A scooter rider who gave only his first name, Matt, was ticketed Wednesday for rolling through a red light on Fountain Avenue (the road, not the sidewalk), cited by an LAPD motor officer who said the same stop laws that apply to cars apply to bikes and scooters too.
While that may seem like common sense and many of you might be saying right about now “well duh.” But before you start judging our buddy Matt, chances are pretty high you’ve done the same thing — if not on a busy road then for sure on a quiet, residential street like Willoughby Ave. I’d bet money on it. In all my years riding or even walking the streets of West Hollywood, I can’t recall ever seeing a cyclist or rider stop at a stop sign when there was no visible or obvious traffic. Admit it — that probably includes you.
The ticketing officer, who’s also a cyclist, told me he stops every time, no exceptions. “That’s the law,” he said. No getting around it, it applies to everyone on the road – full stop. (I know, I couldn’t resist).
He said bicyclists have pushed for the right to the road for years, himself included. “Right of the road means the ability to ride on the road safely and have other vehicles held accountable if they ride too close or do something dangerous,” he said. “That comes with responsibility. We have to follow the same rules as a car.”
Matt didn’t expect the ticket. He wasn’t shocked by it either. “I technically know that’s not allowed,” he said. But I didn’t expect them to write it up [for a] light like this one, where you can see there’s no cross traffic coming, right at Fuller, where they got me,” he said. He was cited for running the light at Fuller and Fountain where the traffic is coming from only the north direction.
He had no idea what the fine would run him. “It’s not gonna kill me,” he said. Same scooter, seven years, no ticket. Until Wednesday. “Wow, shit. Got me good,” he said.
The citation lists California Vehicle Code 21453(a), which is the red light law. It requires a full stop at the limit line and no movement until the light turns green. The same rule applies to scooters and bikes under separate code sections. The base fine appears to be $100 but then you throw in fees and assessments and you can be looking at something closer to typically $500.
The same officer pulled over another driver half a block later, just as he left Matt.
By the way, if you’re wondering what an LAPD officer is doing handing out tickets in West Hollywood, under state law any California peace officer can cite a violation that happens in front of them, regardless of the boundary.
Speed enforcement is up across West Hollywood this month. Deputies are running extra patrols through July. Speeders, mostly. Drivers going too fast for the road they’re on. It’s tied to a statewide push called “Slow the Fast Down.” Speeding kills more people on California roads than almost anything else, per the department.
West Hollywood Station’s last monthly report covered May. One scooter or e-bike citation for blowing a stop sign, at Melrose and Almont. Zero vehicle-versus-bicyclist collisions that month. Eighty-three traffic reports total.
Let Matt’s summer bummer be a lesson to you — if you’re riding a bike or scooter you gotta stop at every light and every stop sign. On all streets and all roads. That’s right, even the quiet, less traveled residential ones.
I’ll be looking for those riders who are stopping. I suspect I’ll be looking for a long time.
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I’m sick of everyone ignoring stop signs and red lights in WEHO.? Cars racing down Palm Avenue and running the stop sign. Myself and my dog have almost been run over several times at Palm & Cynthia. Don’t get me started on the guy with no legs on an electric wheelchair racing down Palm Ave in the middle of the street like he owns the road. He doesn’t stop at the stop 🛑 sign either.
At least if it’s electric, it doesn’t count as a point on your license which is the real worry. So you don’t need to spend an extra $64 for traffic school and a day in front of your computer.
Just curious if the e-bikes and scooters stop for pedestrians too. Come on admit it…….the answer is No.
Yes, I admit I blow through red lights and stop signs on ym scooter (and sometimes vehicle late at night) IF there is no cross traffic whatsoever but I do one extra step.
I look around to see if any LE vehicles are around…
Even if I see an umarked car that may resemble a LE car I stop.
If no cars are around that is a good indictation so I go right on.
My ticket ratio goes way way down being alert. That’s all. Just increase situational awareness and the odds of not getting cited are in your favor
This is a good reminder that everyone needs to follow the rules of the road and engage in situational awareness. Everyone, whether it’s motorists, cyclists, pedestrians, scooter-riders, AND robots. The law is an equal opportunity requirement.
As a frequent pedestrian I thank the officer. If a certain person gets re-elected to Council I suggest that the officer transfer to Hancock Park.
And that will make Fountain Ave. safer. Once people realize that tickets are being handed out on Fountain…the bad behavior will subside. Bike lanes ain’t gonna do it….enforcing traffic laws will.
Good for the LAPD and County Sherriffs for enforcing this since do many accidents both vehicular and pedestrian injuries throughout the years and within the past 15 years have been caused or are caused mostly by reckless and insistent and impatient electric scooter riders. As a resident with an invisible physical disability scoliosis and balance issues, I have almost been hit a dozen times over the course of the 25 years that I have lived in West Hollywood not discounting the adjacent and adjoining city areas of Los Angeles. It becomes a burden on tax payers with damages to roads… Read more »
Thank you for reporting this, Brian! It is music to my ears! Scooter riders and bicyclists often blow through stop signs and lights. They feel entitled for some reason. At least this guy was honest and didn’t say it was the first time he had done it like so many others try to say when they are caught! He knew he had gotten away with it for a long time and admitted it. Was this rider riding on the street when he blew the light or was he on the sidewalk? You didn’t mention that in your report. Citations also… Read more »
He was riding on the road (on Fountain.) I think the bigger story would have been if they had cited someone (anyone) for riding on the sidewalk. I’ll update to make that more clear.
In his impeccable reporting/impassioned sermonizing, Mr. Holt mentioned in the first paragraph that the rider was in the street, not on the sidewalk, when cited. Worth noting: Far more drivers blow stop signs on side streets where they are less visible and less likely to get caught than out on the busier boulevards. I was struck myself some years ago when crossing at a stop sign on the street just north of Pavilions, where drivers routinely speed through off North Doheny Drive. Rush hour is actually safer, since gridlock slows them down, but when it’s clear, they blow through posted… Read more »
It’s about time cyclists are held to the same standards for other forms of mobility. Luckily nobody was injured. I know most cyclists find the idea of starting and stopping as an annoyance. That is why cyclists have pushed preferred routes with the least amount of traffic signals and four way stops. That is how Fountain was chosen over Willoughby by the bike coalition.
May be a stupid question, but why are LAPD enforcing in West Hollywood?
Not a stupid question at all. The city boundary actually runs along Fountain in that stretch. The south side sits in West Hollywood and the north side is City of LA, so both agencies work that stretch. But to answer your question more directly — under state law, any California peace officer can cite a violation that happens in front of them, regardless of the boundary. The extra patrols mentioned in the story are the WeHo deputies. I’ll update the story to reflect.