Stopped today for using City of Toronto HOV (Diamond) Lanes | GTAMotorcycle.com

Stopped today for using City of Toronto HOV (Diamond) Lanes

M

MarcosSantiago

Well-known member
Short version: I was riding my scooter on the City of Toronto HOV (Diamond) Lanes, and a police officer pulled me over and almost gave me a ticket.




Sometimes I see police doing HOV enforcement on Eglinton Ave. West, during the morning time, on the south side approaching Caledonia, ticketing cars which are travelling eastbound. I just started using that route to go downtown, and I have seen the officers before, never thought much about it. But this morning, the cop pulled me over! </SPAN></SPAN>

Honestly, I was confused – is he really pulling me over? I am riding a scooter for godsakessss!!!</SPAN></SPAN>

Cop: “Sir, you are using the diamond lanes that is reserved for buses and taxi-cabs, you cannot use it at this time of the morning”</SPAN></SPAN>
Me: “Officer, yes I can, because …”</SPAN></SPAN>
Cop: “Your DL, ownership, and insurance please”</SPAN></SPAN>
Me: *sigh* <HERE go we></SPAN></SPAN>


Then, I realized I did not have my insurance with me (pink slip), only have the temporary one that expired a few days back (cause I just got the scooter). So the officer started telling that not having insurance is a very serious ticket, etc.</SPAN></SPAN>

He gets on the phone and started making calls, first to the insurance co. then to “control” (Traffic Control? I dunno) because I kept arguing that I was allowed to use the lane. Around 25 minutes later, he hands me over my paperwork and no tickets, he confirmed that motorcycles and scooters are allowed but he didn’t know. </SPAN></SPAN>

I was late for work, which I hate, but all in all he was a cool officer that took the time to look into it. </SPAN></SPAN>

Now he knows too!
 
MarcosSantiago said:
Short version: I was riding my scooter on the City of Toronto HOV (Diamond) Lanes, and a police officer pulled me over and almost gave me a ticket.

Sometimes I see police doing HOV enforcement on Eglinton Ave. West, during the morning time, on the south side approaching Caledonia, ticketing cars which are travelling eastbound. I just started using that route to go downtown, and I have seen the officers before, never thought much about it. But this morning, the cop pulled me over! </SPAN></SPAN>

Honestly, I was confused – is he really pulling me over? I am riding a scooter for godsakessss!!!</SPAN></SPAN>

Cop: “Sir, you are using the diamond lanes that is reserved for buses and taxi-cabs, you cannot use it at this time of the morning”</SPAN></SPAN>
Me: “Officer, yes I can, because …”</SPAN></SPAN>
Cop: “Your DL, ownership, and insurance please”</SPAN></SPAN>
Me: *sigh* <HERE we go></SPAN></SPAN>


Then, I realized I did not have my insurance with me (pink slip), only have the temporary one that expired a few days back (cause I just got the scooter). So the officer started telling that not having insurance is a very serious ticket, etc.</SPAN></SPAN>

He gets on the phone and started making calls, first to the insurance co. then to “control” (Traffic Control? I dunno) because I kept arguing that I was allowed to use the lane. Around 25 minutes later, he hands me over my paperwork and no tickets, he confirmed that motorcycles and scooters are allowed but he didn’t know. </SPAN></SPAN>

I was late for work, which I hate, but all in all he was a cool officer that took the time to look into it. </SPAN></SPAN>

Now he knows too!
Click to expand...

Cops often don't know the law, and rely on a short hand "cheat sheet" which often truncates more nuanced laws into a single laminated quick reference matrix.

I have very little faith in cops who have a hard on for bikers, while they over look blatent violations, which again they are not even aware of as violations, while they nitpick over things like plate angle and diamond lanes.

Good on you for setting him straight and sticking to you informed guns!
 
awyala said:
Cops often don't know the law, and rely on a short hand "cheat sheet" which often truncates more nuanced laws into a single laminated quick reference matrix.

I have very little faith in cops who have a hard on for bikers, while they over look blatent violations, which again they are not even aware of as violations, while they nitpick over things like plate angle and diamond lanes.

Good on you for setting him straight and sticking to you informed guns!
Click to expand...

Agreed, they target bikes heavily, meanwhile there's far more important things going on.

Most of them know less about the law than many gtam members.
I've been pulled over twice driving a Quebec vehicle because i had no front plate.
A couple more times for no sticker on the plate.
And for factory tinted windows on a brand new rental car. :lmao:

Parking enforcement are serious dummies too, i can't tell you how many wrongly issued tickets i got after free motorcycle parking was introduced.

If you want to sell stereos for a living, it's a good idea to know everything about them.
If you want to be a cop, you need to care enough to learn all the laws, not just collect the paycheck and act tough.
 
Motorcycles are allowed to use the City of Toronto HOV lanes. However, the same logic does not extend to the HOV lanes on Provincial highways so you have to stay out of those, at least until the Ministry of Transportation changes the law.
 
Malks said:
Motorcycles are allowed to use the City of Toronto HOV lanes. However, the same logic does not extend to the HOV lanes on Provincial highways so you have to stay out of those, at least until the Ministry of Transportation gets their ***** together.
Click to expand...


yup.
 
I thought they are only allowed to use SOME of the City of Toronto HOV lanes? There was a list on the City's website indicating which ones
 
highway said:
Ya but it says
Once the existing HOV signs are altered to include a motorcycle/scooter pictogram, this change will take effect
Click to expand...

What'chu talkin' 'bout, Willis?
The motorcycle icon was never done at 100% because David Miller run out of money. The City could not update all the signs at once. Don't you remember?
 
