Anyone Gotten a Red Light Ticket on a Bike? I did!

So I admit I was rushing to meet one of Chainlink's new interns.... and ran the light at Newport and Clark.  Flashing lights on, cop points to me to pull over and writes me a ticket.   He said they get calls every day for car accidents caused by bikes running red lights in front of cars. 

No idea how much its for, he just told me my court date is early October and if I have questions to call 311 and give them my violation is V11-B.8c.

Here is my proof, with a wonderful "It's ok" figurine that someone from The Coop Coworking Space gave me.

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Permalink Reply by Beans on August 16, 2013 at 5:53am

...or not fast enough.

Pedal harder next time.

(joking)


Mike Fatout said:

She's not a scofflaw until she misses the court date and refuses to pay the fine. Running the red light means she's only human, or really fast.
Permalink Reply by Julie Aberman (Hochstadter) on August 16, 2013 at 6:10am

more I ride the streets of Chicago slower I go.... how ironic is that!

Beans ~ 14 mi. said:

...or not fast enough.

Pedal harder next time.

(joking)


Mike Fatout said:

She's not a scofflaw until she misses the court date and refuses to pay the fine. Running the red light means she's only human, or really fast.
Permalink Reply by Marcus Moore on August 16, 2013 at 7:24am

I got ticketed for running a red on my bike, about 18 years ago.

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on August 16, 2013 at 10:19am

Ah, the irony...

Julie Hochstadter said:

I'm not looking forward to a possible fine but either way I learned my lesson.  I wouldn't have been late actually if I would have waited!  

Permalink Reply by Charlie Short 2.9 on August 16, 2013 at 10:53am
The tickets are no longer $25. The range is $50-200.
Permalink Reply by Madopal (16.5 mi) on October 7, 2015 at 4:45am

Anyone know exactly when this changed? I just got one on Milwaukee just south of Belmont yesterday, and when I looked into the fees, it seems kinda crazy:

http://chicagocode.org/9-24-010/

"Any person violating this section shall be fined not less than $100.00 nor more than $300.00 for the first offense, not less than $500.00 nor more than $700 for the second offense and $1,000.00 for a third or any subsequent offense, and may also be required to perform reasonable community service."

I could get a speeding ticket or a red light camera every day for a month and never have it escalate to $1000.

Permalink Reply by Jason W on August 16, 2013 at 10:55am

Damn, you all sound like Kass.

Permalink Reply by Juan 2-3 or more mi. on August 16, 2013 at 11:41am

What if I don't have a driver's license?

Julie Hochstadter said:

He used it but then gave it back to me..... 

Mike Fatout said:

Did the officer take your drivers license?
Permalink Reply by Michael A on August 16, 2013 at 2:41pm

Juan, if you do not have a legal form of ID, you can be brought to the police station and held until your fingerprints clear ( and if your pushing the police officer the wrong way he does NOT have to bring your bike, he can put an impound sticker on it and you and the officer will wait for the city tow truck to come take it away) This is not a ticket against a driver's license this is a public nuisance ticket, like jaywalking or littering.

Permalink Reply by pceasy on August 16, 2013 at 3:56pm

I got a BS jay walking ticket in SF at 3:30 in the morning (I was not drunk, just walking to work) with absolutely no traffic anywhere. A year later it was dismissed because the officer who wrote the ticket was a no-show, so it's possible the officer won't show up. 

Steve Dennis said:

I got one in NYC a few years ago.  Turned left from a one way onto a one way (5am no cars and sub zero) at a red light.  Ticket was for $80 but the officer did not attend the court date so it was thrown out.  Apparently it's very common for police to not waste time at the DMV court in NYC. 

Permalink Reply by Tom Dworzanski on August 16, 2013 at 9:43pm
Today I was extra careful at red lights. As much as I hate to say it, learning cyclists actually get tickets has an impact.

That being said, the law really needs to change to allow cyclists to treat reds as stop signs where the cross traffic doesn't stop. That way we can get to a safe spot sooner and motorists don't have to wait on us.
Permalink Reply by Adam Herstein on August 17, 2013 at 6:41am

I believe you're still supposed to have some form of ID on you.

Juan 2-8 mi. said:

What if I don't have a driver's license?

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