To fight or not to fight a traffic ticket
Today, I was stopped for making a left turn on a “no left turn” intersection. I received a civil infraction for impeding traffic. I had no idea that was a “no left turn” intersection, and the cop admitted the signage was poorly placed. Additionally, multiple cars made left turns ahead of me, so I didn’t even think to look for signage. The car directly in front of me was originally making a left turn, but once he saw the cop (I imagine), went straight through. I went back to the scene and grabbed the picture attached (the “no left turn” sign is on the left side of the lane of oncoming traffic). Per my research, this signage does not follow the guidelines of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control devices, which also applies to temporary signage on construction zones. This signage should be placed, per these guidelines, adjacent to the traffic signals. Even in intersections without traffic signals, this signage should be placed over the roadway, at the far left corner of the intersection, or on a median. You can’t even see that signage if you’re the first in line at the intersection, or if there’s any oncoming traffic (I have pictures of oncoming vehicles blocking the view of the sign).
I think I should fight this, but if my argument is dumb, please let me know.
Today, I was stopped for making a left turn on a “no left turn” intersection. I received a civil infraction for impeding traffic. I had no idea that was a “no left turn” intersection, and the cop admitted the signage was poorly placed. Additionally, multiple cars made left turns ahead of me, so I didn’t even think to look for signage. The car directly in front of me was originally making a left turn, but once he saw the cop (I imagine), went straight through. I went back to the scene and grabbed the picture attached (the “no left turn” sign is on the left side of the lane of oncoming traffic). Per my research, this signage does not follow the guidelines of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control devices, which also applies to temporary signage on construction zones. This signage should be placed, per these guidelines, adjacent to the traffic signals. Even in intersections without traffic signals, this signage should be placed over the roadway, at the far left corner of the intersection, or on a median. You can’t even see that signage if you’re the first in line at the intersection, or if there’s any oncoming traffic (I have pictures of oncoming vehicles blocking the view of the sign).
I think I should fight this, but if my argument is dumb, please let me know.