Patch Asks: Did This Biker Deserve $1500 in Fines?

A Manhattan cyclist and pedicab driver think "it's absurd" that he should be forced to pay $1,500 in fines for three red light tickets. Do you?

Gothamist seems to have staked a strong editorial stance on the story, which was originally reported by the Daily News. Here's Gothamist's take:

Well here's a cycling story that's sure to imbue you with enough self-righteousness and indignant rage to make you forget your troubles: a cyclist is complaining about receiving $1,500 in fines for running red lights. "It's absurd," pedicab driver Juan Rodriguez tells the Daily News, referring to his miserable luck in getting three red light tickets, despite the fact that 30 people probably ran a red light in NYC by the time you finish reading this sentence. 

The Daily News reported that Rodriguez thought that if he pleaded "not guilty," the judge would realize how "unbelievably ludicrous," imposing the same fines on a bicyclist as the driver of a vehicle is. The judge did not see it his way.

It should be pointed out (and the Daily News did) that bike riders are not subject to the same $80 surcharge a driver would have to pay.

Do you believe cyclists should be subject to the same laws and fines as drivers? 

Updated Aug. 22, at 5:28 p.m.