Illegal Left Turn, Between 7-10 Am Except Sat and Sun. Holidays, VC 22101 (D)

[mookey]

My question involves a traffic ticket from the state of: California

I was cited on Monday morning for a VC 22101 (d) violation in Los Angeles (city). The sign read No Left Turn between the hours of 7 - 10 AM Except Saturday and Sunday. This occurred at 8:45 AM, however, Monday was the Presidents Day holiday and traffic flow was as if it was a Sunday morning because schools, gov't offices, banks and most companies were closed.

The sign did not say "Except Saturday, Sunday and Holidays." It simply said "No Left Turn from 7AM - 10 AM Except Saturday and Sunday". If I argue that the sign was posted to reduce rush hour congestion and that holidays should be exempt as well... do I have a chance of winning this if I challenge it?

[cdwjava]

Some of those signs have a small sign beneath them that state, "And Holidays" (or something akin to that). If there was no signage indicating Holidays were included, then I would say that you have a good case to argue that being cited for violating the regulation on a MONDAY is not valid.

Obtain numerous photos of the sign(s) for court.

[mookey]

Thank you for your post, however, I'm not following you. Is my argument that Monday should be considered the same as Saturday or Sunday because it was a holiday not valid... or, do I have a good case worth presenting (at the risk of sacrificing traffic school)?

[cdwjava]

Thank you for your post, however, I'm not following you. Is my argument that Monday should be considered the same as Saturday or Sunday because it was a holiday not valid... or, do I have a good case worth presenting (at the risk of sacrificing traffic school)?

Oh ... sorry ... I had the interpretation twisted in my mind. D'uh ... It's been a long couple of days, and no coffee today (an early day tomorrow and a late shift tonight).

Okay, so if you turned on a Monday, and the sign specifically excluded weekends but not Holidays, then your argument - while potentially reasonable - is not likely to stand up. If you were to get a judge that i willing to show mercy, that's great. But, on its face, you violated the section ... provided the signs conformed properly to state law.

[mookey]

Thank you for clarifying. I suspected that the letter, not the spirit, of the law would prevail. I don't want to challenge unless I have a good case- it appears that I don't.

[cdwjava]

Thank you for clarifying. I suspected that the letter, not the spirit, of the law would prevail. I don't want to challenge unless I have a good case- it appears that I don't.

Well, CA is supposed to operate under the premise of "the fair import" of the law, but this is one that would likely go even beyond that stated intent in PC 4.

If you have the time and inclination to argue it, you can, but you also might run the risk of not having traffic school as an option if you failed to catch the judge on a merciful day.

There is also no mention in the CVC of interpreting a Holiday in the manner you suggest. It seems pretty straighforward even if it does not account for Holidays, non-school days, etc.