Austin, Texas.
As featured in the March 2011 issue of Bicycling Magazine.
Are you an Austin-area cyclist who has received a traffic ticket while riding your bike?
You now have an option to have your fine waived in exchange for taking part in some valuable, effective training.
If you are a cyclist who would like to see this program made available in your community in the United States or Canada, contact us and we can work to make that happen.
The Center for Cycling Education has worked with the Austin Cycling Association (ACA) * and the Austin Municipal Court to implement one of only a few defensive cycling courses in North America providing a ‘court diversion’ option for ticketed cyclists.
If referred by the court to take a defensive cycling course, the Austin Municipal Court will accept the course certificate as part of a deferral for dismissal of certain bicycle citations. Successful completion of this course will result in your fine — but not your court fee — being waived.
Please note that certain courts in regions surrounding Austin have been permitting cyclists ticketed in their jurisdiction to attend the Defensive Cycling course and receive the same citation dismissal as offered in Austin. If you are ticketed outside of Austin, please inquire with your local courthouse to see if this option is available to you.
You may only complete this course once every 12 months. Additional information regarding the Austin Municipal Court’s procedures for bicycle violations can be found on the Court’s website: www.ci.austin.tx.us/court/bicycle.htm
This program is available for licensing in other regions in North America. Contact us for details.
About the course:
This is a 3-hour classroom-only session focusing on approaches and techniques for riding in traffic within the law. To gain experience in bike handling skills and to ride in traffic under the guidance of an instructor, we recommend signing up for one of the courses offered by the Austin Cycling Association, such as Traffic Skills 101.
The Defensive Cycling course costs $25.00 per person, and includes a 10-question, multiple-choice exam. A passing grade of 70% is required on this exam to receive the certificate.
With our course, you’ll not only meet the requirements to dismiss your traffic ticket, you’ll also learn vital defensive cycling skills to help you become a safer and more proficient cyclist. This course is provided and taught under license to the Austin Cycling Association by The Center for Cycling Education.
* The CCE developed all applicable training materials and is conducting course training. The ACA is managing course registrations, payments, training venues and other key elements, and has found this course to be its most successful cycling education offering to date.
