West Seattle bridge ticket of the week? 103 mph

Every morning this Viaduct-closure week, Seattle Police have been out on the West Seattle (high) Bridge, looking for bus-lane rulebreakers. Every morning, they have reported a double-digit tally of tickets, and we’ve been adding them to our commute coverage as a postscript. This morning, though, the SPD Blotter summary includes something startling: A speeding ticket for 103 mph, more than twice the limit. SPD doesn’t usually publish drivers’/riders’ explanations, but says this motorcyclist reported being “late for work.” P.S. We just called in search of additional details beyond what’s in the Blotter item: Det. Mark Jamieson tells us that speed was so high, the officer could have chosen to arrest the man, but reports he was cooperative and pulled over immediately, so cited him instead. Price on that ticket? $411.

coffee October 28, 2011 (10:57 am)

What???? Perhaps an alarm clock?

Curious October 28, 2011 (11:05 am)

His work must be really great if he is willing to take the chance of dying to get there…or killing someone else!

whoo! October 28, 2011 (11:05 am)

It will cost hime WAY more than $411 when it’s all said in done! I hope the thrill of driving that fast was worth it to him!

Ted October 28, 2011 (11:09 am)

$411 is a lot less that I thought is was going to be when I saw the headline.

cjboffoli October 28, 2011 (11:10 am)

103 on the West Seattle Bridge?! Egads. That dude wasn’t just late for work, he was late for an organ donation.

David Brown October 28, 2011 (11:13 am)

I’d heard that if you are going that fast, it goes from being a speeding ticket to reckless driving, which could be what the police were referring to when they said they could have arrested him.
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Of course, that’s just “what I heard,” and could be wildly inaccurate.
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He still got off incredibly easy.

skeeter October 28, 2011 (11:18 am)

I’m surprised he or she wasn’t arrested. I thought that more than 30 or 40 mph over and you head to jail.

dsa October 28, 2011 (11:21 am)

He was going against the flow of traffic, that is the wrong way

http://www.kingtv.com Reports:
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Police also said they stopped a motorcycle driver heading westbound, opposite the flow of traffic, doing 103 mph. The driver said he was late for work.

WSB October 28, 2011 (1:04 pm)

Regarding the KING link, I talked to Det. Jamieson before someone pointed that story out to me. I had asked him about the direction and he thought it was eastbound but wasn’t certain. SPD Blotter has been updated to say “traveling westbound,” NOT “traveling the wrong way.” I think that’s a misinterpretation if anyone thought it meant the latter. There would be no way to pull somebody over if they were traveling the wrong way in that kind of traffic – the SPD car would have to go the wrong way too … TR

jiggers October 28, 2011 (11:22 am)

Faster faster

austin October 28, 2011 (11:29 am)

Disgusting. The motorcycle operator should have gone to jail just as much as if he were observed firing a gun at people. Shame on the officer who pulled him over and chose to release this sociopath back into society.

David Brown October 28, 2011 (11:31 am)

“against the flow of traffic” doesn’t mean wrong way, it means that while most of the traffic was going one way, he was going the other way, in the proper lane.
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If he really WAS going the wrong way, the story wouldn’t be about a ticket, it would be about how the commute was messed up because they had to close the bridge in order to investigate a fatality.
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Given the traffic on the bridge, the only way to go 103 would be in the westbound lanes.

Jamie October 28, 2011 (11:35 am)

He must have been driving in the bus lane too, I see no way possible to even go 103mph across West Seattle bridge during am commute! I feel lucky if I get to go 20 mph then.

kenny October 28, 2011 (11:43 am)

Thank God the officer stopped the driver and prevented what could have been a tragic accident. Good going SPD!!

ElizabethElaine October 28, 2011 (11:48 am)

I’m glad to hear they are working on catching those bus lane violators. I see 20 or 30 cars using the bus lane and then cutting back into traffic at the last moment every day. I can’t believe how many people think that their impatience gives them a right to behave like this.

KBear October 28, 2011 (11:49 am)

The police report only says “westbound”. KING-TV added “against the flow of traffic”. I’m pretty sure they just meant that most traffic is headed east in the morning, not that the motorcyclist was traveling west in the eastbound lanes. I’m sure they would have arrested him if that had been the case.

