , sh*t I'll have to move!
In my 25 years of cycling in SF I've received 5 tickets for running stop signs and red lights on my bike. I've shown up at court each time and the tickets have been dismissed each time because the ticketing officer was a no show.
And, I've never been hit by a car.
Good. I am so tired of seeing bikes speed through intersections stupidly assuming cars see them. I am pro bike riding but you are an idiot to think you are invincible.
Meanwhile those cops were not in Golden Gate Park preventing this turdblossom from making an illegal U-turn and then reversing into a legally riding oncoming cyclist.
http://sf.streetsblog.org/2009/09/18/eyes-on-the-street-backwards-suv-driver-crashes-into-bicyclist-in-golden-gate-park/#more-45381
Not to mention that they weren't going after drug dealers or murderers or etc...
We have a finite set of police resources. Check the stats on the actual mayhem cyclists cause - as opposed to general irritation - and ask yourself if that's actually what we want the cops working on. I'm sure the cops love it - easy money.
I'm a little more upset about the coppers "not preventing" murders than I am them "not preventing" accidents caused by moronic motorists. Question is whether the guy was ticketed after the fact....
Can we also start ticketing drivers who drive in the bike lanes and double-park there? Or worse, block both lanes so there's no way to go around them?