Steep Fines for Fiesta Cruiser Run Lawbreakers

The Santa Barbara Police Department has issued a heads-up to participants in the annual Fiesta Cruiser Run, an Old Spanish Days tradition drawing hundreds of bike riders of all ages to the foot of Stearns Wharf on Sunday morning to cycle all or part of the round-trip to Goleta Pier. Additional police officers will be deployed to monitor the ride, according to SBPD’s Anthony Wagner. “Expect enforcement of all bicycle-related traffic laws.” Blowing through a stop sign or red light, for example, can result in a $237 or $490 fine, respectively. Breaking the lesser-known law of riding as closely as practicable to the right-hand-side curb can carry a $190 fine. Riding under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol can lead to jail time and cost $10,000 or more in fines and fees. Wagner said only a handful of citations were issued last year. “We were bemused by how law-abiding everyone was,” he said, adding that the department’s beefed-up “enforcement posture” probably had something to do with it.