ARE YOU KIDDING ME!??!

I am a Texas attorney, so obviously the laws may be different in Wa., but here, we have what is called "deferred adjudication."  Essentially, the judge puts the ticket "on hold" for 60 days, and as long as you don't get another moving violation in that time frame, the citation is dismissed and does not go on your driving record.  You are still stuck with the fine, but nothing ends up on your driving record or your insurance...plus, you don't even have to take defensive driving.

You may want to call the Court and ask if they have an option for defeered adjudication. 

Wow, that's pretty crazy.  That happened to me once in a car, at a 4-way stop in the middle of nowhere, with no one around, very early in the morning.  That was several years ago and I still come to a complete stop every time I come to a stop sign.  After hearing your story I think I'll be doing the same on my bike from now on.

I'm no expert, but I think the cop was fair in giving you a ticket.  Yes it may have been a little bit very nitpicky for him to single you out since you did give right of way and were probably going like 2 miles an hour, but technically you did not stop at the stop sign.  You'll probably have to do what I did, which was pay the fine and attend traffic school to clear your record.    Sorry this happened to you, I would be frustrated and angry too.

Edited to correct myself.

Advice?  Stop at stop signs.

No really.....either stop or suck-it-up if you get stopped by the law.

Personally, I don't know a cop who would cite a cyclist unless they were a real to them.  Either this cop was a fattie who was hatin' on you, or you should have 'checked' your attitude.

I was stopped once for the exact thing.  I was polite and apologized and explained that I wear shoe clips that make it difficult to come to a complete stop.  A lie, but it confused him just enough to cut me a break.

Wow that's crazy!!

Last week I was riding thru a residential neighborhood. I saw a cop with a radar up ahead. I was traveling 22-23 mph in a 30. A guy was in his yard and hollered at me "What out for the speed trap". I laughed and yelled back "I just wish I could go fast enough to warrant a ticket".

What I would do, is go to court and speak with them. Talk to a clerk and see who you nee to speak with about the ticket. Basically, you can just be like "what do I need to do to get this changed from a moving violation to a non moving violation?"

They dont care about you, they care only about the money involved. You will end up paying a larger fine, but it will come off your driving record. If you dont have time to go to court, just find a traffic lawyer in the area. They usually do this kinda thing for $50 or so (on top of the fine you will have to pay).

What pisses me off about things like this is that had you ridden your bike on the sidewalk, (which is typically illegal) and then did the same thing, you probably would not have been sited.

To me, its one thing to blow a stop sign, and another to slow way down and just not unclip and go. There was no need to site you for this, a warning would have sufficed.

Sorry to hear about your run in... its going to cost you some money, but you can definitely get out of the moving violation.

Guess she was afraid he'd try to make a get away. 

It may be the law but there is such a thing as the "spirit of the law" and the "letter of the law".  Starting from a dead stop and fumbling with your clipless pedals is more dangerous than approcahing the intersection at 4 mph and proceeding thru it if no one is coming.  Least it seems that way to me.

I did this right in front of a cop this past Thursday.  He was parked at the intersection and I drove right in front of him, came as close to a stop as you can on a bike w/o falling over, saw it was clear and then proceeded.  Technically he could have given me a ticket...but evidently the country deputies in Alabama exercise a little common sense.

I would go to court.  There is a good chance the cop is not gonna show up in court and if he doesn't, the case is automatically dismissed. 

~Mike

So what happens to the people who don't have driver's licenses? My uncle got pulled over once for doing 30 in a 25 on his bicycle. The cop asked for his license, which he had. He ended up getting a citation and not a ticket, but what happens if you aren't a licensed driver? I guess they can still give you a ticket, there's just no driving record for it to go on?

Leave it to a relative of Lauren's to get caught speeding on a bike. 
It's only a matter of time before you get caught too Lauren.
You better slow the heck down. 

I was wondering the same thing!  So only those with DLs get cited?  What happens if the person was 15 years old and didn't have a DL?

This reminds me, I got a ticket on a motorcyle one time for not wearing a helmet and the motorcycle was NOT EVEN RUNNING!  We were trying to pull-start the thing with a tuck.  We started in the yard but when it still didn't start, went out on the road.  A cop saw us and gave me a ticket for 'operating a motorcycle w/o a helmet'.  I argued with him that the motorcycle was not even running but he said it didn't matter.

~Mike

I don't think you need a driver's license to ride a bike, so I doubt it. But I do wonder how something that doesn't require a driver's license can actually go on a driving record...

My unpopular honest reply would be that as cyclists, we're always wanting the same rights to use the roadways as automobiles and want to be respected on the roadways as automobiles, so why wouldn't we be expected to follow the same rules of the road and laws as automobiles?

I'll agree that the cop likely had a bee up his arse in his bonnet and 9 out of 10 cops might turn a blind eye, but dude, the law is the law and just as I try to set a good example for my kids by always wearing a helmet on the bike, I always follow the rules of the road when on the bike. Respect begets respect.