[UPDATE: Words from the cyclist: "I now have to defend a bullshit ticket that was not justified."]
Appears as if this cyclist on inbound Market Street was not happy about getting a traffic citation yesterday morn, so that led to a lengthy, heated discussion for tout le monde to hear while they waited for the stores to open.
Refusing to sign the citation, well I don’t know what that’ll get you. It might get you arrested, actually. Now traffic school, that will cost a bit of time and money (you got to pay for the ticket AND the useless class) but it will keep your DMV record clean and that’s what it’s all about, baby, that’s what’s key.
Chrome badge (camera left) vs. seven-pointed star. Lefty (note sidearm location) was using his fingers as a visual aid to count out the cyclist’s (limited) options:
Click to expand
Anyway, this convo went on for a while during the AM drive. Pretty sure that the Wilfred Brimley-esque motorcycle cop who was also on the scene is out there all the time, so this doesn’t indicate the start of the off-rumored Bicycle Crackdown I don’t think.
On it goes…
Tags: 2011, bay area, bike, biker, california, citation, cop, cyclist, department, dept., fifth, market, motocycle, office, police, refuse, rider, San Francisco, SFPD, sign, street, ticket, traffic school
It’s pretty ridiculous that bicycle citations would effect your DRIVER’S license at *ALL*, considering that they have nothing to do with one another. Or, rather, that you don’t need a driver’s license to operate a bicycle.
ALSO: Sounds like they are forgetting what the “M” in DMV stands for.
Would it work to just simply obtain a California I.D. card from the DMV then if you are ever pulled over on your bicycle simply produce the I.D. card or would the police
be able to confirm you also have a drivers license?
Good question. Believe you would get the same number on both cards. Or, if not, they’d match them up anyway…
Sounds like the thing to do is obtain one of those San Francisco City I.D. cards.