The latest affront to cyclists from the city of Santa Monica (Ironically recently awarded a Bronze ranking from the League of American Bicyclists for a "Bicycle Friendly Community") is the enforcement of its brazenly contradictory bicycle license law.
According to a 1995 California Vehicle Code, cities may require its residents to purchase and display a bicycle license. The code also states that a fine for such an infraction "shall not exceed $10."
Blogger Gary Rides Bikes discovered, however, that Santa Monica's code pins bicycle license delinquents with fines of potentially up to $1000 or six months in jail...or both!
In Los Angeles, a memorandum issued by the city instructed enforcement to cancel the no license law. And while Santa Monica officials claim that unlicensed cyclists will not see jail time, it is not inconceivable to imagine enforcement in the "bicycle friendly community" using the law to hassle riders, especially considering that the penalty for an unlicensed vehicle is a $25 parking ticket.
And you're invited! (Click on the flier for details!)
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2 comments:
Welcome to the new economic reality as California sinks deeper into debt and municipalities find ever more "creative" ways to squeeze pennies (and dollars) out of hard-working citizens. The bike license scheme is a joke; the money that Santa Monica is trying to extort out of zero-carbon footprint citizens (i.e., your friendly local bike riders) is not a joke. It is like the red light cameras sprouting all over the place or the new (to California) "no turn on red" signs that have now become familiar sights. These are just new schemes to separate people from their money. It stinks, it sucks, it is a rip off, but there is not much we can do about it (except vote the greedy and inept politicians out of office). FYI, please note that a fine is not the "total" amount that you have to pay (if you are fined). There are hidden costs, such as penalty assessments (P/A), court fees, local fees, etc., that can more than double the cost of a citation. So while the standard fine for driving while using a cell phone may be $50.00 the total final cost can easily exceed $200.00 or more. So be careful out there!
Write, call or e-mail the attorney who heads the Consumer Protection Unit of the Santa Monica city Attorney's Office. His name is Adam Radinsky - supposedly he is an environmentalist. Let him know how you feel about what his city is planning on doing and let him know that a "tax" on environment-friendly bike riders is bad policy for the city.
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