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Got a ticket?

Clearing up some misconceptions

(be sure to see our Bike Traffic Ticket FAQ for more information)

Arguments about the legal merit of running a red aside, here's some info for you. Look at your ticket. Somewhere on the ticket, the cop should have indicated "bicycle." If not, you can fight the ticket on that technicality. If so, then:

  • The fine is NOT $271 for a bike. The SF bail schedule is less for bike violations, somewhere in the neighborhood of $115.
  • You do not get points on your license for bike violations. Moral: most cops are not experts on the vehicle code as it relates to bike violations.
  • If you're clueless enough to tell your insurance company you got a ticket on your bike, then you may get an insurance increase. Many insurance companies could care less about bike violations when figuring your rates.
  • You likely do not have the traffic school option for tickets on a bike, as they don't add points to your license anyway. However, you can work off your tickets by volunteering at the SFBC through the Project 20 program.
  • If you plan to appeal, don't waste your time taking your ticket down to the Hall of Justice. Call the number in the tiny print on the bottom of your citation, and ask the clerk if your ticket has been entered into "THE COMPUTER." Nothing happens with tickets unless THE COMPUTER knows about it. Technically, you have 21 days to pay your ticket or show up to set an appeal date once the ticket has been entered into THE COMPUTER (even though the fine print on your ticket says you have 21 days to pay the fine or show up). It's possible that the ticket may never be entered: the cops ticket book may get lost or dropped in a cup of Krispy Kreme coffee, for example. If the ticket is never entered into THE COMPUTER, then it doesn't exist as far as the city is concerned, and there's no record of it or fine to pay. If you bring your ticket in, it WILL be entered into THE COMPUTER by the clerk. Call the clerk every 2 weeks; if the ticket isn't entered into THE COMPUTER within (something like) 180 days, it's a dead ticket, and you won't have to deal with it.

OBEY THE COMPUTER (and hope that it crashes).

Written by Biker-X April, 2001