$300 ticket???

[Phanuthier]

Just wondering, I was given a warning for a rolling stop a few days ago. Do warnings go on record?

[JohnnyB]

Originally Posted by Bent Wookie

Can u explain your stance? In your opinion, how should they be enforced? Mob? I'm not following. Wrench money out of peoples hands? Do you think the CPS or the cop actually gets that money?

What bothers me in particular is that there is a tremendous emphasis placed on traffic policing that is profitable for the police department (not individual officers), but which is not proportional to the security of Calgarians. It's a totally screwed up system that allows the police department to profit from enforcing fines. Talk about a conflict of interest.

[JohnnyB]

Originally Posted by soulchoice

I am sure those advocates out here may call it abusive, but honestly, I dont really care. As mentioned, I look out for myself, not the system.

You're not abusing the system by playing within it's rules. Nothing unethical about that. Failures to prosecute you for things you have done in conflict with the rules is a failure of the system.

[Mightyfire89]

Originally Posted by Ford Prefect

I take it that was meant for me since I'm the one who mentioned dick-head cops. If you read my post, I didn't say all cops are dick heads, only some, which is inevitable because they are human. Like you said, they're just another cross-section of society and therefore prone to having jerks in their population. That's also what I was saying. I also cautioned that I wasn't on an anti-cop rant and that I know many good cops personally. Perhaps I'm reading your post wrong, but it seems you're lashing out at me for saying pretty much the same thing you said. And yes, of course, there are dick-heads in my line of work. More than you know ... I work in the media.

There was no malice towards you intended. I did read your post and I know what you're saying. I was simply agreeing with you (very ineffectively, I guess) that there are cops that are complete ass-hats out there. Sorry that my post seemed aimed at you, it wasn't meant to be. We're basically saying the same thing anyway.

[Bobblehead]

Originally Posted by JohnnyB

What bothers me in particular is that there is a tremendous emphasis placed on traffic policing that is profitable for the police department (not individual officers), but which is not proportional to the security of Calgarians. It's a totally screwed up system that allows the police department to profit from enforcing fines. Talk about a conflict of interest.

The Department doesn't get the money either, it goes into the city's general revenues.

There is no direct benefit to the CPC to issue more tickets, their budget is still set by the city regardless of how many tickets they right.

And from an old Marketplace story:
http://www.cbc.ca/consumers/market/files/cars/tickets/

[Dion]

Originally Posted by Phanuthier

Just wondering, I was given a warning for a rolling stop a few days ago. Do warnings go on record?

Nope

Originally Posted by JohnnyB

You're not abusing the system by playing within it's rules. Nothing unethical about that. Failures to prosecute you for things you have done in conflict with the rules is a failure of the system.

I disagree. The 'rules' state that yes, you can plead not guilty. Within those rules, there are certain measures to ensure you get a fair trial. Even if it means changing the court date. Changing the court date for no other reason than to screw of shifting and court schedules is indeed unethical and morally corrupt. But this is from a guy that states he doesn't really care about anything other than himself so really, one can't expect much more. Thank god there are so many people at the other end of the spectrum.

[Ford Prefect]

Originally Posted by Jimmy Krack Korn

There was no malice towards you intended. I did read your post and I know what you're saying. I was simply agreeing with you (very ineffectively, I guess) that there are cops that are complete ass-hats out there. Sorry that my post seemed aimed at you, it wasn't meant to be. We're basically saying the same thing anyway.

No problem ... I just misread you I guesss. Connotation is often hard to decipher in text messages.

[JohnnyB]

Originally Posted by Bent Wookie

But this is from a guy that states he doesn't really care about anything other than himself so really, one can't expect much more. Thank god there are so many people at the other end of the spectrum.

Where the hell did I say that? Perhaps you have me confused with somebody else.

[Sidney Crosby's Hat]

Originally Posted by ken0042

Except for the fact that he was indeed right.

Yep, getting tickets suck- and the fact that they are $300 instead of the $57 I paid for my first ticket is a bitter pill to swallow. However as mentioned the correct thing to do would have been to stop completely, then slowly pull out making sure it was safe.

One of my first tickets was a stop sign infraction- similar to what you described. It only cost me $57 to find out what I was doing wrong. And now almost 20 years later I still treat stop signs differently- correctly.

Back in February I got this exact ticket - for going through a stop sign. Granted, it wasn't Calgary police (it was RCMP in St. Albert) but the ticket was nowhere near $300.

I believe it was initially $170 and the Cop immediately reduced it to $120 or so to be nice (he changed it from running through stop sign to failure to obey traffic control device).

I then chose to fight it because it was the day after a huge snow storm so I legitimately had an argument about my car sliding through the stop sign. It was reduced further to I think $50 and I had no points taken off.

[Sidney Crosby's Hat]

Originally Posted by bigtmac19

I think its the construction zone aspect. Had a highway worker killed in my area by someone speeding through a construction zone. They have really really toughened up the laws regarding speed limits in these areas.

The thing I find annoying about construction zones - on highways, anyway - is sometimes it'll say speed reduced to 80 but then there's no sign of construction anywhere except for maybe a few pylons on the shoulder. I'll slow down to 80 and then every car just blows right past me. As a result, I speed up again.

If they want construction limits to be taken seriously then cover them up when there's no construction going on.

