It’s not every day you’re slammed with a $278 ticket, the same amount as one given to cars doing this, for allegedly running a red light on a bicycle in the snow. And yet that’s what happened to me one day this winter, when all I was trying to do was get to work. It’s a lot of money, but what elevates it from nuisance to insanity is that it turns out the fine is the same as that given to a car for running a red light. That’s completely crazy any way you think about it. On the ticket, I’m allowed to select “guilty” or “not guilty,” but I select a third option: “bollocks.”
Now, there are several things wrong with this situation. As an engineer, I’ll give you an argument from the world of physics. My bicycle and I weigh one tenth as much as a car and ride half as fast as a car barreling down the road. The formula for kinetic energy of an object in motion goes KE = ½ m v2 (m is mass, v is velocity), i.e. I have very roughly one-fortieth, or 3%, the kinetic energy/killing power of a car. There is no sense in the fine being equal to that of a forty-times deadlier vehicle. Perhaps a $50 fine for running a red light would be reasonable, and if I get caught running a red? OK, I’ll pay that.
This goes beyond physics, though: it touches upon issues of class as well. The ticket I’ve been hit with is more than my bicycle is worth, so I call fucking bullshit. Some goddamn one percenter in his SUV who runs a red light can afford a $300 ticket, just like he can afford all the parking, gas, insurance, car payments, etc.that come with car ownership. To him, the fine’s milk money, chump change, a drop in the bucket. Those who bicycle commute to work because they can’t even afford the $112/month MetroCard, however, simply can’t cough up three hundred bucks on a whim just because the police have nothing better to do than to shake them down.
This goes beyond bored cops, though. It’s misguided policy from up above. Stepping up traffic enforcement across the board with a blind eye to vulnerability of each of the players involved misses the point, and ticketing pedestrians/cyclists/unicorn riders as harshly as drivers does not encourage use of transportation alternatives to cars, it just dicks everyone over.
Also, aren’t we trying to promote livability and safer streets? Why are we slamming those who embrace one of the key tools in the Vision Zero campaign? More bicycles on the road improves street safety across the board. Oh, we’ve got problems with obesity? Don’t incorporate exercise in the form of bicycle riding into your daily routine, you can’t afford it. I thought what with all the bike lanes and the bike share program, the city was encouraging bicycling, but now I’m getting mixed messages.
Let’s just put this ridiculous winter and ticket behind us. Fuck it, cops can have their bike lane parking as long as it’s not made their job to pull out of said bike lane to slap the cyclists they’re blocking with fines only cars can afford. Let’s just join hands and bike all over Brooklyn together forever. Come as you are, just grab a bike and ride. You might even like it.
View Comments (44)
Bike riders are subject to similar traffic laws as cars. I wish the police racked down on bike riders. THEY NEVER stop at red lights. This is easy money for the city....for a time they'd generate a massive amount of ticket revenue.
I don't get bicycles in NYC. it's not Portlandia. And please spare me the poverty line. If you live within 10 miles of this city you're doing better than most.
A guy on a bike nearly hit me running a red as I was crossing at the light. I said something and he turned around and got in my face. I then struck him in the face with a closed fist.
I recently got a ticket for riding pass a red light. I came to a stop looked to see if it was clear then rode over. I've done this many times in the presence of cops and it's never been a problem before. I would always stop to make sure it was safe to proceed. I went in to clear it up and I asked the clerk how much it would cost and he said it's $190 which I think is just crazy. It takes me 30 minutes to ride to vs. 1 hour 15 minutes by bus. I ride because it's healthy, it saves me money and time it would take me to reach to work. $190 is way too much because I have a pet job and that's more than half of my paycheck. Some of you really do not know the full situation of others. I really hope when I take over a full lane other drivers know that I have a right to occupy that lane since I have to obey the same rules and pay the same tickets.
