ID required when riding a bicycle?

[cardinal03]

Thanks for the info

 

[Rel]

The way I see it.....

If you don't want to give your name or your ID, and I can't determine who you are, I can take you to jail just as easy as giving a citation.

Not my vehicle that is being towed. I don't have to pay the tow charges.

You are right, America is a free land. Exercise your rights all you want.

 

[afm199]

The way I see it.....



You are right, America is a free land. Exercise your rights all you want.

Exactly. Rights are not something you are born with, they are something established by the constitution and they MUST be exercised. Similarly Duties and obligations must be carried out. This country was not founded so people could complain that they were being discriminated against, it was founded to provide a framework within which men could struggle, work, live and die with a certain set of rights and duties. Anybody who wants to be FREE needs to seriously consider exactly what that entails.

 

[bertocci]

Exactly. Rights are not something you are born with, they are something established by the constitution and they MUST be exercised. Similarly Duties and obligations must be carried out. This country was not founded so people could complain that they were being discriminated against, it was founded to provide a framework within which men could struggle, work, live and die with a certain set of rights and duties. Anybody who wants to be FREE needs to seriously consider exactly what that entails.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

As you can see by the Declaration of Independence, rights are not established by the Constitution, merely enumerated therein. Big difference.

 

[Rel]

As well as America is a Republic, not a Democracy.

 

[spudbutter]

I was pulled over??? a couple weeks ago for riding my bicycle down the street the wrong direction on Pacific Ave in Santa Cruz. What a waste of time. The officer let me go, just a waste of time. Why would an officer waste his time doing this? Also, he did ask for my DL and ran my info. No harm done in the end, but he could have cited me if I was a dick.

 

[silversvs]

I was pulled over??? a couple weeks ago for riding my bicycle down the street the wrong direction on Pacific Ave in Santa Cruz. What a waste of time. The officer let me go, just a waste of time. Why would an officer waste his time doing this? Also, he did ask for my DL and ran my info. No harm done in the end, but he could have cited me if I was a dick.

I guess if you didn't learn anything from the stop, like being required to ride your bike the same direction as all vehicular traffic, then it was a waste of time. Some people see learning experiences as learning experinces. Others see them as harassment and a waste of time.

In my city we take a lot of auto vs bicycle collisions, and nearly all of them have at least an associated factor for the cause of the collision as the bike being ridden the wrong way on the street, if that is not the actual primary collision factor.

 

[s-girl]

If you go by the law(s) that state bicyclists must adhere to the same law(s) that govern the operation of motor vehicles, then it can argued that it's required to have it on you when you ride your bicycle.

with the exception that it is NOT required by law to have a driver's license in order to operate a bicycle, so that argument might not hold. the spirit of that law is that bicycles and non mechnical vehicles that share the roadway must adhere to the same traffic laws.

 

[spudbutter]

Learning experience-Yes
Waste of time-Yes
Will I do it again- Probably not, even though I've been doing it for 28 years with no problems. Certain One way streets are W i d e enough to bike down wrong way. Especially with cars going about 10 MPH. I am capable of my own personal risk assessment in certain situations like this. Thanks for nada.

 

[motorman4life]

If it is w i d e enough for you to bicycle the wrong way, it is likely wide enough for someone to motorcycle the wrong way too. Are you saying if a one-way street is wide enough for a car to go the wrong way, that should be okay too?

A few years back, I took 2 major injury collisions involving bicycles, on the same day. Both were bicycles going the wrong way (against traffic). Both said they had been doing it for years. Both believed the motor vehicle to be at fault. Both were wrong. One was in the daylight and the other at night (with no lighting equipment either). More candidates for the Darwin Awards.

If you want (or expect) all of your RIGHTS as a cyclist, you have an obligation (RESPONSIBILITY) to follow all of the rules of the road that apply... no matter how long you have been breaking the law.

 

[spudbutter]

If I am a Darwin canidate for riding a bike one or two blocks the wrong direction so be it. Like I said, I probably won't give anybody the satisfaction to cite me for that sincwe being "informed". However, I appreciate your concern for my safety. Keep up the good work. BTW I wouldn't dream of riding a motorcycle the wrong direction. It's a bike people! jeez. One less cage.

 

[JimE]

And yes, you can get a DUI on a bicycle too. Traffic laws apply because you share the road like it or not. Now why you can get a DUI on a skateboard is beyond me but something different anyways......

 

[DachWuff]

It would be nice if they put into effect a bicycle license for any age and required them to pay registration fees since they share the roads, why not share the cost. Also something to revoke for them riding like morons. Every day i see bikes blowing reds/stops, wrong way, no signals, holding up traffic, turning from wrong lane, and so on, would be nice to see them get some tickets/points.

 

[EL TJ]

I was pulled over??? a couple weeks ago for riding my bicycle down the street the wrong direction on Pacific Ave in Santa Cruz. What a waste of time. The officer let me go, just a waste of time. Why would an officer waste his time doing this? Also, he did ask for my DL and ran my info. No harm done in the end, but he could have cited me if I was a dick.

An officer would stop someone like this for a few reasons. It is not a waste of time.

1. Someone who shows poor judgment in riding the wrong way on the street is likely to have shown poor judgment in the past, and that could mean there is a pending arrest warrant for them. By FI'ing you, he ran your record and checked that out.

