Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Heads Up: Cops Handing Out $270 Tickets To East Village Cyclists
By
John Del Signore
Published Feb 1, 2013
Modified Feb 1, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Courtesy Carly Triche
By
John Del Signore
Published Feb 1, 2013
Modified Feb 1, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Don't worry, the NYPD hasn't eased up on its controversial crackdown on cyclists. This morning another biker was slapped with a $270 ticket for running a red light in the East Village. Carly Triche, an advertising professional who was en route to work, tells us she's infuriated by the ticket, which was issued after she cautiously pedaled through a red light at the intersection of First Avenue and East 7th Street.
Triche, 29, insists she is a "good cyclist" who goes out of her way to "not be a douche." According to her account, she came to a full stop in the bike lane when she got to the red light. "There were no pedestrians in the intersection, and no drivers near the intersection," Triche tells us. "I treated it as a stop sign and signaled to turn left on 7th Street. I know it's illegal, but laws serve to protect people, and I wasn't putting anyone in danger."
After making the turn, Triche was pulled over on the next block of East 7th Street. "The cop car comes up behind me and I pull over so it can pass, because it's a narrow street. But the officer stopped behind me. She got out of her car and asked, 'Miss, are you aware of traffic laws in this city?' I said yes. And she said, 'You just ran a red light!' And she proceeded to write me a ticket. I've never even got a speeding ticket before."
The ticket (below) comes to $270, the same amount a motorist would get for running a red light. But Triche wonders "how many cars turned through a red light at that intersection because she wasn't stationed there to enforce the law? And how many cyclists got tickets today? It's an understatement to call it infuriating." She adds:
I'm very passionate about this subject, and the whole time I was trying to stay cool. The officer was very polite. But I told her, "I've been commuting to work for over two years by bicycle. And every day on my commute I have to fight for my life because of all the reckless drivers who run red lights and speed and don't pay attention." So I asked her, "Who protects us?" And she just ignored me. But after she drove off, I almost got hit by a car speeding down the street.
There are a lot of pedestrian and cyclist deaths every year, and what is the NYPD doing to protect us? I don't think ticketing a cyclist at an intersection with no cars and no pedestrians is doing anything to make the city safer. I find it backwards that I get a heavy ticket for endangering no one, yet three pedestrians were killed all within one day, and the most the NYPD can do is utter "no criminality suspected." People die do to driver negligence, yet I get a ticket.
Triche also points out that during her morning bike commute today, she "passed a few delivery guys riding the wrong way in the bike lane. Why not ticket them as they are actually endangering people?" She plans to fight the ticket, but at $270 you could argue that she got off easy—last year a Brooklyn cyclist shared his horror story about getting slapped with $1,555 in fines in a single traffic stop!
Tagged
bike lanes
cyclist crackdown
cyclists
original
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Queens man took girlfriend’s body to beach in a wagon, where it remained for 5 days
Seraphina Pereira was found in a shallow grave at Rockaway Community Park. Rogelio Lozano-Garita pleaded not guilty to murder on Wednesday.
By
Charles Lane
Published Oct 28, 2026 at 6:58 p.m. ET
Mamdani extends NYC racial equity leader's term after Council pushes back on replacement
Linda Tigani, the current chair of the Commission on Racial Equity, is expected to stay on in the role through July 2027.
By
Elizabeth Kim
News
Mamdani extends NYC racial equity leader's term after Council pushes back on replacement
Linda Tigani, the current chair of the Commission on Racial Equity, is expected to stay on in the role through July 2027.
By
Elizabeth Kim
Woman charged with federal hate crimes after allegedly stabbing 2 Jewish men in NYC
By
Giulia Heyward
Ex-NYPD sergeant sentenced to 4-12 years in deadly drunken Taconic crash
By
Charles Lane
After being booed at integration forum, NYC chancellor praised by school parent leaders
By
Jessica Gould
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .