Same joke here ... folks on bicycles were ignored.
Exact offence? Passing a "traffic island" / divider (is that the correct English term?) on the left, even though there was no "white arrow on blue circular sign" indicating that traffic needs to move to the right of the divider.
Oh well ... 5 more weeks of Zurich and goodbye (GE)STAPO.
I never had a deal with cops here (maybe I just lucky), but in Ukraine if you got stopped, and they want to fine you, the first thing you ask, is the assigned documents they have, as each cop should have a document which state where he is making a duty, if he is in the wrong place, you say to him "I don't give any ****" and continue your way. After you ask the police license and record his ID as you can appeal in a nearest police station.
So, if I would be on your place, I would appeal the fine I got, as it was caused by artificial traffic jam made to force me to violate the rules!
I dont think it works that way... You could try and argue that it amounted to entrapment, but to be honest, I think you'd get laughed out of court...
Best bet is to just pay the fine, But next time something like this happens, and a Police officer "jumps" out at you, I would advise that you immediately start giving out to him, take his details, and berate him for endangering not just himself, but your life aswell by jumping in front of you...
That is assuming he is jumping out to surprise you (even though a driver/rider is expected to be able to react to unforeseen events safely, if he is artificially forcing a dangerous situation, then his behaviour is reckless), and that your Swiss German is good enough to adequately and eloquently curse him into submission. ...
I actually gotta give the cop credit where it's due ... when he realized I wasn't quite from this neck of the woods, he switched to High German, asked how long I had already lived here and how I liked Zurich (all while writing me a ticket). The irony ...
Encouraged to break the law? "He made me do it..." Come on, Karlnmik's right: if there's a traffic jam, sit in it like everyone else has to. Oh, sorry, some people think they're above the law...
Sometimes I see the police sitting in their cars standing still, observing traffic and what not. I always have to suppress the urge to stop and ask them whether they need help, maybe their car broke down or something ?
I think it is probably because you were belittling a non-native speaker (i am presuming from the name volodymyr that the chap is of Russian descent, apologies if not) for making a mistake in English.
It just isn't cricket old chap. We allow you Americans plenty of liberties without taking the proverbial ;-)
Yes, I am not a native speaker. But I know the difference between "*******" and "assole". I put the second variant on a special purpose: to avoid any offences I might cause to swiss police