2. It was probably his hope to instill in you a desire to be safer on your bike so that you don't get hurt or killed because of your dangerous habits. Clearly, he failed here.

3. He could have written you a cite to enforce the law. Lucky for you, he chose not to.


If only there were a way for you to waive any public assistance including payment for your emergency room and burial costs, I would feel perfectly fine for you to continue your practice of 28 years, riding the wrong way on the street. But since I, as a taxpayer and member of the public, may end up paying for your sorry ass, I promise to cite the next 3 people I see riding the wrong way down the street on their bikes, in your honor.

the spirit of that law is that bicycles and non mechnical vehicles that share the roadway must adhere to the same traffic laws.

It is not the spirit of the law, it is the letter of the law.

 

[spudbutter]

El TJ- I don't care if you cite the next three or hundrend people.

1. I figured he was probably looking for warrants or whatever, but thanks for reassuring me. The crack dealer at the bus station is glad I preoccupied him.

2. Like I said in a previous post I'm not going to do it again. But I'm still not going to wear a helmet on my beach cruiser; god I'm so unsafe.

3. Yes, lucky for me. Everybody has bigger things in their lives going on and why add to that with a wrong direction ticket? Is it cause you really give a crap about me- or cause you can? thought so. Thanks for caring so much. And he probably chose not to because I'm not a dick, contrary to what you may believe from reading this post.

And my ass ain't sorry, but thanks for showing professionalism by calling me names and promising to cite the next 3 people. Wish I had that power. I will state that certain situations riding the wrong way may warrant a citation, but in downtown SC??

 

[s-girl]

It is not the spirit of the law, it is the letter of the law.

Right, my point was that the law does not include requiring a bicyclist to have a motor vehicle operating license, correct? Depsite that it states that a bicyclist must obey the same laws as a motor vehicle. That is what I meant by "spirit" since it is not all inclusive.

 

[EL TJ]

1. I figured he was probably looking for warrants or whatever, but thanks for reassuring me. The crack dealer at the bus station is glad I preoccupied him.

Did the officer know you from the crack dealer at the bus station? No, that's why he ran you out, just like he would have done with anyone. I explained the reasoning above.

2. Like I said in a previous post I'm not going to do it again. But I'm still not going to wear a helmet on my beach cruiser; god I'm so unsafe.

Good. I used to be an EMT, and saw some very nasty bike vs. car crashes. So I'm glad you won't do it again, regardless of the reason why not. Wish you would wear a helmet, but that's your choice.

3. Yes, lucky for me. Everybody has bigger things in their lives going on and why add to that with a wrong direction ticket? Is it cause you really give a crap about me- or cause you can? thought so. Thanks for caring so much. And he probably chose not to because I'm not a dick, contrary to what you may believe from reading this post.

The ticket would be given to enforce the law and you were breaking it. Like I said, I'm glad you didn't get one. I wasn't there so I don't know all the circumstances, but obviously they turned out in your favor.

And my ass ain't sorry, but thanks for showing professionalism by calling me names and promising to cite the next 3 people. Wish I had that power.

First of all, let's keep in mind that I'm posting my personal opinion on BARF, and I prefaced that comment by saying "I, as a taxpayer and member of the public". Last time I checked, BARF was not a haven for the thin-skinned, or a venue to demonstrate your professionalism. The promise to write a few tickets in your honor was tongue-in-cheek, but who knows..MM4L's post made me think about the dangers of this kind of situation and what I've seen in the past, so maybe I will.

I will state that certain situations riding the wrong way may warrant a citation, but in downtown SC??

Your opinion of the safety / danger in a situation may be different than the people who have to pick up the pieces of someone who was traveling against traffic and caused a collision.

 

[EL TJ]

Right, my point was that the law does not include requiring a bicyclist to have a motor vehicle operating license, correct? Depsite that it states that a bicyclist must obey the same laws as a motor vehicle. That is what I meant by "spirit" since it is not all inclusive.

Sorry if I misunderstood your comment. I was just replying to this sentence:

the spirit of that law is that bicycles and non mechnical vehicles that share the roadway must adhere to the same traffic laws.

My point was -- it is not just the spirit of the law that says bicyclists must adhere to traffic laws. It is the letter of the law. In other words, you're not allowed to do whatever you want on a bicycle on a public road; you have to follow the rules of the road.

 

[afm199]

I was pulled over??? a couple weeks ago for riding my bicycle down the street the wrong direction on Pacific Ave in Santa Cruz. What a waste of time. The officer let me go, just a waste of time. Why would an officer waste his time doing this? Also, he did ask for my DL and ran my info. No harm done in the end, but he could have cited me if I was a dick.

CVC says bicycles are subject to motor vehicle laws on the street. In other words, you comitted a violation by going the wrong way on a one way street. he could have ticketed you.

 

[CHUM]

It would be nice if they put into effect a bicycle license for any age and required them to pay registration fees since they share the roads, why not share the cost.....

ummmm......we pay taxes too.....we also ease congestion, smog...and being healthier from riding it can be argued we contribute to lowering health costs in the future......unless we keep on gettin' mowed down by cagers....which sucks...is painful...and frankly, scary....