“Failing To Obey A Stop Sign - On A Bicycle”

I just wanted to post my situation and see if this is something I should try to fight.

Basically I was biking on the sidewalk, which yes I know is illegal, but I have never felt safe biking on the road. While I was biking on the sidewalk, I approached a four way stop and continued to go across the crosswalk while all vehicles at the crosswalk had stopped. I had forgotten that i was basically a "vehicle" and the cop I passed stopped me and gave me a ticket for for "136 1. (1) (a) Every driver or street car operator approaching a stop sign at an intersection, shall stop his or her vehicle or street car at a marked stop line or, if none, then immediately before entering the nearest crosswalk or, if none, then immediately before entering the intersection." This will cost me $110.00 and if I'm not mistaken, give me 3 demerit points. My mistake was that a) I was biking on the sidewalk and b) I was acting as if I was a pedestrian.

I personally don't feel that I should be charged as someone who completely ignored a stop sign while driving on the road, but I could be wrong. I am just looking for another opinion. If I was on the street, I would obviously not fly through a stop sign. That's obviously not an intelligent decision.

Thank you for your time.

If you were on the sidewalk then I might be tempted to try and argue that technically you weren't on the road when you approached the stop sign. I was under the impression that the HTA only applied on public roads? Thoughts?

Sidewalk is part of the roadway. Simplified is front property line to front property line is the roadway. So side walks and ditches and even encroachment a are part of the roadway.

So if you we're driving a car down the sidewalk then your just acting like a pedestrian....

The fact is you are NOT a pedestrian and where charged appropriately.

Ops