STATE = NY
CITY = MANHATTAN
LOCATION = 79TH AND RIVERSIDE AFTER EXITING BOAT BASIN IN CONGESTED GRIDLOCK
I got my first ever ticket in 20 years of driving this morning and am unsure how to proceed rationally.
The cop never had me sign the ticket, and he got the state wrong on the auto registration/plates, indicating his lack of being observant or attentive to details which should indicate that while I did turn left when illegal, it was a defensive move to avoid a dangerous situation. It was clearly a staked out spot because the cop pulled over three of us who did the same thing at the same time for the same reason roughly... robably his 200th ticket of the am there.
situation: I am driving out of the 79th street boat basin where also two exit ramps from the west side highway come out, and north of 79th the highway was a parking lot so tond of people were exiting into the traffic flow, many making illegal turns to get in front of us. after the west side highway off ramps is an intersection with riverside drive, a 2-way street. no left turn is clearly marked obviously four times. I was aware of it. as we approached the intersection in bumper to bumper traffic, I saw room for one car in the next block in front of us so I went through the intersection. as I did, I was cut off by someone from the right lane who jumped in front of me forcing me toward the left. the light changed with me now behind him, and traffic approached with me still blocking traffic. two cars before me had turned left so I did then as well seeing no way to go forward out of the intersection, no oncoming traffic at all, and lots of cars heading from my right toward me as the light changed. so I turned left to get out of their way illegally by very safely, and then two others followed, and we were all ticketed by an officer standing in the middle of our lane waiting for us... many people did that to avoid congestion on the highway, but I wanted to go into town and was foorced to the north instead.
Advice?
CITY = MANHATTAN
LOCATION = 79TH AND RIVERSIDE AFTER EXITING BOAT BASIN IN CONGESTED GRIDLOCK
I got my first ever ticket in 20 years of driving this morning and am unsure how to proceed rationally.
The cop never had me sign the ticket, and he got the state wrong on the auto registration/plates, indicating his lack of being observant or attentive to details which should indicate that while I did turn left when illegal, it was a defensive move to avoid a dangerous situation. It was clearly a staked out spot because the cop pulled over three of us who did the same thing at the same time for the same reason roughly... robably his 200th ticket of the am there.
situation: I am driving out of the 79th street boat basin where also two exit ramps from the west side highway come out, and north of 79th the highway was a parking lot so tond of people were exiting into the traffic flow, many making illegal turns to get in front of us. after the west side highway off ramps is an intersection with riverside drive, a 2-way street. no left turn is clearly marked obviously four times. I was aware of it. as we approached the intersection in bumper to bumper traffic, I saw room for one car in the next block in front of us so I went through the intersection. as I did, I was cut off by someone from the right lane who jumped in front of me forcing me toward the left. the light changed with me now behind him, and traffic approached with me still blocking traffic. two cars before me had turned left so I did then as well seeing no way to go forward out of the intersection, no oncoming traffic at all, and lots of cars heading from my right toward me as the light changed. so I turned left to get out of their way illegally by very safely, and then two others followed, and we were all ticketed by an officer standing in the middle of our lane waiting for us... many people did that to avoid congestion on the highway, but I wanted to go into town and was foorced to the north instead.
Advice?