# issued citation on Manhattan Waterfront Greenway--very confused



## fortwash (Aug 12, 2013)

Hi,

FYI--the NYPD has stationed an officer at the red light near 46th st. by the USS Intrepid. He stopped me at 8 am to issue a citation for running a red light. I spent the whole time with the officer watching every single subsequent cyclist run the red light (no pedestrian or motor traffic at that time by that light), as they have every single day in the last three years I've been a bike commuter. That's not to say I didn't deserve the ticket according to the letter of the law, but it was very frustrating.

Anyway, I asked the officer how much the ticket would be, and he said that usually it's the same for a motorist running a red light--$190. But he said he was issuing a ticket to me under a different "code" that would result in a much lesser $60 fine. The ticket itself says nothing about a $60 fine, but the citation is issued under State Vehicle and Traffic Law section 1231, which basically just says the laws that apply to motorists apply to bicyclists. 

Has anyone encountered this situation before? I'm not going to plead guilty if that means I'm hit with a $190 fine, but it's not worth it to me to contest the ticket if it in reality is only worth $60. Any prior experience/advice would be greatly appreciated.


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## NJBiker72 (Jul 9, 2011)

fortwash said:


> Hi,
> 
> FYI--the NYPD has stationed an officer at the red light near 46th st. by the USS Intrepid. He stopped me at 8 am to issue a citation for running a red light. I spent the whole time with the officer watching every single subsequent cyclist run the red light (no pedestrian or motor traffic at that time by that light), as they have every single day in the last three years I've been a bike commuter. That's not to say I didn't deserve the ticket according to the letter of the law, but it was very frustrating.
> 
> ...


Not the exact scenario but it is not uncommon for an officer to give out a ticket for a lesser offense to a motorist, so that they gave out a ticket, but are not really penalizing the motorist too much. Talked my way down on tickets twice like this. Again, as a motorist. But probably the same idea.

Go online and see what you have to pay.


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## eugenetsang (Jun 9, 2011)

Fortwash,

I was just curious... This has nothing to do with fighting your ticket. As I do not have any experience or had encountered being stopped by police bc of running red lights/stop signs..

You mentioned after you had been issued a ticket, you stopped and monitored all the cyclists blow pass the red light. Were any of them stopped and issued the same ticket as you?

Or did the officer turned a blind eye and let them go? BC if that's the case, thats pretty messed up.


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## fortwash (Aug 12, 2013)

eugenetsang said:


> Fortwash,
> 
> I was just curious... This has nothing to do with fighting your ticket. As I do not have any experience or had encountered being stopped by police bc of running red lights/stop signs..
> 
> ...


There was only one officer on the scene, so he could only get one person at a time. Of course, I pointed out everyone cruising through the light, but there wasn't much he could do about them. As soon as he was done with me, he nabbed the very next guy through the light. Overall, the officer was pretty nice about the whole thing and understanding of the absurdity of the situation. He was just doing what he was told.


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## eugenetsang (Jun 9, 2011)

I know cops are always nabbing riders on Riverside Drive, by Grant's Tomb. 

Witnessed an unfortunate young lady which looked like she was going to school being pulled over. I understand cyclists are considered vehicles... but there are times where i feel cops should be doing more important things.


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## brianmcg (Oct 12, 2002)

I heard a story once about a highway patrolman. He had pulled over someone speeding. The person speeding said "I wasn't the only one, why didn't you pull them over?" The patrolman said, "Ever been duck hunting, you can't shoot them all."


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## nealric (Jul 5, 2007)

I saw a similar incident on my morning commute yesterday. 

For what it's worth, I recently beat a similar citation (central park) in court- but I was lucky that the officer's testimony has some inconsistencies.

What really bothers me is the haphazard nature of enforcement. I've never seen the wrong way delivery guys ticketed, even though they present a huge hazard. They tend to ticket only in a few select locations and turn a blind eye othewise.


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## pone (Sep 19, 2012)

i'm guessing not a single ticket was issued to pedestrians in the bike lane. i've also been nearly taken out by taxis or busses who blow through the stop lights just south of there.


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## 9W9W (Apr 5, 2012)

eugenetsang said:


> Fortwash,
> 
> Or did the officer turned a blind eye and let them go? BC if that's the case, thats pretty messed up.


BWAAAhahahahah.... So naive, so cute. Welcome to NYC motha.... Messed up takes on another meaning here. One cop 100 cyclists per minute.... He picks one out at random and writes.


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