Susie October 28, 2011 (11:51 am)

And the police let him or her go?! Wow way to be responsible there! That is absolutely terrible. 411 is nothing for what kind of accident(s) he or she could have caused driving like that. I am appalled.

annm October 28, 2011 (11:53 am)

I saw a motorcycle in the bus lane at about 7:00 am. He tried to merge back into traffic once he saw the police, but they stepped in and made him pull over. I asked my daughter why people continued to use the bus lane even though the police have been ticketing all week, and she said “I guess he likes to go fast.” Hope the thrill was worth $411. And the traffic in the regular lanes was moving along just fine!

haha October 28, 2011 (12:03 pm)

I’m surprised it was only $411 seems like it should be a ton more. Plus not getting a reckless driving ticket surprises me as well.

I’m usually the one on here bitching about the cops pulling people over to much in WS(admiral).

But in this case I can’t believe how light this guy got off. At that speed he could do some serious damage to someone even in a car or truck.

diastemab October 28, 2011 (12:07 pm)

After a father of two died on the bridge a month ago on a motorcycle, and a jogger was hit by a semi on the lower bridge earlier this week, I think the ticket should be a little more costly for people who continue to approach the bridge like it’s a free-for-all. I just paid $438 to retrieve my towed car for a parking oversight because I was “late to work”. This guy was endangering others’ lives for the same reason. Seems like he (and thankfully others) got off the hook here.

EvilJim October 28, 2011 (12:08 pm)

Only 103mph? That can be done in one on-ramp, over the WSB you could probably make 125 easy.

You’re correct David, high speeds can be classified as “reckless” but it is at the officer’s discretion…it’s very easy to be going above the limit without being reckless in any way.

If Washington would get smart and allow lane-splitting, most motorcyclists would no longer feel any need to speed around all the cagers who create the traffic in the first place.

Whocares October 28, 2011 (12:13 pm)

Yeah
Look at all the opinions.
Like none of you ever hauled ass…
Im sure the bridge was empty.. open and he pushed it.
Clearly he is not really late for work that is just what he said to the cop.

Whocares October 28, 2011 (12:13 pm)

Yeah
Look at all the opinions.
Like none of you ever hauled ass…
Im sure the bridge was empty.. open and he pushed it.
Clearly he is not really late for work that is just what he said to the cop.

dsa October 28, 2011 (12:17 pm)

Westbound seems possible.
KBear, Thanks, it makes more sense using strictly the police report.

rw October 28, 2011 (12:27 pm)

One moral of this story is that NOT reading WSB can cost you ;). The motorcyclist obviously does not read the blog (or he would have been aware of the expanded police presence this week).

NFiorentini October 28, 2011 (12:33 pm)

That ticket should’ve been $4100 and thus there should be some additional potholes filled.

toddinwestwood October 28, 2011 (1:40 pm)

I have lived more in one 25 second run at 135 mph tha most of you will in a lifetime.

WS Res October 28, 2011 (1:59 pm)

For the really stupid this morning – From 6 a.m. to 8 a.m., police say they issued 13 tickets for bus lane violations, three for driving without proof of insurance and three for driving without a valid license. If you’re going to break the law make sure you can multiply the fine with more infractions.

Kermit October 28, 2011 (1:59 pm)

Wow Todd. Were all soooo impressed with your juvenile willingness to risk our lives like that! I bet your tattooed beer drinking buddies with their baseball caps on backwards thought you were ‘sick’!

Bryan T October 28, 2011 (2:15 pm)

I have to agree with Tod… Doing 140 on a motorcycle is a pretty intense experience.

But… you can do it for $200 at Pacific Raceways. No cops, no cars, corner workers, and EMT’s on stand by.

I_vote October 28, 2011 (2:44 pm)

Not trying to defend what this guy did, but i agree with Eviljim.
As a motorcyclist, i feel we are hamstrung and forced into some strange situations sometimes because we cant legally take routes that are clear and open and safe for us to take, around cars blocking partial lanes and the like.
to contrast, bicycles can dart around whatever they want and have all kinds of political support for expanding their rights.
lane splitting would be a great way to stop a lot of what car drivers see as assinine cutting in and out moves by motorcyclists. Responsible cyclists are playing a defensive game constantly trying to find the spot of least risk.

