I slowed at the intersection to look both ways. There were no cars coming from any direction. So, I went through to get on the bridge to go to work. There was a cop in the park who flagged me down and asked me if I knew that bikes were supposed to follow traffic laws. He said lots of people have been hit by cars there recently. Then I asked how I was supposed to get on the bridge since it's a one way street going the wrong direction. He said that the cops turn their heads the other way for that infraction. !!!!

The guy I was biking with, who's name I can't remember, and I were being tailed by a cop on a motorcycle and we slowed to stop at the red light on 23rd and fifth avenue. The cop asked us to stop as well as two of our friends further up the block. A bunch of cop buddies showed up to ticket all of us, and try to get us to tell them the "plan from union square". They generally gave us a hard time, teasing us and that, but ultimately they were alright. They told us if we bought lights by today and brought the receipts to court with us the fine would most likely be waved. The gravity of the situation was totally underminded and the cops clearly didn't care about giving us tickets, it was just about busting up critical mass. PIGS.

Stopped at a traffic light, just to the left of Rosie Mendez in a pedicab, keeping as far right as I could, scooters came riding the wrong way down Park Ave. Cop told me to move my bike to the sidewalk and gave me the ticket.

Default judgment. I never got any notices until it was too late, because the cop got my name and address wrong, even though I wrote the correct address when I sent in my plea (within 2 weeks of the ticket). An administrative law judge ruled that that is not a sufficient excuse for defaulting. The TVB says there is no way to appeal that ruling.

from my blog:

At the time I was stopped I was riding south on 5th Avenue with 30-40 people. I guess I was toward the back of the ride, often a mistake, when a cop in a van motioned me to pull over. I eventually did, and there was some arm grabbing and "don't touch me"ing. I tried to call the National Lawyers Guild but the nice officer wanted my full attention. Another rider was being ticketed at the same time--I believe for riding on the sidewalk, which of course he hadn't done. He was on the sidewalk at the request of the cops. The other rider was from out of town, and from a place where Critical Mass is unmolested as it makes it celebratory way around the city, and so was a tad bewildered by how we were being treated. When the officer discovered I didn't have ID, he told me he was going to arrest me. I went to lock up my bike, so it wouldn't be incarcerated, as well, and he didn't like that.

While they were dealing with the other rider I had some time to call my spouse and someone from the video collective at Times-Up. Eric volunteered to go to my house and get my wallet. When I told the cop that, he decided to just take my information. I don't think he really relished the time and effort it would take to arrest my bicycle and me. I wasn't looking forward to it, but ultimately, I was prepared to be arrested. I ride in Critical Mass because it's fun, but also because I feel a duty to defend bikers' right to ride in the streets of New York and for people to assemble without a permit. If that means dealing with the occasional ticket or arrest, so be it.

Anyway, after the cop "let me off the hook" (i.e. let himself off the hook), he got a lot friendlier. This is what I mean when I say "benevolent smarm." He was all amiable and interested in where I live and what my block is like--being sure to let me know that he knows the street. In return I invited him to the Times-Up 20th Anniversary Party, advising him that if he joined Times-Up he could get in for free. His flunky wrote up my ticket (I don't even know if the other officer even witnessed my "crime.") and let me go. I hate that reflex that makes me say thank you when I'm handed a ticket or in any way let go by cops. In some cases it's like I'm thanking them for giving me a right that I already have.

I was riding down Broadway, heading to the Union Square
farmers market there (not even part of the Critical Mass gathering that was going to be held later in the evening.)
The place was teeming with police and I figured that it
was because of the heightened state of alert that the
city was in due to the truck bombing at the Scotland
Airport earlier that day.

Little did I know that the city's heightened state of
alert was because I was riding my bicycle outside of the
bike lane!

As I rode down Broadway on the bike lane (which was
blocked), I veered off to the right to enter the park
at the curb-dip. I dismounted and walked 10 feet
towards 2 police officers who held their hands out and
asked for my drivers license. I had no idea what was
going on.

