Arlington Court date for failing to stay to the right
[From Bike Washington list]
Just wanted to post that I had a successful day in court and was found not guilty by the judge.
I had been cited for failure to stay to the right. I was westbound on Wilson between 10th and Monroe, occupying the center of the right hand lane when I was pulled over and cited.
The ticketing officer was there today. She gave her side of events (along the lines of "He was all over the road.") I gave my side which included the fact I was in the center of the right hand lane. That the lane varies in width from 12-10 feet. That AASHTO recommends a minimum width of 14 feet for lanes shared between cars and bikes. That Arlington County's Bike Arlington website hosts a WABA safety guide recommending occupying the center of a lane too narrow for a bike and car to be abreast. And that my center lane position allowed me to pass on the left of a car that actually made a right hand turn in front of me.
The judge listened to both sides, thumbed through the regs, and said not guilty, case closed. I didn't even need to show my photos or testify to my speed (22 in a 25 zone). I think I came off more professional and courteous than the officer. The officer tried to bring up some bogus "And he went through a red light after I cited him, too, but I didn't bother give him a ticket for that." I said that I didn't recall such a thing happening. The judge ignored the officer's claim, which when she said it sounded to me petty and childish. Maybe it came off the same way to the judge, I don't know.
Since I was the first real case of the day (after all the very minor No Registration cases), the best part was the judge taking my side in a courtroom full of a dozen Arlington officers and a room full of drivers.
Of course, wouldn't you know after leaving the Courthouse and biking to work in DC, I had a car honk and curse at me for occupying the center of the rightmost lane on H Street, NW, while keeping up with traffic. It's not a daily occurrence, so the coincidence was uncanny. It just goes to show, even when the cyclist is right, we still have to be careful for the whack jobs who will never understand. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BikeWashingtonDC/message/11380
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