Cyclists getting ticketed in DC

Holy cow, what a waste of resources! Couldn't he just have looked it up on the internet?

Karen

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Originally Posted by Tuckervill

Holy cow, what a waste of resources! Couldn't he just have looked it up on the internet?

Karen

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I'm guessing what took a judge wasn't reading the law, but interpreting it. The cop's understanding (well at least the way he wanted to understand it) was that a cyclist could not stop (like the law says) without putting a foot down. The judge in the end disagreed. After all that is what judges are for. Police officers can only enforce the laws - judges get to interpret them.

I seldom put a foot down at intersections, unless I have to wait for more than 15 seconds to cross, but I am certainly more "stopped" than any of the cars who also "stop" at the same intersection. At any given moment my speed as I cross the stop line is definitely a lot slower than theirs. I very seldom see a car driver that actually stops at a stop sign.

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Originally Posted by jsdilks

(so I'm trying not to freak out too much - but there aren't good routes for her in the city without taking her out of her way, but I know we'll recommend them...it's up to her to decide if she's going to try them)

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The thing with bicycle commuting is that the best routes are often not the most direct routes. When I lived in PG County and worked in Alexandria, the most direct route was straight down Rhode Island Avenue. But that definitely wasn't the best route. Alternatives to Thomas Circle are plentiful on side streets. DC's a great bicycle commuting city because there are so many options for cyclists. Plus, mixing up the routes keeps things interesting.