They told me that I was riding outside of the bike lane
and I should remain here. They took my license and went
off. After 20 minutes, a different officer returned,
with a smile and handed me a ticket. We joked about it
and I thought I would just get a warning, but he said
his supervisor is making him do this. I was handed
an official looking traffic violation ticket.

I sent off my not-guilty plea to Albany. There was no
information on the ticket to find out the penalty or
to request a supporting deposition.

The return letter eventually came back from Albany stating
that my hearing would be on 10/4/07 in STATEN ISLAND!
What the hell? I called the local networks about the
absurdity of the situation and was just told "tell us
something we don't already know!". Apparently it's old
news.. except when it happens to you!

Side note:
I recently had my wallet stolen at a restaurant and when
I went to the police station in Chelsea, the only piece
of identification that I had was my traffic ticket for
'Biking off Lane' (which had my drivers license number
on it). When the police asked for my ID, I showed them
the ticket and asked them if this was actually a law that
I had violated for biking outside of the bike lane. The
uniformed officer said "I didn't know that was a law,
but if you got a ticket for it, then it must be!"
I guess I had this ticket to be thankful for, since
what criminal would bring in a biking ticket to prove
their identity!

So my trial is scheduled for 10/4/07, and I decided to
see how far away the Staten Island court is.. and it's
way past the Goethal's Bridge! I have no idea how to get
there. So, in anger again, I called the NYC traffic
violations bureau who told me that they could only
reschedule the hearing for Staten Island because that's
where the officer who wrote the ticket was based. WHAT?
I reiterated that I got the ticket in Manhattan! She
was then nice enough to call someone in Albany who
miraculously rescheduled my hearing for Decemeber 6, 2007
in Manhattan on 19 Rector Street. Just a day before
the anniversary of another tragic event in our country's
history.

So at this point, I've been detained by 2 NYC police
officers, spent time talking to 2 DMV workers in NYC
and 1 in Albany, and I'm looking forward to taking up
the judges time, the court time and some officer's time.
Not to mention my time.

Isn't it time something was done to stop this
ridiculousness?
I've tried talking to Christine Quinn's (city councilwoman) office regarding this. I'll keep you posted.

I'm from San Francisco and have ridden critical mass a few times. This past Friday was my first critical mass in New York. I also received my first ticket from riding critical mass. I was riding on 5th ave near 21 st. with about 30 other riders. We were splitting up because the cops were doing what they do best out on this coast it seems, and I was told to stop my bike. There was no bike lane, but I was riding to the right of the road and not blocking traffic. I was, however, towards the back of the group, which it seems is reason enough to ticket someone. I was told firmly to stop my bike by a guy who I'm guessing drank too much beer and read too few books in high school. (didn't to too well with the ladies I presume as well based on his manhandling of a female rider I was with) Anyways I tell him I'm pulling over to the sidewalk. I do this and get off my bike, I ask him what i did, he says something dumb and rude I can't remember, but i end up with a ticket for what? operating a bicycle on the sidewalk.
Later in the night I'm riding somewhere nearby, i don't know the city at all, i'm almost given another ticket. A scooter cop and his scooter cop buddy pick me out of a crowd of 20 riders and say "yeah that one, get that one" and they pull me over. I ask starsky what I've done wrong and, after exchanging devious smiles with his would-be hutch, tells me "your being a fucking retard that's what you're doin"
Is that what my ticket would've said? being a fucking retard without a permit? Anyways I tell the dude that I already got a ticket for no reason and I tell him my story and show him my ticket. He reminds me that I'm a "fucking retard" and when I ask him why he grabbed me since I wasn't doing anything he says "you were at the end of the group, you were the easiest to nab." After a bit he says I can walk my bike away in five minutes. All the while I'm looking at his sticker on the side of his scooter...
"courtesy, compassion & professionalism"

Welcome to the New York...

