Reader report: Alert for bicyclists who commute downtown

Meg e-mailed us an alert she thought her fellow bicycle commuters would want to hear:

I got a ticket on 3rd Ave downtown at 7:30 am today for not having my helmet. (Stupid decision on my part, but the ticket was $103).

Other cyclists were stopped as well, for violations including not putting their foot down at a light. There are many cyclists from West Seattle who commute through downtown, so thought you might want the data.

(By the way, police have said they don’t mind word getting out about so-called “emphasis patrols” like this — they say having people be forewarned, and therefore following the law and staying safe, is preferable to writing tickets.)

vincent May 23, 2008 (2:40 pm)

getting a ticket on your bike in the city is one of the perils of riding in Seattle. There are as many infractions that are deserved that are frivolous.

Run a red light, sure get a ticket.
No foot down? say what?

Make sure you check your ticket and make sure its not a moving violation, as it will end up on your auto insurance. Not only is that incorrect for a bicycle ticket, its grounds for dismissal if you contest it.

big gulps,eh? well, see ya later. May 23, 2008 (2:43 pm)

There is a law you have to put your foot down at a stop light? Right foot or left? heel AND toes? All five must have solid visually confirmed contact with he ground at all time?

Is there a reasonable reason for this that i am missing or is this just another Nanny state regulation?

jw May 23, 2008 (2:52 pm)

I’ve been warned by SPD for riding with no hands on Alki before. The officer stated that you must have one hand on the bars at all times. So I guess unicycles are illegal anytime you touch one.

Mr. JT May 23, 2008 (3:01 pm)

It’s less risky to sell crack in this city.

RobertSeattle May 23, 2008 (3:04 pm)

Someone’s got to prove the foot down one to me – the comedians will love that one.

Dave May 23, 2008 (3:06 pm)

It’s about time the cracked down on bicyclists. To a Bicyclist a stop sign = yield, and I guess if you don’t have a blinker it must mean you don’t have to signal a turn.

vincent May 23, 2008 (3:13 pm)

yeah dave, how dare those cyclists use the roads. I think pedestrians should have signals as well.

Paul May 23, 2008 (3:30 pm)

don’t get me started on signaling. I just went from west seattle to costco on 4th and back and 4 different people did not use their signal in their car. I think that drivers think that other drivers can mentally think what their actions are going to be…..
I do agree that the foot thing is a bit silly. And also, I have many times encountered a biker who does not stop at a stop sign, but again, lets look at all the cars that do the rolling stops. I see those all the time too. So, its not just the bikers these days.

Sue May 23, 2008 (3:30 pm)

From what I’m reading on the law, it looks as if no part of it says your foot must touch down. However, it seems to be a judgment call on the part of the cop as to whether you actually stopped or not.

Aaron May 23, 2008 (3:32 pm)

Dear Dave: I hope you enjoy that $4+ gas! There is no law listed on the city’s bicycle resource page that mentions putting a foot down at a light (as far as I see).

http://www.metrokc.gov/kcdot/roads/planning/bicycling/trafficlaws.cfm#rcws

When you’re powering a vehicle with muscle vs. stomping on a pedal, momentum means everything. Angry motorists get envious of the freedom and joy that riding a bike brings. Guess what? We can ride on the sidewalk…and take the lane…and ride through a park. It rules!

I heard on a local bike forum that there was a sting the other day on Stone Way. A plain-clothes officer stepped into a crosswalk and gave the cyclist a ticket for failing to yield. Thanks for the heads up on this!

Isn’t it peculiar that Nickels is encouraging residents to get out of their cars and onto bikes around the same time that SPD decides to crack down on these “reckless individuals”? Reeeeaaal smart. Let’s penalize the people that are actually doing something positive for our city.

barmargia May 23, 2008 (4:09 pm)

Aaron, why exactly do you think you don’t have to abide by the rules of the road just because you are doing something “positive” for the city? You have to wear a helmet, that’s the law, should you not get a ticket just because you are riding a bike? You have to stop at a stop sign or a red light, just like a pedestrian or a car you should get a ticket if you don’t, should you not get a ticket just because you are riding a bike? It’s bicyclists mindsets like that that end up pissing everyone off. Not because you are doing something positive for the city.

vincent May 23, 2008 (4:13 pm)

Bar: its cause he owns a bike shop.

But seriously, laws are written for cars and applied to bicycles in the laziest way possible.

Ride on the path, unless it runs out, then ride on the road as a car, but don’t upset the cars that think you cant be on the road, so ride on the sidewalk, but only as fast as people walk. Sometimes.

I am all for better bike laws, because the ones we have are bipolar and ill suited to a “bike friendly city”

dan May 23, 2008 (4:14 pm)

Dave, thanks for the insight. I mean, really I can’t tell you how many times I have almost been hit because a driver did not use their signal.

And that whole stop sign=yield thing. Do you really think that drivers are any better?

I for one, am going to make sure that I ride in the whole lane just so you are forced to turn on your signal and change lanes to get around me.

barmargia May 23, 2008 (4:18 pm)

don’t get me wrong, I don’t have anything against bicyclists. I hardly ever drive in the city, I usually walk/bus, but if I cross as a walker against a light I am in jeopardy of a nice big ticket for jaywalking, why should bicyclists think they are above a ticket? I agree the foot on the ground thing is a stupid reason for a ticket.

big gulps,eh? well, see ya later. May 23, 2008 (4:29 pm)

I am putting my foot down for not putting my foot down. Feet in the air in the land of hipocrisy!

Dave May 23, 2008 (4:37 pm)

Well said Barmargia. It’s the attitude Aaron. Plus it’s not Mayors job to suggest how I arrive at work.