Run around with stickers of a motorcycle and put em on all signs with your ladder? :p
 
So am I allowed to use the HOV lanes on dufferin (Sheppard to finch) or not? It's on the list..but the signs havent been updated. What do i do?
 
DOHC1 said:
So am I allowed to use the HOV lanes on dufferin (Sheppard to finch) or not? It's on the list..but the signs havent been updated. What do i do?
Click to expand...

Read?
 
Well that's good to know. There is one on Bay street. I use it each day to pick up the GF and have been using the normal lane. Going to use HOV now.
 
MarcosSantiago said:
Short version: I was riding my scooter on the City of Toronto HOV (Diamond) Lanes, and a police officer pulled me over and almost gave me a ticket.




Sometimes I see police doing HOV enforcement on Eglinton Ave. West, during the morning time, on the south side approaching Caledonia, ticketing cars which are travelling eastbound. I just started using that route to go downtown, and I have seen the officers before, never thought much about it. But this morning, the cop pulled me over!

Honestly, I was confused – is he really pulling me over? I am riding a scooter for godsakessss!!!

Cop: “Sir, you are using the diamond lanes that is reserved for buses and taxi-cabs, you cannot use it at this time of the morning”
Me: “Officer, yes I can, because …”
Cop: “Your DL, ownership, and insurance please”
Me: *sigh* <here go="" we="">


Then, I realized I did not have my insurance with me (pink slip), only have the temporary one that expired a few days back (cause I just got the scooter). So the officer started telling that not having insurance is a very serious ticket, etc.

He gets on the phone and started making calls, first to the insurance co. then to “control” (Traffic Control? I dunno) because I kept arguing that I was allowed to use the lane. Around 25 minutes later, he hands me over my paperwork and no tickets, he confirmed that motorcycles and scooters are allowed but he didn’t know.

I was late for work, which I hate, but all in all he was a cool officer that took the time to look into it.

Now he knows too!
Click to expand...
lol I take that route every day, the freaking HOV sign has a little motorcycle on it, as long as it has the little motorcycle sing on the sign you are good to go.

Damn retards


Edit: never mind, i got the location wrong - read fail

but they are still damn retards
</here>
 
Last edited:
MarcosSantiago said:
Short version: I was riding my scooter on the City of Toronto HOV (Diamond) Lanes, and a police officer pulled me over and almost gave me a ticket.




Sometimes I see police doing HOV enforcement on Eglinton Ave. West, during the morning time, on the south side approaching Caledonia, ticketing cars which are travelling eastbound. I just started using that route to go downtown, and I have seen the officers before, never thought much about it. But this morning, the cop pulled me over!

Honestly, I was confused – is he really pulling me over? I am riding a scooter for godsakessss!!!

Cop: “Sir, you are using the diamond lanes that is reserved for buses and taxi-cabs, you cannot use it at this time of the morning”
Me: “Officer, yes I can, because …”
Cop: “Your DL, ownership, and insurance please”
Me: *sigh* <here go="" we="">


Then, I realized I did not have my insurance with me (pink slip), only have the temporary one that expired a few days back (cause I just got the scooter). So the officer started telling that not having insurance is a very serious ticket, etc.

He gets on the phone and started making calls, first to the insurance co. then to “control” (Traffic Control? I dunno) because I kept arguing that I was allowed to use the lane. Around 25 minutes later, he hands me over my paperwork and no tickets, he confirmed that motorcycles and scooters are allowed but he didn’t know.

I was late for work, which I hate, but all in all he was a cool officer that took the time to look into it.

Now he knows too!
Click to expand...

you couldn't just direct the officer's attention to the sign above your head (over the lane) that has the little picture of a bus, taxi, bicycle, motorcycle etc printed on it?

</here>
TorontoHOV10-02-20124-28-21PM.png
 
IXFe said:
you couldn't just direct the officer's attention to the sign above your head (over the lane) that has the little picture of a bus, taxi, bicycle, motorcycle etc printed on it?

</HERE>
Click to expand...

The sign does NOT have the motorcycle icon on it - the cop himself pointed it out to me.
Slap already posted a photo above from Google maps. The signs on that are do not have the motorcycle decal yet.

SLaP said:
Signs do need updating...

http://maps.google.ca/maps?q=Eglint...ntario&t=m&z=11&panoid=6ke5q4BQEynL9oVvRny2Gg
Click to expand...
 
DOHC1 said:
So am I allowed to use the HOV lanes on dufferin (Sheppard to finch) or not? It's on the list..but the signs havent been updated. What do i do?
Click to expand...

You cannot use the lanes on Allen Road/Dufferin Street between Sheppard and Finch because they are not HOV lanes. They were changed a year or two ago to be just BUS lanes and the signage is slightly different. Only buses are allowed in those lanes now. Once the subway to York is open the lanes might be reverted back to HOV lanes.
 
It's pretty retarded that the people that enforce the laws don't even know them. Maybe that explains why they drive so bad and only care about speeding.

They also shouldn't be enforcing a law based on what a sign looks like. They should know bikes are allowed there regardless of what is on the sign. That's not even a complicated law.
 
unL33T said:
It's pretty retarded that the people that enforce the laws don't even know them. Maybe that explains why they drive so bad and only care about speeding.

They also shouldn't be enforcing a law based on what a sign looks like. They should know bikes are allowed there regardless of what is on the sign. That's not even a complicated law.
Click to expand...

Sorry, but did you read the bylaw? The link that dodgingwrenches posted?
 
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