Cyclists Fined $270 For Running Red Lights... In Central Park

John Del Signore/Gothamist

A few days ago City Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Queens) lamented that he's "never, never seen a cop car pull over a bicyclist for running through a red light. I wish they would, because those are the ones who are creating problems every day in the city." Well, it looks like Ulrich's wish has come true: for the second time this month, a cyclist in Central Park has been shocked to find cops pulling him over for running a red light. Today's report comes from composer Alec Hall, who tells us he, along with another cyclist, got caught in a dragnet in the park yesterday:

I was biking uptown on the East Central Park drive at approximately 3:00 when I was pulled over along with another cyclist for "running" one of the many traffic signals in Central Park. The light was red but the vast majority of these lights have no intersecting traffic whatsoever. There was a trap set-up with two officers in front of the light and three beyond it.
The other cyclist and I were issued standard red-light tickets of $270 without discussion, without warning, nothing... One officer beyond, who was not the ticketing officer however, claimed that since it was a first offense and I was "not a motor vehicle" that I wouldn't have to pay a fine. According to NYS law though, this is completely false—bicycles fall under the same legislation concerning motor vehicles, and the first offense isn't $0, it's $270!

Here's a copy of Hall's ticket:

One assumes this is part of the NYPD's promised citywide crackdown on scofflaw cyclists. (The NYPD has not responded to repeated requests for comment.) Cycling advocates say the NYPD's focus on bicyclists is disproportionate to the department's policing of auto drivers, whose vehicles cause death and injury in significantly greater numbers. On the other hand, Central Park is a haven for perambulators, and cyclists are often observed blowing through red lights intended to give pedestrians a chance to cross.

But Hall is outraged by his experience, and has vowed to fight the ticket. "As far as I can see this is essentially tantamount to the criminalization of recreation in New York City," Hall tells us. "If people can't go cycling for pleasure in Central Park without having to stop for countless, and ostensibly useless red lights, where else can we go? One really has to admire the combined administrative efforts of Giuliani and Bloomberg for turning New York into a mindless, sterile, corporatist playground where only the wealthiest people on Earth can have any kind of standard of living."

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By John Del Signore in News on January 18, 2011 12:18 PM

Comments [rss]

Lumpalcious1129

Give those f**kers the chair. THE CHAIR!! Seriously, I don't care that they bike to work, or in the park, but just because you put on that stupid get up doesn't mean you get to act like Lance Armstrong. You know when there are actual bike races they shut those roads off right? The park is for everyone and I'm tired of you wannabes racing through kids and pedestrians like they have no right to be there. If you get a fifty dollar ticket for not picking up dog poop, I'd say $270 is about right for trying to run people over.

Zaremba Jean-Paul

I am 58 years old and ride my bike everyday i n NY. Do I pass red lights? ....always. Do I slow down and sometimes stop and make sure there is no one around. Absolutly. There is a crackdown on bicycle in New York underway and the POLICE DEPARTMENT should be train to distinguish between safe bikers and dangerous ones. Giving tickets to all bikers is not the solution.

Darren Bedrosian

Mindless, Sterile Corporatist Playground? You stupid liberal jacka**, this is YOUR city run by YOUR liberal city council members. This isnt some republican haven crushing the proletariat. This is the result of people of your political ideology getting elected and then deciding they can legislate and control Everything. We have a budget shortfall because this city hands out an absurd about of entitlements. Now you're bitching because your city government has ordered your [police force to close this gap by handing out frivolous tickets? As a libertarian, I accept that to live in an amazing city like NYC I have to subject myself to the fact that its run by the political left. A group of people who has always thought they know whats best for people to think. it went from being the thought police, to now the food police (ban on trans fats), the cigarette police, the bicycle police and now (if the city council NOT MAYOR BLOOMBERG) gets their way, the ipod police!

So to the author of this article, I think its absolutely pathetic how you try and blame these conditions on republicans by attributing this to Guiliani or bloomberg (who isnt a republican) or by citing the rare republican councilman from Queens: who sounds like a tool, for the record. This is a city run by liberal democrats so at least have the journalistic integrity to acknowledge that.

I hope the cyclist does fight this in court. And I hope he documents how the court system is a joke, and the level of corruption that exists there for small offenses. The city's politicians have discovered that corruption at a small enough level goes unnoticed. So i DO want to credit the author (despite my tirade) for taking the time to get a story like this out there.

- A libertarian hoping for a more free N.Y.C

scor·pi·o/ˈskôrpēˌō/

With all the pedestrians in the Chinatown/SoHo area who walk in bike lanes and don't look before they step into the streets, for all the vehicles parked in bike lanes and for all the bikers who are visibly riding in a reckless fashion, discretion amongst the NYPD is limited. I wonder if it would've been fine for me to hop off my bike and walk it across the red light... I just might do that and beg the officer to write me a jaywalking ticket if they're not already ay-hole'ish enough to do it on their own.

scor·pi·o/ˈskôrpēˌō/

Simple and easy concept that would be best understood and accepted is discretion by police officers. If someone stops at a red light, checks and is clear to cross on their bike, it shouldn't be an issue. At most, an officer should do no more than offer a warning to the offending biker if they feel it's necessary. There are plenty of wrong-way riders and those who don't respect any forms of traffic, whether vehicular, cyclist or pedestrian.

Ironsunflower

http://www.centralparknyc.org/...

I hate the red light rules and yes, they suck, no, it doesn't make sense, but neither does cars driving through a 'park.' Everyone should have to obey the laws. Instead of fighting with each other, we should be working together to make an actual change that would benefit everyone who lives in the city.

Although, I suppose immature name calling and ridiculous statements are much easier.

Darney76

I eat red lights for breakfast (if no one commented that already).

m015094

So, let's say a cop pulls me over and I don't have an ID (which I usually don't if I'm just going riding for exercise). How does he verify my info? Would I get hauled away in the paddy-wagon?

Guest

230+ comments? GTFOH.

Rod

oh, I thought this was ShootingFishInABarrel.com.

Dubai Directory

Well rules are for everyone. This cyclist should follow the traffic rules and must be careful next time.

luke_1

Red light tickets to cyclists are fine, and I say that as a someone who bikes at least 10 hours per week. Red light tickets on the Central Park loop when it is closed to traffic are cops being lazy and abusing the law. I follow the spirit of the law, not the letter.

I won't wait at a light when there is no one around because it makes no goddamn sense. I will wait at a light if pedestrians are crossing, and I'll do so behind the crosswalk, not in it. If you somehow managed to enforce cyclists stopping at every red light, I would just get off my bike and jaywalk with the rest of you, then get back on. So good luck with that.

Noa Cortes

its like I said in a previous post...NYC Traffic laws need to be enforced all around....Pedestrians who Jaywalk - Cars that park and drive on bicycle lanes and don't signal turns - and cyclist who don't obey nyc traffic laws as well...its that simple. We wont become Copenhagen over night...building a sustainable environment for all commuters will take many years of development requiring patience and cooperation from all parties

random transplant

I wonder how many pedestrians jay-walked right by these five cops during their little crack down?

Do pedestrians have to stop and wait in the middle of the road in non-intersections? The park must be a real drag.

69GeorgeWBush69

Why can't you assholes wait a minute for the lights to cycle? Why does everyone in New York act like they're about to shit their pants?

m015094

The same could be said for every pedestrian who "creeps" out into the intersection. What's your point?

Rod

and not all of us have as much free time or money as you right wing assholes do.

if we stole others money maybe we would too.

SwampYankee

I'm so far left you would hit me in the head if you ever bothered to signal your turns. Don't presuppose to suit your desired image of someone else. You know nothing about me