Bikes Of Indy

7/14/10 11:31a -- received "Disregard overhead lane control sign" ticket from IMPD about 45 minutes ago just south of intersection of Meridian and Ohio. He was stopping cyclists as they moved through the intersection. Cyclists on sidewalk were OK. At first, officer said I went through a red light. I did not and told him so, as did the cylist coming through the intersection behind me. Then, for both of us, he swtched to going straight out of the marked right-turn lane. I am unsure what lane I was in; more like barely in the right-turn lane, for safety. Maybe this is a place where IMPD will continue to give out en-masse tickets, with lies. One error I may have made was giving the officer my driver's license when asked. I am not sure that I needed to do that and, if I had not, maybe it would not have gone on my (car) driving record.

Cops have been giving out tickets like crazy lately. i got one for improper parking in an ally that has no one set direction this Sunday. The thing is if you would not have given him your ID or info he could have gotten you for refusal to id. i say fight it.

On bicycle, only need to provide basic information such as name, address, and phone number. ID not required as long as you cooperate and provide info.

Or at least that's how I understand it.

I'd fight it too.. doubt that cop is really going to even show up to testify for these tickets.

My understanding is that fighting a ticket in Judge William Young's traffic court is difficult, expensive and takes time.

To play the devil's hand here, in the future you should probably be pretty sure of which lane you're in.

i can see him being shitty about the wrong lane, the only time it might be safer going straight in the turn lane is on allisonville. technically you don't even have to talk to him, but he can detain you for 24 hours, thanks patriot act.

up to 72 hours without charging you with anything.

I just think there needs to be some sort of warning system. 1 warning, 1 half fine, then fined fully.

I think it is not possible to ride safely on a bike and, at the same time, always obey the car laws, especially when one rides, say, 15+ miles each day, instead of driving. Sometimes, it is less safe to obey the car laws; I am going with safety.

Both of my experiences getting a moviing-violation ticket this year -- this bike thing and, in the spring, speed-trap by Herron High School in a car -- involved police lying. This time, lie about going through red light. In the spring, while getting my ticket from policeman #1, I watched while policeman #2 gave out mass tickets to cars with the radar gun unused, dangling on a string from #2's wrist. When I asked #1 about it, he at first denied the non-radar-gun use and then asked if I had ever heard of multitasking. It is bad that officers routinely lie to generate ticket $s.

It's IMPD. These are the people who don't want to bother filling out a police report when you get hit by a car...

And besides... if they're not making money, they don't really seem to care that much.