In a shocking turn of events on par with the fall of the Berlin Wall or the Black Eyed Peas' popularity, the NYPD went to the homes of cyclists last night and apologized for handing out speeding tickets early yesterday morning in Central Park (video). Yes, we have confirmed at this hour that cops have personally apologized to bicycle riders. Let's just let that sink in a minute... Getting a little misty-eyed over here! Okay, now back to reality: The NYPD apology was not for ticketing "speeding" cyclists per se, but for "erroneously" ticketing cyclists. Nine out of ten cyclists have had their tickets voided, but a tenth cyclist still faces a $275 speeding ticket because he was busted "correctly."
Last night the president of the New York Cycle Club told members that "all 10 tickets will be voided. You will not have to go to court. This is the doing of Chief Morris of NYPD Manhattan North, with whom we have met, who was chagrined to hear of the tickets, who personally called me earlier to share this and ask that it be passed along." One cyclist, David Regen, was sitting down to dinner last night when the police showed up to apologize. "They said, ‘We’re here because we’re withdrawing your ticket because we feel you were treated unfairly,' " Regen tells the Times. It's unclear if the police also brought Regen an apology bear and some scented candles, but it's a start.
Regen's ticket was voided because the police who set up the speed trap believed the speed limit to be 15 mph. According to the Central Park Conservancy, the official speed limit in that part of the park is 25 mph, but there are old faded signs put up in the early '90s that set the speed at 15 mph. So all those speed demon cyclists caught going between 15-25 mph are off the hook—but one of the Central Park Ten wasn't so fortunate.
Michael Margarite, an amateur racer who works at a private-equity fund, was slapped with a $275 speeding ticket. Unlike the others, his ticket was not voided, because he was barreling through the park at the insane speed of 28 mph. Slow down, Mario Andretti! Putting a brave face on the situation, Margarite tells the Wall Street Journal, "At least they didn't get me doing an interval workout."
