We get in trouble for not calling the cops but they come and don’t file a report and that’s okay? Bull.

It’s good to see that your blog is as lively as ever and that you are still working and going strong. I wish that it was more positive and you had more stories to tell of the inroads you have made into Tucson’s car/bike issues. But keep reporting and working and I’m sure Tucson will be better off. I know I felt better knowing you were around.

Thanks for the response! Sorry for being so daft, I was thinking that the bicyclists were being ticketed for their involvement in the accident as opposed to breaking some fairly asinine law. That absolutely reeks of a retaliatory, vindictive attitude towards bicyclists for “inconveniencing” the police.

The police here have started to crack down on bicyclists without lights or helmets but it’s “city enough” that the cops seem to be able to tell when an accident was the fault of careless biking or reckless driving. Not a lot of tickets being passed out yet, though, as it’s really just a case of not even knowing the law exists.

I didn’t ride in Tucson as much as I would have liked and was always envious of the racers on Catalina highway or going up Mt Lemon. Unfortunately, the drivers in the city proper scared me enough in a 4runner that I almost refused to ride a bike amongst them! I’ve never met happier riders in my life than I did in Tucson, though. So many beautiful places to ride.

Thank you for maintaining this blog! I hope you are able to make inroads for bicyclists into the entrenched (and, sadly, entitled) car culture of Tucson.

-BP (Bryce)

PS. You were linked on the Chicago craigslist bikefo, by the way, which is how I found you. Thought you might like to know.

They can be given tickets for lots of things. If they get left hooked (oncoming traffic makes left turn into them) they get a ticket for failure to yield. (Yes that happens to my clients.) If right hooked, they get a ticket for passing on the right. (Yes again.) If hit from behind, they get a ticket for making an improper turn into traffic. (Yup, in fact I have one of these right now.) And then there’s always failure to control speed.

I had a guy who was hit in the bike lane, in front of witnesses, by a motorist making an illegal U-turn. Although this happened in broad daylight at 4 PM, the cyclist got a ticket for not having a headlight on his bike! He was given the ticket whilst strapped to a gurney and being loaded into the ambulance.

It can depress you if you let it.

–EBR

What citation is being given to the cyclist? I fail to see what they could be given a ticket for. Have any cyclists taken the ticket to court? If so, what was the outcome?

I am a former Tucson citizen and, after dealing with the TPD, Pima County SD and Pima County court on numerous occasions thanks to one awful and horrifically complex situation, I’ve very little respect for any of the authorities in that city. The younger officers in the city seem to let their prejudice cloud their judgment – not so with the older officers I encountered. Do you have any information on the officers’ demographics that are taking this “police report gains you a ticket” approach?

I now live in Chicago. I’m having a really hard time picturing any city cop here giving a ticket to a cyclist who’s just been hit. This is partly because I’m having a hard time picturing a cop actually showing up to take a report in a timely manner (if at all), but mostly because Daley himself has been doored on numerous occasions and seems to have it out for “cagers” and no cop wants to cross him.

Regards,
BP