Bike Equity Project: Alternative to Fine for Traffic Citations

NOTE: Many of us would rather help people who bike avoid receiving traffic citations in the first place! And you can help. As highlighted in Spring 2024 Bike Buzz, you can boost our efforts for “education, not citation” (whenever appropriate). How? Share bike law summaries and other posters/flyers; click here to grab some. Or share a link to: https://bikemonterey.org/resources/resources-on-riding-skills-bike-laws-and-safety

Many people are unaware of the numerous and diverse Bicycling Monterey projects. (For an overview, refer to our summary of projects page; click here.) Among those are projects often referred to by bike advocates as Bike Equity projects, such as this one of providing an alternative to a fine for a bicycling-related citation.

See a sampling of comments from participants in this project.
The information below includes important instructions for potential participants.

Background: Option in lieu of
fine for bicycling-related citation

If you get a ticket while bicycling, a California law approved in 2015 (AB-902 Traffic violations: Diversion programs – https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB902) allows, for certain infractions, alternatives to paying the fine.

Alternatives must be sanctioned by local law enforcement, and alternatives are not available in every jurisdiction. Monterey Bay Area alternatives include, e.g., that Santa Cruz County offers a quarterly bike traffic school, with a fee charged to all court-ordered participants. In Monterey County, an alternative also exists:

County of Monterey Superior Court judges/commissioners sometimes offer to a cited individual that they may choose to do community service with Bicycling Monterey as an alternative to paying a bike-related traffic fine. In those cases, Bicycling Monterey is usually able to offer that individual a community service opportunity, along with bicycling education.
Minors (people younger than age 18) receive first priority in our schedule.
People ages 18 and older are also considered, our schedule permitting.

Instructions for potential participants—

Cited? What to know:

We suggest contacting us within days of receiving the citation. It is important to us that this be an enJOYable process, for you and for us—including that it fit into your schedule, and ours, comfortably.

How much time is required? The process includes an initial discussion with us about the citation received; advising you of community service options, and the steps necessary to earn a letter from us for the court; education component, including Q&A/discussion; preparation for the actual community service; fulfilling the community service hours; and reporting back to us on your experience. Our intention is that you’ll feel satisfied you have learned some valuable information about biking and have also helped others in the community.

We wish we could accommodate everyone! However, in addition to youth being given priority in our schedule, we are only able to consider people who will be able to:

• complete their entire community service process with us a minimum of two weeks prior to the court’s deadline—and the earlier the better;
• take the initiative on all necessary follow-up contacts with us (i.e., you will contact us promptly, not wait for us to contact you).

We appreciate your understanding that those are necessary protocols in order for Bicycling Monterey to be able to continue providing this service. Thank you.

Note regarding minors: An initial phone call from a minor’s parent or legal guardian is fine. However, subsequent phone conversations—or any in-person meetings—are normally to include the minor in addition to the parent/guardian.

To find out if we can currently provide you this opportunity, please phone us. Be prepared to provide us the following information.

(1) full name of the person cited—and if a minor, also include the full name of the parent / legal guardian who will assist the minor in this process;
(2) age, if a minor;
(3) your phone number (or if a minor, phone number of parent / legal guardian);
(4) date of citation;
(5) law enforcement agency that issued the citation;
(6) type of citation received; 
(7) date of first Court appearance;
(8) name of Court official who offered the option, in lieu of fine, of doing community service instead;
(9) number of hours of community service that the Court would require;
(10) amount to be paid to the Court (“pay a fine of $____”) unless you complete community service instead; [for example, in Monterey County a typical fine, including court costs, is $193 for a helmet citation]
(11) date the Court official offered the option of community service (typically the same date as first Court appearance);
(12) date of Court’s deadline for either paying the fine or having community service completed (“proof of completion of community service must be filed with the Court no later than _______”).

If we are able to accommodate you in our schedule, the usual next step is to send us a test email, to an email address that we will provide you by phone (it is not posted on this website). If you have no access to the internet for sending or receiving email, please let us know in our first conversation. Thank you.

NOTE: The Bicycling Monterey website and projects have been provided as a public service. No claim is made or liability accepted for use of this site, or for participating as a volunteer on any Bicycling Monterey project. 

Did you know? For more than fifteen years all work by Bicycling Monterey’s founder on the Bicycling Monterey website and projects has been done as an unpaid volunteer. If you value this work, please make a donation. For how to contribute and FAQs, click here.

A sampling of letters
provided for the court

Court referral – an April 2024 letter

Court referral – a January 2024 letter

Court referral – a May 2024 letter

Court referral – a June 2023 letter

Court referral – a June 2022 letter

This post was first published on 1 July 2023, then updated and republished 27 June 2024.