Sunday, June 24, 2012
Police Crackdown on Cyclists?
Both the Judson Group and the Plaza Group got pulled over today for blowing through stop signs. In both cases the violations were pretty egregious, but it is something to keep in mind. Previously, I had not paid too much attention to the rumor that there was going to be a concerted effort across the suburbs to rein in bike groups going through stop signs and red light. It may just be coincidence that both groups got pulled over on the same
day, but something to be aware of on future rides, particularly going
through Winnetla. The Judson Group got pulled over in Winnetka. I presume it was at the corner of Oak and Greenbay. The Plaza Group was pulled over in Barington Hills.
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Both villages are notorious for strict enforcement as well as Highland Park. Next is the Lake County Sheriff. They strictly enforce the two abreast ....and the fact that you cannot impede traffic. The latter meaning if you are two abreast and there is traffic behind you the group is supposed to move to a single file. Ridiculous, but I have been pulled over with Velo Roubaix , Judson, and Mafia for the above. The Lake County Bulls haven't been quite as strict this year, but I guess that it depends on the size of the group how picky they get. Two or three years ago we had a Lake County Bull giving us this lecture and saying that Green Oaks and Mettawa were to ban cyclists from St. Mary's.
ReplyDeleteI sent this note to Cliff Hoffman and he told me he was pulled over for running the stop sign at Portwine and Orange Brace in Riverwoods. He was not ticketed but was threatened with $150 fine.
ReplyDeleteFYI
It is probably not a bad idea to carry a drivers license and credit card with you on bike rides. I received the following in response from my local police department
ReplyDelete"Cyclists must follow the same rules of the roads as vehicles. Therefore they can be cited the same as a driver of a vehicle. If they are cited under state law on a regular traffic citation, this would require posting of bond. Three types of bonds are typically taken, cash bond, drivers license, or bond card. Some towns can write these same violations under a local ordinance. If they do this, no bond is required and the cyclist can either pay the fine or request a court date. If they did not have a drivers license on them they could be brought to the station to comply with posting of a bond on the citation. Hope this answers your question."
Sergeant Patrick Schuster
Traffic Supervisor
Glenview Police Department