Aaron May 23, 2008 (4:49 pm)

Whoa now, I have no affiliation with Aaron’s Bicycle Repair, I just share the same name. The laws for cyclists can be silly, I agree, though I think the problem often has more to do with the roadway on which they/we travel. For instance: Follow the bike path west under the WS bridge, then try to make a left on Avalon. Your options are suddenly: crosswalks, or trying to see if anyone is barreling down the exit ramp to merge into traffic. Even the crosswalks are very dangerous in this situation. This sort of disconnect happens all over the city. So yeah, out of frustration, cyclists sometimes take matters into their own hands to try and scramble to their destination. Unless you ride and have dealt with this, it’s pretty hard to judge. I signal even if I think no one is behind me, never ride without a helmet, and follow the laws about as much as motorists do. You can’t tell me drivers always do the speed limit, make full stops, never talk on cell phones, etc. Nobody’s perfect. Keep in mind that most of 3rd Ave downtown during this time of day is restricted to transit and bicycles.

CandrewB May 23, 2008 (4:50 pm)

The helmet thing p’s me off to no end. If I want to ride three blocks to the store and not wear a helmet, that is my GD business and not the insurance lobby’s.

CandrewB May 23, 2008 (4:51 pm)

Think of how many lives would be saved if we had to wear helmets in our cars. Where are the car-helmet laws?

big gulps,eh? well, see ya later. May 23, 2008 (5:04 pm)

I agree with Aaron since I know the “scramble” of trying to get under the WS bridge. You have to use whatever technique works best at that individual time. Sometimes you have to use the crosswalks. Sometimes you can shoot across the lanes and hop onto the dirt trail. Sometimes you can make the light and keep going. Stopping and starting on a bike is a killer. Anytime you can safely keep momentem I say go for it.——–

I also agree the helmet law is lame-0-roo. Nanny state. Helmets, neck rolls, motocross flack jackets, and 5-point harnesses for all car occupants. I bet it would eliminate most every auto fatality. Do it for the children…

flipjack May 23, 2008 (5:21 pm)

Hell I just ride on the sidewalk. I think it’s stupid and dangerous to ride right on the street with cars on a road like 35th or the north part of Fauntleroy.
It’s legal too.

Scott B. May 23, 2008 (5:25 pm)

You bicyclists who don’t think you have to stop gave me an idea. I would get better gas mileage in my gasoline-powered hulking vehicle if I didn’t stop at stop signs or stoplights.

big gulps,eh? well, see ya later. May 23, 2008 (6:49 pm)

There ya go Scootty B. Those thingys is exwacwy the same concepts :)

JenV May 23, 2008 (7:22 pm)

so if I am riding on a dedicated bike trail- do I have to wear a helmet? we ride a trail out in Tukwila that is quite far away from any road. can I get a ticket there? (for the record, I am way too big a wussy to ride on ANY street in Seattle)

Carole May 23, 2008 (7:45 pm)

Metrokc.gov is the COUNTY website. YOu need to look to City rules. Seattle Traffic Code re: one hand on the handlebars (didn’t see anything about the foot):
Section 11.44.260 CONTROL. No person operating a bicycle shall carry any package, bundle or article which prevents him from keeping at least one hand upon the handlebars, nor shall he operate the bicycle at any time without keeping at least one hand upon the handlebars.

barmargia May 23, 2008 (8:08 pm)

as for the helmet rules, I feel the same way when I’m on my motorcycle…why bother wearing it if I’m going just a couple blocks…but it’s the law.

AlkiMac May 23, 2008 (8:37 pm)

To answer your question JenV, a bicycle helmet is required when riding a bike any where in King County. I have never seen police enforce that rule on the Green River/Interurban bike trails in Tukwila. I have seen Seattle cops on the Alki Beach trail waive over helmet-less bike riders and give them tickets in the summer time. They just stand by the trail and wait for the ticket to come to them. Riders beware.

CandrewB May 23, 2008 (9:34 pm)

I have no qualms breaking laws written by lobbyists.

Sketchy May 23, 2008 (10:24 pm)

As a former downhill mountain bike racer, and lifelong bicyclist, I’ve taken risks on a bicycle that 99% of the riding public hasn’t. No what? I NEVER, EVER ride without a helmet, whether on the road or on the dirt. I’ve know several “roadies” that have escaped serious injury by wearing their helmets. Consider the bicyclist’s helmet in the save vane as the motorist’s seatbelt. Both should always be worn, period. HOWEVER, as for cops handing out tickets at crosswalks and stoplights for inane traffic regulations (written by non-riders) – put down you donuts boys and have fun trying to catch me! If you can, I deserve the ticket!

t May 25, 2008 (10:12 pm)

Regarding helmets and the “nanny state,” uh, that would be the same nanny state that provides emergency medical response within minutes when you bounce that un-helmeted noggin off the road.

Half the times I’ve dumped my bike have been places just like the “three blocks to the store,” no cars in sight, just a patch of loose sand or something. What’s the harm in a helmet?

CandrewB May 25, 2008 (10:31 pm)

Not saying I am not taking a risk T. I am saying it is not the county’s job to tell me to wear a helmet whether I am riding a bike, driving a car or taking a shower. Why are people allowed to drive over 30 mph? Obviously it is safer to drive 30 mph than 40, 50 or 70 mph. Why do they sell ladders? Since they sell ladders, why don’t they make people wear helmets when they are on them? Also, that emergency service is paid for by both taxes (which I have no problem with in the first place) and my health insurance.

Sorry, comment time is over.