Do you not understand what a red light means? It means stop. Now let's move on to green, do you know what a green light means? It means go. A red light doesn't mean stop and then go, that's a stop sign. I've sped past cops before in my truck and they didn't pull me over, do you think when I do get pulled over say if that I've done it before and a cop didn't stop me is any sort of defense? This has nothing to do with how long it takes you to get somewhere or helping the environment, nobody gives a shit. You intentionally broke the law, pay the price, quit whining.
P/t job*
These comments are wild! The author doesn't argue that he shouldn't be ticketed! He argues that the fine should be lower because cyclists have much less capacity to injure than cars do for the same illegality.
I completely agree with the author that policy should do everything they can to encourage more people to get on their bicycles. Reducing fines is one of the ways that policy can encourage people to ride more, which has a myriad of proven benefits to the public as a whole, and to individual riders.
People who ride bikes for transit are uniformly in lower income classes than those who drive cars, even moreso here in NYC. Fines should probably be more along the lines of what people can pay anyways, and should be able to be repaid through community service or something else anyways.
So if a cyclist runs a red light and a car hits him/her, you think there's much less capacity for an injury? How does that make any sense? If I'm riding my motorcycle and I come to a red light, I can just as easily look both ways, see there's no traffic, and run the light. But you know what happens when a cop is there, I get a ticket. I don't understand why so many cyclists insist that they don't need to obey traffic laws. How about this, obey the traffic laws and don't get a ticket. In all honesty, how difficult is that?
actually there is nothing wrong with running a red light on a bike if youre a good biker. bikes have mobility and can swerve out of the way of any pedestrian or car. nobody wants to get hit, obviously a biker will look to see if there are any cars before going through a light. stopping at every red light slows you down so much, so going through them makes biking more efficient than it already is. however, when cops have nothing better to do or are in a bad mood, they may try to give you a ticket. in this case, never stop. a bike in nyc can always outrun a car, except on a main avenue at 4 in the morning. as soon as he tries to pull you over, speed up and make the first turn the wrong way on a one way street. this way the cop will not be able to chase you and you will easily get away. if there isnt a one way street, quickly turn around. note to pedestrians and cars: if you walk or drive like you normally would, a good biker will not hit you. they will swerve around you before you even realize what they did. thats cause bikes are much faster and more mobile than you are. so leave bikes alone, they save the environment, improve traffic and help you stay in shape. also they are the fastest way to get around the city
I am both a biker and a driver (but not in the 1%). This is terrible advice. Hybrid cars save the environment as well. Does that make it okay for them to run red lights as well?
I've run slot of red lights on my bike. If I ever get caught breaking the rules, I will own it. The Rules are rules. Stop making up excuses. The law exists for the safety of all. The lack of accountability on this thread is astonishing.
Glad you posted that pic. I lost mine now I can finally call them about it lol
I think bicyclists should pay *more.* I ride both a motorcycle and a bicycle, and one main difference is that I pay annually to renew my license, which goes towards paying for roads and said red lights. Bicyclists don't have to pay for anything like that, yet they use (and abuse) the same road resources.
Sorry, but just pay up like a man and move on.
Cyclists can't have it both ways. If you claim that the the road belongs to both drivers and cyclists, then all of the rules should be applied equally.
You broke the law. Don't cry about fairness, that's what children do. Be an adult and face the consequences.
In Paris, it's now tolerated to run a red light if you give priority to pedestrians crossing.
My point is: laws are NOT ALWAYS good to follow. As a cyclist, I ALWAYS give priority to pedestrians crossing. However, I would stop cycling if i had to stop for every single RED light.
Agreed, Jeremy. Pedestrians and cyclists are on the same team, here, and should respect one another as they work together to make use of infrastructure that was designed around cars.
You are driving a vehicle. Through a red light. Sure, it may not be powered by explosions but simply powered by your leg muscles, but it's still a vehicle. It can still kill a kid crossing the street. It can cause other drivers to swerve and cause accidents. In fact, you are actually more difficult to see thus MORE likely to cause an accident when running red lights.
You are more of a danger to other people on the road than a car is due to the size and visibility of your vehicle.
Really, this makes real bicyclists look bad. You are putting everyone's safety at risk. Shame on you.