Gothamist interviewed Steve Vaccaro about questionable NYPD bike summonsing practices.
Last August, cyclist David Segal received four tickets—three for running red lights and one for disorderly conduct—during the same traffic stop. Segal, the former spokesman for City Councilmember Ydanis Rodriguez, was biking down Nostrand Avenue in Bed-Stuy when he was stopped on August 10th. While the disorderly conduct was dismissed outright, Segal appeared in court Friday and was found guilty in the three red light violations—which means he owes $1,250 for a single cycling stop.
“The point [of the increase in fines] is to harshly punish recidivists,” attorney Steve Vaccaro says. “But a person who goes through three reds in a row is not really a recidivist.” (This is a recidivist.) Vaccaro says that while cops can follow motorists and cyclists for as long as they like, racking up numerous infractions, “this kind of following almost never happens with motorists, but happens surprisingly often with cyclists.”
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