I don't care, I'm going to try to fight City Hall
I'm motivated peeps. I haven't been this motivated since taco bell took away the fresco menu at my location. This morning on my usual morning routine I headed to QT to pick up a coffee and get my roomie a diet coke (closer than Starbucks on work at home days and they have a new Pumpkin Spice flavoring that's pretty tasty). Fine, right? It was a good QT trip, even talked to a nice police officer as we joked about the fountain soda machine and wished each other good days. Then we held hands and skipped out the door together in perfect civilian/servant harmony. Okay, that didn't happen but ironically I left feeling pretty good about the nice exchange. So good in fact, I decided to pop across the street to Sonic for a little morning pick me up. This is where things go down hill rapidly.
After receiving my delicious breakfast burrito (of course, what else?) I proceed home with all my morning treasures. Now, this won't mean much to you until I get the pictures and OH YES THERE WILL BE PICTURES, but the Sonic is on the corner of Sulphur Springs and Big Bend. So, to leave you can turn left on to either Sulphur Springs (an easy two lanes of traffic that is not very busy) or Big Bend (a busy four lanes with a turn lane right past an intersection). I proceed to leave the Sulphur Springs way, look both ways there is no traffic, make a left onto SS and proceed onto Big Bend at which point I notice a police officer behind me. Hmm I think, he kinda just ran that light behind me.... didn't take long to find out why as a few 100 yards down Big Bend and his lights pop on and this is where I'm pretty sure I threw up a little. I don't get pulled over, I've only been pulled over twice my entire life and one time was not my fault (I'm talking to you Delanty siblings) and I don't do well with authority as we all know.
I had a feeling it was either my headlight (but how did he see) or a rear corner light (I've got lots of light problems right now). *Please, please let it be a light.* Sadly, it was not a light. Apparently, you are not supposed to turn left across two lanes of slow traffic, but rather risk your life across 4 lanes (and a turn lane) on a very busy section of Big Bend to go left. I thought, ok, surely he will just slap me on the wrist, tell me not to do it again and send me on my way, I mean that must be the reason for my nice exchange with another SLC police officer moments before at QT, right? Wrong. Police Officer Kharma = FAIL.
Only moments after he AGREED with me that it was more dangerous to turn left across all of the Big Bend lanes rather than where I turned, said he didn't understand the no left either, and all but admitted to doing it himself, he handed me a good old moving violation and told me to drive safely. DRIVE SAFELYYYYYYYY???!!!! Really, cause that's what I WAS DOING when you gave me a ticket for it and told me to instead risk my life and others crossing 4 lanes of busy Big Bend traffic. Yes, I did "fail to obey a no left turn sign" BUT I might have saved lives. Okay, I am being just a teeny bit dramatic, but tell me peeps - do I have any case here? (Also, the sign is kinda bent over to the left a bit, but in fair disclosure, is there).
I called the County Clerk immediately when I got home to begin the next phase of the ticket, I like to think of this as the "whining" phase. It goes something like this (be sure to drag each phrase out in your head in dramatic whining fashion as you read):
-But, it's nooooooooooot riggggggggghtSo, to review:
-It's soooooooo much more dangerousssssssssssssss
-It doesn't make annnnnnnnnnnnny sense
-There was NOOOOOOOOO ONE arounddddddddd
- WHY WHY WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
-It'ssssssssssssss not fairrrrrrrrrrrrr
- There is no such thing as Police Officer Kharma
- It is better to put yourself in a more dangerous situation then to disobey traffic signs
- Don't eat at Sonic
Also, any advice would be greatly appreciated. Is it even worth it to try and fight this or is it as black and white as sign/left turn? I think I know the answer, but damned if I'm not motivated to try.
Happy Freaking Friday to me.
ps - On a positive note, this did spur me out of my blogging funk, or then again, maybe your thinking that's not even positive either...
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4 comments:
That sucks, Erin! Gotta say, though, you're probably not going to win your fight, given the existence of the no left turn sign. But it might feel good to go and challenge it and get to say your piece. If you decide it's not worth it, give me a call, and I'll "fix" it for you. I won't charge you--you'll just have to pay whatever fine is assessed to turn the ticket into a non-moving violation.
i say call lynn or call mel. these are your good karma friends (called lawyers) that will help bring you back into happy land. you completely forgot to tell the part about the cop being 12 years old and this was his first pull over and that he approached the car with gun in hand ready to pop the mom with two car seats in the back for making a L turn. geez. that was my favorite part....ps to the readers-- i was the only roommate home (the one that got the diet coke) and received the brunt of the eej rampage on cops. it was a very exciting morning, but reminded me to obey all traffic signs as I left for work.
I agree with Lynn on this one.. Traffic tickets are best dealt with by caving in and just paying the fine for the non-moving violation. But that totally sucks-I know that area well and you did the right thing. Maybe you can write a letter to the County transportation dept, or Manchester, or whoever is responsible for that sign.
If it makes you feel better, I got a ticket for taking an illegal left turn once into the Kirkwood Ginger Bay Plaza. Apparently there was a no left turn sign, though I can't figure out why. but I didn't see it behind some hanging trees on the right hand side. Anyway, was soooo frustrating! And for some reason, I felt embarassed as well as mad.
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