Candidate Silver Persinger is at it again. In his own words:
I created this petition to Richmond City Council. A friend was recently stopped by police for not having a light on her bicycle and fined $100. Sign this petition to reduce the fine and pass it along to your friends. If several hundred people sign it, we may have a shot.
Click here to sign the following petition.
Petition to Reduce Fine for Riding a Bicycle without a Light in Richmond, Virginia
We, the undersigned, request that Richmond City Council reduce the fine for bicyclists who ride a bicycle at night without lights from $100 to $15.
Whereas, bicycle riding is a healthy form of transportation that is good for rider and the environment; the City Council should value and encourage the contribution that bicyclists make to reducing the impact of transportation to the city and the environment.
Whereas, bicycles are predominately ridden with young people, students, and the low income; a $100 fine presents a financial hardship for the majority of bicycle riders. On July 24, 2009 the Federal Minimum Wage was raised to $7.25. A $100 fine represents over 13.5 hours of labor at minimum wage, or over a third of an employee’s weekly wages.
Whereas, most bicycles are equipped with reflectors, the bicycles are visible at night by reflecting the headlights of oncoming automobiles.
We object to the $100 fine and request the City Council to create an ordinance which would reduce the fine to $15.
Good luck… Too bad he is petitioning the wrong level of government.
It is a State law and I believe the fines are set by the Supreme Court of Virginia…
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+cod+46.2-1015
Ahhh details… This isn’t the statist government you wanted eh?
“Of all tyrannies a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber barons cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.” – Clive Staples “CS” Lewis
What’s the fine if a driver accidentally hits a biker they can’t see?
This petition is ridiculous. It would be great if everyone reduced their carbon footprint by using bikes as their main source of transportation, but half the people out there now break many rules at the risk of others around them. Bikers needs to be more responsible if they are going to share the road *safely*.
I agree that bike riding is a healthy form of transportation and safe for the environment, but it does not make you immune to traffic laws. I don’t have the option to ride my bike to work, so i do need to drive. I’ve come very close to getting into accidents with bikers at night in the OH who don’t have lights, or are riding in the wrong direction. If you’re going to bike, then please do it safely.
Yeah. As a driver of a car, I’d kind of like a cyclist to have a light on his/her bike.
I don’t think the need for a light on a bicycle is being questioned here. I think it’s the level of the fine that seems disproportionate to the offense and I would have to agree. $100 is a bit stiff.
I know $100 is a lot, and I agree maybe it should be a little less, but it is still dangerous for EVERYONE for bikes to be out. Cops rarely ticket cyclists for this, but I think it is a serious problem. If you’re on a bike at night and you’re riding where a car could come across you, you should have a light on. You’re putting everyone in danger without one, not just yourself.
Cops should fine riders $100 for riding the wrong way. As a daily cyclist, this is my biggest pet peave and is VERY unsafe. I’ve even seen bike cops do it. Lights are common sense as well, though I agree $100 is a bit excessive.
@shockoe
as a cyclist, i am so tired of hearing that arguement presented. let me show you why:
This petition is ridiculous. It would be great if everyone reduced their exposure to the elements by using cars as their main source of transportation, but half the people out there break many rules at the risk of others around them. Drivers need to be more responsible if they are going to share the road *safely*.
many car drivers act as if they have a God-given RIGHT to the road, and that a cyclist should count it as a privilege that you drivers deign to “share” the road with us. that is a grave mistake. let’s not forget both the road and the bike were invented before the car.
lastly, i’d like to just raise a hypothetical here. oftentimes, when riding, the ultra bright halogens of oncoming traffic make it difficult for me to see. even the standard power headlights are somewhat blinding. are you drivers seriously telling me you’re putting out THAT MANY watts, that many lumens, and you cant see a bicycle? do we need to make headlights illegal? after all, they present a great danger to me and those around me when i ride.
@ Browning- I’m not saying I have any more right to the road when I’m in my car than a cyclist. I will gladly abide by all traffic laws and take any necessary safety precautions so we can both get to our destinations safely.
I have been in many situations where I cannot see a biker in the distance until I am less than hundred feet away. Since I’m not the one on the bike here, I’m not sure how you feel about a 100 ft, but sure seems like little room to make any errors. Why would argue about something that makes you, the biker, safer??
Headlights? huh?? Halogen lights are annoying for all drivers on the road, but I think everyone can agree it’s safer to have annoying lights than none at all.
The $100 is stiff, but it should be. Both bikers and drivers should take road safety seriously. Back to my original point, a driver who strikes a biker without a light could face huge monetary fines (reckless driving, medical bills) and worst case scenario (vehicular manslaughter) some jail time. In my opinion, that’s a stiff price for someone else’s irresponsibility.
Many thanks to this cop who stepped up and gave the ticket. I can’t tell you how many bikers I see treating red lights as stop signs, weaving in and out of traffic, and in general endangering themselves and drivers around them.
Silver should petition city council to change the fine to $15 (or whatever) under the stipulation the offender will also purchase and install a light on their bike. That sounds more reasonable than just letting people off.
@Shockoe – I think that is an ideal solution considering that if one is fined $100 then spending an additional $20 on lights might be a bit out of reach.
headlights on bikes do not help a biker at all. there are street lights in the city and we can see where we are going and everything going on in the roads perfectly fine. i’m not going to not see a car coming. i can’t believe that any car on the road with headlights would have any problems seeing a biker no matter what side of the street they are riding on. it has nothing to do with the amount of time one does or doesn’t stop at a light or a sign.
we have to deal with your aggression, your honks, and your cell phone using mindlessness everytime we are on the road
so what, some bikers are reckless. it has nothing to do with a $100 fine for not having headlight. I didn’t pay $100 for my bike. the fine is a ridiculous amount. thankfully, i have only been warned by police otherwise i could have serious problems paying rent or affording food.
I agree that a light is of little use to a biker. The lights value is for the aggressive, mindless,drunk, ignorant drivers. It really is a safety device. $100 is excessive, that has been established. But, riders must be educated and responsible. I know this deviates from the intent of the petition, but I implore all riders to stress to their peers (and themselves) to ride in the proper direction of traffic and to ride responsibly, not wrecklessly. It is one thing to have to worry about being hit by a car, but it is compunded by having to watch for cyclist not riding correctly (and in my experience very painful). As we would want drivers to remember that bikes ARE traffic, we need to remember this also.
If we want respect, we must be respectful. RIDE ON.
What about these unlicensed mini motorcycles that zip up and down sidewalks and ignore all traffic rules?