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Cop being nice(?) by giving me a "warning" ticket...

1K views 18 replies 18 participants last post by  NinjaChick 
#1 · (Edited)
So I'm speeding down West Pender to my job at 5:30, 10 mins to go, do the usual "Arg cagers!" and slip into the bike/bus lane to pass said idiots, get a few blocks away and hear the WHOOP WHOOP. Ah nuts, so much for getting to work on time. It's a motorcycle cop. We pull over, he explains why, that I was in the bike lane, and I make my silent Woot that he didn't get me for doing 70 up Pender. Yay!
So he gets my yellow piece of paper I just got 5 days ago, (oops!) and starts writting the ticket, explaing that I should dispute this.
Huh?
This is his way of giving me a warning. As long as I get no more convictions in the next however many decades it takes for my court date to arrive, and I show up to said court date, he'll let me off.
As much as I like taking the easy way out and am considering just dropping the $84 to get it done and over with, I think I'll dispute this and see what happens.
He was a super-friendly cop, maybe late 40's, and we were chatting, found out we're both from NS, and making jokes at the buses almost hitting him since he'd pulled over right next to me instead of along the curb like I did.
I realize I'm SUPER lucky for countless reasons here, but is this a regular thing? I thought you could just write an actual warning ticket and give those out.
And I thought I was wasting my time waving at bike cops! ^^
 
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#8 ·
Sometimes one just has to "ride the shoulder". Like the Harley guy who pulled in front of me from the shoulder on the S2S on Sunday morning b/c the Squamish Cone Heads had 99 closed and it took almost an hour to cross and the line up was like a few kms N and S.
 
#9 ·
I've had a similar "warning" around '95 or so. I was westbound on 70th ave turning right on Granville. Traffic northbound on Granville had an advanced green so there was no possibility of traffic entering the intersection to impede my right turn.
I made a a right turn on a red at around 15k/mh. As I'm in motion, I see there is a m/c cop waiting for the south bound red on Granville.

I thought to myself "no he'd never stop me for that kind of bs ticket. (many intersections with that setup actually have an advance right turn arrow in that situation as it makes sense.) anyhow, he lights it up and gives me a ticket. I chat him up and by the end he says "show up and I'll take care or it". I showed up and he did.

That ticket came with three points, so it was crucial to go to traffic court to get rid of it.

I would go to court not so much for the $84 as for the sake of a cleaner record: it makes a big difference in future encounters.
 
#11 ·
I would go to court not so much for the $84 as for the sake of a cleaner record: it makes a big difference in future encounters.
Except the mc cop made it clear that him getting off was contingent on a clean record between now and then. Tbh, it costs the system more than the ticket is worth for you to dispute it, BUT if you keep a clean record between now and then, maybe the cop figures it's worthwhile in the long term. It gives you an extra reason to behave on the road....
 
#12 ·
You got lucky and you should keep your record clean and dispute it to keep it that way.

Just curious, when you say you just got your yellow piece of paper 5 days ago, is that your temporary full Class 6, or your Class 6L?

If it was your Learners then you are doubly lucky, as he could have dinged you for riding without a supervisor and had your bike towed...
 
#13 ·
I'd say it was his way of telling you to keep your nose clean for the next while until the date comes up. You should see it through, and in the meantime.............be good, and you'll still have a clean record. It's kind of a 'double or nothing' deal now, isn't it? Be good for a year or two, and get nothing. Get nailed for something stupid again, and pay double.

Best of luck,
 
#17 ·
I got busted on the ZX-14 last night. I park it on the road with a for sale sign, then move it through the lane to my garage at night.

I was lazy and did it without a helmet. I looked at the car in my mirror and was wondering who's headlights when those oh so familiar red and blues came on. Buddy just said to grab a helmet next time.
 
#18 ·
I never thought of cops ever making a "deal" like that, to stay clean until the court date and he/she will let you off. Sounds fair but if you were extrememly really lucky, 5-0 would have just given you a warning ticket.

So far I've gotten 1 warning ticket and 1 verbal warning, knock on wood. Both times cop was stern but I guess had to be considering he was letting me off. However, both times I felt that the cop didn't tag me with the laser, no backup evidence, so let me off because of my clean driving record for 10 years.
 
#19 ·
Yeah, for the most part he's prolly just doing his best to get one more motorcycle to behave itself for 6-12 months. And if I could ever leave the house on time for work I would behave.... >.< But nothing makes you later than a speeding ticket!

As for the yellow piece of paper, it was my temporary license, having just gotten rid of my SK one(just moved here in May). I've been riding for 11 years, still only gotten speeding tickets in the car. Red civic = cop magnet.

And I did the "quick helmet-less drive" from the garage across the street too...only mine was in front of an MP. Who decided to have me sit there at the post office across the street from my garage for an embarassing 1/2hr so I was thouroughly late for work, which I informed him was where I was going after I dropped off a letter. Huge lecture about how expensive the fine was for driving without a helmet, driving through a crosswalk, etc etc, reckless, etc etc etc...but didn't issue a ticket. I almost would have rathered the 5 mins it takes to write the ticket and have been gone. Almost.

Well let's see what happens when I go to court in...umm... whenever.
 
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