- Report: #172010
Complaint Review: City Of Berkeley - Berkeley California
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City Of Berkeley
2180 Milvia Street Berkeley, California, U.S.A.
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City Of Berkeley Exorbitant Fines for Bicycling on Sidewalk no priors ripoff Berkeley California
I was ticketed for riding my bicycle on the sidewalk in downtown berkeley by a group of officers who were standing around to give out that specific ticket. I had only recently moved to the city and did not know this was the law. Furthermore, the street I was on is the only location that signs are posted telling bicyclist to ride on the street and walk bikes on the sidewalk. Note: These signs do not say that riding on the sidewalk is illegal nor did the mention any fine.
I asked the officer how much the ticket would be, and she told me that it would be small as long as I hadn't been ticketed for this before. The ticket I got in the mail was for $278. This feels like nothing less than extortion. I understand that riding bikes on the sidewalk can be dangerous and I am not complaining that it is illegal. I agree that I should have been ticketed for the purpose of informing me of the law. A warning or $10-20 fine is all that is necessary though. The fine that I recieved only served to pad the coffers of the city of berkeley and to create hostility between myself and the city.
Miles
Berkeley, California
U.S.A.
I asked the officer how much the ticket would be, and she told me that it would be small as long as I hadn't been ticketed for this before. The ticket I got in the mail was for $278. This feels like nothing less than extortion. I understand that riding bikes on the sidewalk can be dangerous and I am not complaining that it is illegal. I agree that I should have been ticketed for the purpose of informing me of the law. A warning or $10-20 fine is all that is necessary though. The fine that I recieved only served to pad the coffers of the city of berkeley and to create hostility between myself and the city.
Miles
Berkeley, California
U.S.A.
2 Updates & Rebuttals
Robert
Jacksonville,Florida,
U.S.A.
Typical liberal
#2Consumer Comment
Tue, January 17, 2006
"the street I was on is the only location that signs are posted telling bicyclist to ride on the street and walk bikes on the sidewalk. Note: These signs do not say that riding on the sidewalk is illegal nor did the mention any fine." Great, the rules apply to everyone else but you. I'll break the sign down for you, since you cannot fathom the simplicity of it. "signs are posted telling bicyclist to ride on the street and walk bikes on the sidewalk" That sign makes it as clear as can be that the bicyclist is supposed to ride on the street, or walk it on the sidewalk. No real need to break it down any further. Like all lefties, you think the rules are for everyone else except you. Berkley is 100% leftwing. The sign says what you did is illegal. Most people assume that if something is illegal, a penalty will be imposed for disobeying it. Again, being a liberal, you assumed the laws were written for everyone else. Pay the fine. Consider it a tax. We know how you guys like taxes.
Robert
Wallingford,Connecticut,
U.S.A.
Look at it this way.
#3Consumer Comment
Tue, January 17, 2006
After you get over your anger, perhaps you will come to realize that had you been given a warning or a mear 10 or 20 dollar fine, you may not have thought twice about riding on the sidewalk again. Getting hit in the wallet usually gets the point across stronger. I would suspect that the fines for littering in that area are also substantial. Good luck.
