Beware of Bike Cops In Pasadena

Has anyone here ever gotten a failure to stop at a stop sign ticket on their bike? I just got one yesterday and was wondering what it's gonna cost me. Well actually I am planning on fighting it, since it was the biggest con/ bunch of horse $#!t by a cop I've ever experienced while biking! This was so stupid, it even managed to beat out the time I got a ticket for not carrying my ID on me at Huntington Beach when I was fresh out of the water dripping wet with a surfboard under my arms and I got caught j-walking!!!

So it all happened yesterday afternoon... My wife and I were riding around in a residential neighborhood looking at houses, going <5mph, when I rolled through a stop sign. Now keep in mind that this was a small side street, with absolutely no traffic, and the stop sign I rolled was at a T intersection, where a small street/ alley intersected the the main road. Of course there happened to be some @$$hole cop sitting there with nothing better to do, and no real criminals to catch (or shootings to cover up since its Pasadena PD), so he pulls me over, reads me the riot act, and winds up giving me the ticket. Oh yeah he also happened to put on the ticket that I was riding in medium traffic on the ticket (a total lie... there were no moving cars in sight), and as I'm getting the ticket at least 3 other bikers blow through that same stop sign, and he didn't do shit! Am I wrong for thinking this ticket is complete BS? Who actually comes to a complete stop sign on their bike when there's not a car in site, and you aren't on a major thoroughfare? What a freakin joke!!!

Also just so it's clear, I'm not a cop-hating person, I have good friends and family who work in various aspects of law enforcement, and I know it's often a thankless job, but this was just absurd!!! I've heard that the Pasadena PD runs ticket scams on bikers, and now I know it's true!

 

Most cops have small D@^& syndrome and were picked on when they were little childern. Most of them technically are unstable and most of them if you take the badge away and gun are little B&*%es.

Citys are broke and are doing everything to generate money

 

Lame B...sorry to hear about this.

 

I got my warning a few years back. I stop at all stop signs and practice vehicular cycling. You can't win, half the people are honking at you or looking at you like you are a fool for stopping and the other half are honking cause you ran the stop sign.

 

Did the stop sign say "bikes exempt"?

 

No, it said "Do Some Real Police Work".

 

did you not break the law? Or are you somehow exempt from rules/laws? I understand that you are disappointed that you got a ticket, but you broke the law, got caught, now pay the piper. end of story.

 

I just had to laugh out loud. You're angry because you got a ticket for blowing a stop sign!

And to top it off, youre equally upset for jay walking WITH A SURFBOARD!

Be glad all you got were tickets for being a road hazard. That's better than being road kill. Here's your sign!

 

He didn't give you the ticket for "running" the stop sign...he gave you the ticket for doing it right in front of a cop!!! (sorry.)

 

Man... you obviously missed 2 key points... yes jaywalking is stupid, but getting a ticket for not having an ID on me as well is even more idiotic. (I was in the water WTF would I have an ID on me for?)

And if by "blowing a stop sign" you mean rolling through it at a snails pace, while on a leisurely ride through a dead neighborhood with no cars in sight or within earshot then yeah I'm crazy like that, I was a total road hazard, and it WAS super dangerous, wasn't it... the only person on a vehicle who could have killed me was the cop (and luckily for me he didn't, knowing how Pasadena PD likes to shoot first and ask questions later).

Whatever happened to getting a "warning"?

 

because you don't "get it".

 

So you knowingly ran a stop sign in front of a police officer? Or did you not see him? If you didn't see him, who knows what else you may have not seen.

I think there is actually a law that says that if you're an adult, you must carry ID with you at all times. I'm not sure of this, though.

 

You have to put one foot down...period. I see folks at the courthouse trying to explain a tract stand...it does not work. I see the fixie crowd trying to fix no brake fix it tickets stating that they can stop pedaling to stop their bike...does not work. I see them tell the court that they did not know they could not ride their bike in the crosswalk...does not work. Best you can do is to ask Judge to reduce fines, fines will be in the $300-400 range. I see Judges reduce that to $25, but only on the first offense after that they impose full fines. But there again maybe you are special and rules should not apply to you. I break rules all the time and if and when I get caught I will pay up, part of the game.

Yes ID at all times, some cops/rangers can be cool and call it in and if things are OK will give you a pass. I have my Drivers License number memorized because when I am on my single speed riding without a pack I don't have my DL.

 

This looks to be one of the few instances where a ticket actually reached its intended target. If you said, well I didn't see the stop sign, or something like that, but if you did you would have every intention of stopping, you'd have a lot more people on your side. What you're saying is I saw the stop sign and made a conscious decision not to stop. One reason they issue tickets out to people is to alter their behavior. This may not change your opinion on whether or not stopping is necessary, but I'm sure you'll think twice about doing it again.

 

This I am surprised by. Wow. I thought the law was simply a complete stop.

 

This may be a good reference for the OP.

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/lov/lovd11.htm

 

Are you sure? I didn't think that CA required carrying identification. I also don't think that CA is even a stop and identify state - unless you are being detained under reasonable suspicion, you don't have to identify yourself.

 

This is so hilarious.....Is this guy for real?

 

I always have my ID with me, when you get as many DWB's as I get, you never leave home without it, LOL! I have also learned that 99.9% of traffic cops are Richard Head's! Riding road bikes all over different areas in SoCal has shown me that cops look for bicyclist to harass, and if you don't unclip and put a foot down they consider that rolling the stop sign and will ticket you for that. I'd say suck it up and learn from this experience.

 

Also when it comes to biking and following the law, 99.99999% of the time I stop at stop signs and obey all traffic laws. If I'm on a busy street like Colorado Blvd, or Venice Blvd or wherever there is traffic it would be madness not to! I rarely ever ride my road bike on the street (except when cruising around the neighborhood with my wife) because I hear about roadies getting splatted every other day, and it's just too sketchy. EXACTLY why i was riding around on a quiet residential street with no traffic! I'm very aware of my surroundings and did see a fat guy on a motorcycle chilling out. Unfortunately for me he just turned out to be a cop with a quota to fill.

So... I guess most of you are either cops or know every law in California and follow it to a T huh?