Montreal cyclist gets $651 ticket for "obstructing" ticket blitz

[fiamme red]

http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/montrea...tion-1.1364347

A Montreal cyclist is planning to fight a $651 ticket he was given for warning others a police operation targeting cyclists was in effect.

Chris Lloyd was issued a $40 ticket by police after running a red light near the city’s Mount Royal Park.

After receiving the fine, Lloyd decided to hang out around the corner to warn other cyclists of the police operation.

“I was standing at the bus stop and when the light would turn red … I would make eye contact with a cyclist who looked like they weren’t going to stop or give a wave,” Lloyd explained to CTV Montreal.

But officers told him he was obstructing a police operation – an illegal act...

The Montreal police sound even worse than the NYPD.

[gdw]

"The Montreal police sound even worse than the NYPD."

He broke the law and get caught... TS. If cyclists want to have equal access to the roads they should expect to be treated the same as a motor vehicle operator when caught running red lights.

[goonster]

I'm not familiar with Canadian law, but I would guess that this activity is legal in most U.S. states.

Historically, drivers who flashed their headlights to alert oncoming traffic of speed traps have been cited for "improper headlight use", not alerting to the presence of enforcement per se. Some states (e.g. FL, iirc) now explicitly permit that warning.

I can see how this ticks off the cops because it screws up their coughquotascough, sorry, I meant metrics, but I'd like to hear the citing officer explain to a judge how reminding other traffic users to obey regulations constitutes obstruction.

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . is that these types of operations have the (stated) goal of increasing compliance with the statute being enforced. If that is REALLY the goal (rather than simply handing out tickets for revenue generation) then this cyclist was doing nothing wrong, as he was actually aiding in increasing compliance with the law by warning other cyclists who might otherwise have run through the red light and broken that law.

But of course, the cops are just ticked off that he cost them numbers on their quota.

BBD

[witcombusa]

Good for him

Cops should have something better to do than crap like that. Point them toward the local Tim Hortons

[chengher87]

Originally Posted by gdw

"The Montreal police sound even worse than the NYPD."

He broke the law and get caught... TS. If cyclists want to have equal access to the roads they should expect to be treated the same as a motor vehicle operator when caught running red lights.

Yep. Sounds like sour grapes on the part of the cyclist too. I think it should be enforced because really...Canada doesn't really have all that much crime compared to other countries anyway. What else can the mounties do on a slow day. Cyclists SHOULD be treated like cars and shouldn't choose to treated like an automobile or pedestrian solely when it benefits them.

[gdw]

"I would guess that this activity is legal in most U.S. states.

Historically, drivers who flashed their headlights to alert oncoming traffic of speed traps have been cited for "improper headlight use", not alerting to the presence of enforcement per se. Some states (e.g. FL, iirc) now explicitly permit that warning."

It isn't legal in quite a few states. There's a variety of ways to deal with the offender... ticketing, "improper headlight use", up to arrest on a charge of something like hindering government administration. Charges are rare since most people are smart enough to just flash their lights at approaching drivers as they head away from the trap. This twit choose to stay around and play with the cops...ie he f***ed with the bull and got the horns.

[avalonracing]

Originally Posted by BumbleBeeDave

then this cyclist was doing nothing wrong, as he was actually aiding in increasing compliance with the law by warning other cyclists who might otherwise have run through the red light and broken that law.

So very true.
Like the signs that announce speed photo enforced.

[bicycletricycle]

Maybe the cops could have just asked him to continue to remind people to stop for the rest if their shift, that way they could have gone and taken a nap or arrested more dangerous criminals .

[Louis]

Typical scofflaw cyclist blowing through the red light. Maybe if he had stopped at that light all this would not have happened.

[jmoore]

$40 for running a stop sign on a bike?


I got one in Dallas and it was $228. The same ticket for running the same stop sign in a car was $198.

[norcalbiker]

I remember someone got cited here in San Francisco Financial District for putting money on a parking meter that doesn't belongs to him. He saw a meter maid and decided to put some coins in few meters that are expired. I did not even know that, that was an illegal act. I thought he was being a good citizen or Samaritan.

[fiamme red]

From John Allen's blog: Police repression of cyclists in Montreal

[DarkStar]

Cops here in Montreal can be dicks, slapped with a $38 ticket for coasting along at 30km in a 20km zone.

[summilux]

I moved to Montreal last year and the cops here are real dicks. But law enforcement is weird. People can smoke pot relatively openly (at least in the Plateau), open alcohol carry is tolerated, but I got a ticket for J walking? And last month, police were giving tickets to cyclists who didn't have reflectors on their pedals.