I did 130 on 167 once when i was 19. I havent done it again. The track is the place for that.

to be fair, almost nobody is doing 45 or under on the westbound high bridge.
He deserves the ticket, but him and his evil beer drinking tattooed buddies are going to have a laugh about it tonight. As they should.

westcoastdeb October 28, 2011 (2:46 pm)

I’m with Bryan. Love the speed, love the thrill, but there is a time and a place.

jiggers October 28, 2011 (3:00 pm)

I always thought people who ride motorcycles have loose nutboltz in their heads.

Bryan T October 28, 2011 (3:52 pm)

To everyone thinking the rider got off easy…

There have been several cases of drivers killing motorcyclists through negligence and getting nothing more than a slap on the wrist. I hope you would agree that the punishment for those people isn’t sufficient.

(failure to yield, rider in coma)
http://www.ptleader.com/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=19286&SectionID=10&SubSectionID=&S=1

(negligent driving, rider died)
http://yakima-herald-republic.vlex.com/vid/driver-appeals-fine-fatal-collision-199988899

j October 28, 2011 (3:53 pm)

If the driver was booked into jail he would have been released in an hour or two. He then goes to court, pleads to negligent driving 2nd degree and is fined $200 plus court fees. Or he gets a $411.00 ticket. He can challenge the ticket in traffic court and if found guilty will have to pay the full $411.00 and court fees, plus the cost of having to go downtown, pay for parking and take time off from work.
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Those who posted negative comments about the officer’s decision were not there to see the conditions on the bridge. Speed alone does not always equal reckless driving and/or a trip to jail.
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People who complain that the monetary penalties are too low should contact there legislators.
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Bottom line, the speeder was stopped and no one was hurt. Great work by the SPD officer.

smokeycretin9 October 28, 2011 (4:24 pm)

Yes, he got caught. HE deserves the ticket. The fine should be doubled if he had a mohawk helmet thing or a pudding bowl helmet.
I didnt see anywhere in Toddinwestwood’s post about doing that on the street or endangering anyone else’s lives, did you?
As for the car vs motorcycle debate. Tell that to my friend Mike who was hit down in Georgetown by a teenage girl who was too busy texting to notice the stop sign, broadsiding him, almost killing him.

SaraJeanQueen October 28, 2011 (5:14 pm)

Motorcyclists are so annoying. (The ones who commented here, for sure.)
They think speed limits are non-existent.. tailgate you with their single little headlight (and meanwhile you resist braking in fear of them smashing into your car and dying).. then dart dangerously right around your car, cutting off everyone they can to get to work 3.5 minutes earlier.
And I’m not some slow driver… I drive faster in the left lane and hate the reeaally slow people too, but I am respectful. I swear whenever motorcycles pull this sh*t, I think “WHERE are the cops now!?”
I’m glad this one got pulled over, but $411? Big deal. Should’ve been $1000.

Bryan T October 28, 2011 (5:30 pm)

SaraJeanQueen,

RCW 46.61.100 Keep right except when passing.

The left lane is not for going fast, it is for passing. If somebody wants to go faster than you, move over and let them by. I assure you they will find a cop soon enough.

Deanna October 28, 2011 (6:03 pm)

The person deserved to be arrested. Not only did the idiot put himself in serious risk, he put others at risk. I’m not worried about my driving, it’s the other people I worry about after having to cope with numerous injuries from collisions caused by negligent other drivers. I hope the jerk gets charged with reckless driving.

batgurrl October 28, 2011 (9:00 pm)

Hello folks – not all Motorcycle riders are idiots like this guy.. so please don’t lump us together.

Having your face in the wind is a glorious experience but at that speed it is just being punk stupid.

Death wish 2011 for sure!!!

Mike October 28, 2011 (9:15 pm)

“He deserves the ticket, but him and his evil beer drinking tattooed buddies are going to have a laugh about it tonight. As they should.”

Like the kid that used to exceed twice the speed limit on his CBR by my house? Ya, he laughed so hard when he pushed that Acura’s bumper into the rear seat. His leg was so funny, compound fracture and blood spurting out. Damn, that was hilarious. Oh… wait, nope, he almost died on my front curb, it was not funny at all. Too bad he can’t walk now, I bet he’d be laughing about it with his buddies…