“Improper Stop Traffic Signal At Intersection”

Hi there

I was driving along a one-way street on the left lane, at the intersection with another one-way street I stopped on a red light a little bit past the stopping line. A bicyclist who was coming along the crossing street touched my fender in the front of my car and kept going. I stopped the car and stepped out. When he saw me out, he came back and started yelling and swearing claiming that I hit him and his bike was damaged asking for 30$ to repair. I checked if he was bodily hurt or needed ambulance and he was only asking for money. I checked the bike and it was totally OK so I refused to pay him and that is when he decided to call the police. When the officer came, he heard both stories, and he told me that there was almost no damage to the bike (only a black line hardly noticeable) and he knows that the other guy was trying to take advantage of me. The officer showed that he would be to my side in the report but at the end he said that he has to charge me and gave a ticket of "Improper Stop traffic signal at intersection".

Questions:

1- I don't understand why the officer has to give me a ticket and whether he can, since he wasn't on the scene when it happened and we were waiting at a coffee shop when he arrived

2- Is there any demerit points to this fine?

3- If I take it to court what are my chances?

4- If the guy goes through the insurance, will that increase my premium since there will be a ticket plus a claim?

Any other comments will be appreciated..

1. Yes he can give you a ticket in this instance. He doesn't have to witness it himself. Police charge people for collisions after they show up and investigate all the time.

2. Improper Stop I believe is 0 demerit points.

3. 50-50. The cyclist is going to have to show up and testify.

4. For $30 damage to his bike? Well, it might increase your premium, but in all likelihood the insurance company would laugh at him.