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Improper passing?

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nolow

Member
What is the name of your state?Fl

I received a $121.50 ticket for passing a city bus. The road is a two lane road with a center turning lane. The bus makes about 7 stops on this road picking up college students. I passed the bus using the center lane as does everybody else. When garbage trucks drive down the road, nobody seems to care about cars passing. I could see if I passed a vehicle using the turning lane while both vehicles were moving, but the bus was stopped and blocking the flow of traffic. Are there any situations where it is valid to pass in the center lane? How do I check to see if I was charged the proper amount? Thanks
 


seniorjudge

Senior Member
nolow said:
What is the name of your state?Fl

I received a $121.50 ticket for passing a city bus. The road is a two lane road with a center turning lane. The bus makes about 7 stops on this road picking up college students. I passed the bus using the center lane as does everybody else. When garbage trucks drive down the road, nobody seems to care about cars passing. I could see if I passed a vehicle using the turning lane while both vehicles were moving, but the bus was stopped and blocking the flow of traffic. Are there any situations where it is valid to pass in the center lane? How do I check to see if I was charged the proper amount? Thanks
Q: How do I check to see if I was charged the proper amount?

A: Show the court clerk your ticket and ask if that is the proper amount?
 

nolow

Member
Thanks for the reply. I'll ask the clerk. As far as the improper passing, are there laws associated with city buses? I know I would never pass a school bus, but what about a city bus? If a car stopped in the middle of the road to pick up somebody or broke down, I'm sure nobody would be ticketed for passing. The same goes for a garbage truck. Sometimes these buses take a long time to load because students put their bikes on the front. I don't know. Maybe, I'm just frustrated because it is so common place in my city.
 

seniorjudge

Senior Member
nolow said:
Thanks for the reply. I'll ask the clerk. As far as the improper passing, are there laws associated with city buses? I know I would never pass a school bus, but what about a city bus? If a car stopped in the middle of the road to pick up somebody or broke down, I'm sure nobody would be ticketed for passing. The same goes for a garbage truck. Sometimes these buses take a long time to load because students put their bikes on the front. I don't know. Maybe, I'm just frustrated because it is so common place in my city.
If you're asking if it is legal to pass a school bus while it is taking on or letting off passengers, the answer is no, it is not legal.
 

HomeGuru

Senior Member
nolow said:
Thanks for the reply. I'll ask the clerk. As far as the improper passing, are there laws associated with city buses? I know I would never pass a school bus, but what about a city bus? If a car stopped in the middle of the road to pick up somebody or broke down, I'm sure nobody would be ticketed for passing. The same goes for a garbage truck. Sometimes these buses take a long time to load because students put their bikes on the front. I don't know. Maybe, I'm just frustrated because it is so common place in my city.

**A: simply, the center lane is for turning, not for passing. So you should have gotten 2 tickets rather than one.
 

nolow

Member
seniorjudge said:
If you're asking if it is legal to pass a school bus while it is taking on or letting off passengers, the answer is no, it is not legal.

I was asking about a city bus. The students go to the local University.
 

seniorjudge

Senior Member
nolow said:
I was asking about a city bus. The students go to the local University.
Ask the clerk for a copy of the statute/ordinance you were charged under.

See if you violated terms of that law.
 

nolow

Member
Thanks seniorjudge.

I'll check with them, but I don't know if it will help me. I know it is illegal to pass a car using the center lane, but I wasn't sure in this instance, since the bus was stopped. I just don't know how specific the law would be. It would probably just make reference to no passing in the center lane. I was charged with improper passing, and he wrote in that I used the center lane. I wonder if it is true that cops have to meet a quota every month. This is the last day of the month, and the cop kept trying to justify the reasoning for issuing a ticket. He said that a few people have been hit by cars, but I doubt that is true, since everything makes news in this small town. The bus drivers even pull to the side of the curb knowing that people are going to pass. The PD probably could issue hundreds of tickets a day, if they wanted to. I look at it like I was just going around the bus and not speeding down the road like an aggressive driver trying to pass. When a police officer pulls a car over on the side of the road, people use the center lane to keep the flow of traffic going. The same thing happens when a garbage truck stops or a car breaks down. I can see why people get ticketed for going around a school bus, but as far as a city bus goes, I think people just go around them to keep traffic flowing. Also, there is a sign on the back of every bus that says "Let the bus back in. It's the law." Where would I find this law?
 
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