The police had blocked the intersection ahead of me. An officer came up to me, grabbed my bike, and requested my license. As we talked, the street cleared out, and she moved me over toward the curb. She was more civil than i've come to expect: she actually answered me when i asked what was going on, and why i was being stopped.

Still gave me a bullshit ticket for not riding on the right or left side of the road, eventually, though.

When i pointed out to her that there was no way i could ride all the way over to the right (because there were other cyclists there), she said "You should be riding single file, then."

When i told her i didn't think that the law called for cyclists to ride single file, she said something along the lines of "Look, i'm just doing what i've been told to do."

She then took my driver's license, told me to wait there for her to bring it back, and wandered away for quite some time. I was amazed enough at the whole scene to forget to get her badge number, so i stood there in the street where she had put me. She was gone for quite some time, to the point where i was no longer sure that i'd get my license back, but as the police were winding everything down at that intersection (which they had blocked up for about 30 minutes) she came back with my license and the written-out summons.

Reading up on the Traffic Rules which i was ostensibly violating, i find that in fact, the section states (from section 4-12 (p)):

Which appears to be clarifying additional privileges for bikes (i.e. the permission to ride as far on the left as is practicable in addition to the right), not removing them.

At any rate, it would have been impracticable for me to ride further over to the right than i was, because there were other vehicles there!

not true.

Was found guilty by judge Haber, at Queens N.
Officer Kelly lied under oath. He said that he didn't remember details from that long ago but read from his notes. He said that we were traveling north on 5th Ave, when I passed him at 35th St. and that I turned east onto 36th St. where he said he ticketed me.

In fact we were traveling south on 5th Ave., I was at the front of the ride and turned east onto 38th St. where he ticketed me. Upon my submitting a copy of the OnNYTurf.com description of the ride, showing that we were traveling south there, officer Kelly commented that we don't obey any laws and don't have any organization. I also submitted a link to a friend's GPS map of the ride. Nevertheless the judge found me guilty "upon clear and convincing evidence." She had seemed reasonable with motor vehicle drivers that came before her.

Judge Haber had made a correction to the statue number, which caused it to be classified as a motor vehicle violation. So at first I was assessed 3 points on my license and the $50 surcharge. The judge would not look at my copy of the law showing the surcharge did not apply to bicyclists. She said to ask the clerk to waive the surcharge. The clerk would not and sent me back to her, and she sent me back to the clerk again. I asked to speak to a supervisor, showed him a copy of the law, and he brought it back to show to some people. They came out and said they were working to fix the problem and finally changed the violation number back to a bicycle one, so that there were no points on my license and no surcharge.

Myself and 3 others were nabbed about 10 seconds after leaving the north end of Union Square Park.

We were charged w/ parading without a permit, a recent amendment to the police code. I have been told we are the first people to be charged for this - in the past few months they were hesitant to use it and stuck w/ ticketing for missing bells and such.

At first they seemed like they were going to arrest us - they cuffed us and tagged our bikes. The guy that cuffed myself and the guy next to me was named Tim. It was his first day, I found out, and that's why he was so bad at putting on the cuffs. Both myself and the other guy had to ask him to rearrange our cuffs twice because our hands were going numb.

Fortunately after ~20 minutes they uncuffed us and gave us summons and let us have our bikes back, with the warning that if we're caught again they'll confiscate our bikes as evidence.

I'm scheduled to appear 8 August 2007. I plan on pleading not guilty, although I expect to be out of the country (indefinitely) by that time.

As a group of us headed north on 3rd Ave, a group of cops on scooters blocked the avenue. They came and grabbed those of us at the head of the group, and proceeded to write tickets for whatever they could, and if they didn't have any legitimate offense to ticket you for, they made one up. Officers were referring to sheets of paper listing the offenses they could ticket cyclists for.

What a waste of police and city resources.