I was ticketed for riding my bicycle on the sidewalk in downtown berkeley by a group of officers who were standing around to give out that specific ticket. I had only recently moved to the city and did not know this was the law. Furthermore, the street I was on is the only location that signs are posted telling bicyclist to ride on the street and walk bikes on the sidewalk. Note: These signs do not say that riding on the sidewalk is illegal nor did the mention any fine.
I asked the officer how much the ticket would be, and she told me that it would be small as long as I hadn't been ticketed for this before. The ticket I got in the mail was for $278. This feels like nothing less than extortion. I understand that riding bikes on the sidewalk can be dangerous and I am not complaining that it is illegal. I agree that I should have been ticketed for the purpose of informing me of the law. A warning or $10-20 fine is all that is necessary though. The fine that I recieved only served to pad the coffers of the city of berkeley and to create hostility between myself and the city.
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