[getbak]

Originally Posted by Sidney Crosby's Hat

The thing I find annoying about construction zones - on highways, anyway - is sometimes it'll say speed reduced to 80 but then there's no sign of construction anywhere except for maybe a few pylons on the shoulder. I'll slow down to 80 and then every car just blows right past me. As a result, I speed up again.

If they want construction limits to be taken seriously then cover them up when there's no construction going on.

I agree. There are stretches of the Deerfoot right now where there isn't a sign of any construction equipment, and the road is in better shape than it's been in years, yet the posted speed is still at 80.

It's the same as putting Playground zones in places where they shouldn't exist (the neighbourhood where I grew up had a Playground zone installed on a corner where a lot of people drove too fast, despite the fact that there wasn't a piece of playground equipment anywhere in sight, and only stupid people would let their children play anywhere near there).

Overall, they devalue all Construction and Playground zones.

[HelloHockeyFans]

Just an observation while reading through this thread which I found sorta funny... various stories about personal experiences and each and every one is pretty much the same thing... "I did something which I know is against the law and got caught for it, and therefore ticketed for it... outrageous!"

Also slightly troubling when someone warns others to not speed in a particular playground zone, because cops are always there to catch the speeders... shouldn't your motivation to not speed be... well, because there might be children playing in this playground zone?!

[Dan02]

Quality thread.

As i see it tickets are just a added cost of driving like your insurance etc. I can't think of a single person i know who doesn't have atleast 1 ticket for something.

Personally i've gotten 2 in 9 years driving now. 1 was quite similar to OPs, probably the same ticket about the right price range, the other was a ticket for speeding when i missed a speed reduction sign on the highway at 3am.

You're either lucky or your not sometimes thats just the way it goes. Was going out to BC with a friend awhile back, he was going the speed limit or just over pretty much the whole way except one this one turn as you come down a hill, sure enough around the curve a cop was coming the other way and got him at about 20 over. think it was his only ticket, lucky for him it was in BC where tickets are dirt cheap.

[Daradon]

Yep alway fight the ticket. Usually gets knocked down and ofthen you won't get the demerits. Just show up and take their dea. If the cop doesnt show up, you may be found not guilty b default.

I don't advocating fighting all tickets, but stuff like this you really shouldn't get demerits for if you don't have a ton of tickets on your record.

quote=leonk19;947364]So I get pulled over today for failing to stop COMPLETELY at a stop sign (which should be a yield sign) right by my house today. Basically, I had to turn right and there are always cars parked on that side of the road, so I can't see anything if I stop right before the sign and look left.

The kicker is it's not like I just zoomed right past it to make the turn. I came to a stop, only my car was stopped already past the stop sign so I could see if there was oncoming traffic. How many people completely stop before the stop sign and slowly creep up when you have to make a right turn anyway?? Especially when it's a very wide turn like it was here.

I understand I'd deserve the ticket if I was in some commercial area downtown with people walking around, because then there could have
been an argument from her side, but I was in some desolate part of town with absolutely NO ONE around me. I actually thought I was going to get taken in because I absolutely snapped on the woman pulling me over because I posed no threat whatsoever to anyone, this was obviously a quota grab or something. After I found out it was $300 I got even more angry.

The thing that pisses me off is that I know I don't deserve this ticket at all but I'll be forced to at least pay quite a bit of the fine and even worse may have demerits taken off. I'm 21 and have been driving for almost 7 years (incl. the 2 years I had my learner's license) and they nail me for something stupid like this?!?! I'm so pissed.[/quote]

Originally Posted by JohnnyB

Where the hell did I say that? Perhaps you have me confused with somebody else.

Sorry, wasn't directed at you.

[Hemi-Cuda]

so Wookie, what do you say when even the prosecutors say you should fight, even if you're guilty?

Parken insists drivers shouldn’t feel guilty about appearing at the centre and trying to get a deal for an offence – even when they’re clearly guilty. “I actually encourage people to do that,” he says. “This is just one avenue by which you can address a problem that you have relating to your driving.”

[BlackArcher101]

Originally Posted by Daradon

Yep alway fight the ticket. Usually gets knocked down and ofthen you won't get the demerits. Just show up and take their dea. If the cop doesnt show up, you may be found not guilty b default.

This is something that I've seen a few times in this thread and I thought I'd elaborate on. FYI You can no longer get the demerits removed entirely from a ticket. The only way it's possible now is pleading not guilty and going through a court appearance. If you try to the first appearance route, this isn't possible anymore.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/edmonton/st...ic-ticket.html

[BlackArcher101]

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

so Wookie, what do you say when even the prosecutors say you should fight, even if you're guilty?

In the quote, the prosecutor is saying to go to the first appearance center and bargain. He's not saying to fight it by pleading not guilty and going to court.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by BlackArcher101

This is something that I've seen a few times in this thread and I thought I'd elaborate on. FYI You can no longer get the demerits removed entirely from a ticket. The only way it's possible now is pleading not guilty and going through a court appearance. If you try to the first appearance route, this isn't possible anymore.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/edmonton/st...ic-ticket.html

The other possibility is hoping the officer doesn't show up at your court appearance with the ticket getting tossed. Regardless it won't stop drivers from fighting their tickets. It will result in more offciers showing up in court as opposed to being on the street doing their job.