PA man charged with carrying table while riding bicycle
HANOVER TOWNSHIP, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — A man who police say had an active bench warrant was arrested in September and is facing several charges, including a little-known violation of the Pennsylvania vehicle code.
Pennsylvania state troopers from the Shickshinny barracks say on September 4, 2023, just after midnight, they observed a man riding a bicycle on West End Road in Hanover Township traveling east in the westbound traffic lane.
Troopers say the man did not have any lighting equipment on the bike and was carrying a small folding table when they stopped him.
Police say a records check revealed that the man, 51-year-old David Thomas Totten of Wilkes-Barre, had an active bench warrant for failure to appear in court.
Totten was arrested and searched. Troopers say the search revealed a cigarette pack hiding suspected methamphetamine and a syringe.
Totten was charged with possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia for the alleged items in the cigarette pack.
He is also facing charges of operating a bicycle against the flow of traffic and failing to have proper lights and reflectors for the time of day.
The final charge in the court documents is for carrying a package on a bicycle. The charge is described as “operating a bicycle while holding a package, bundle, or article without a hand on the handlebars.”
The lesser-known law is highlighted in the Pennsylvania vehicle code in chapter 35, subchapter A, section 3506.
It states:
Ҥ 3506. Articles carried by operator.
No person operating a pedal cycle shall carry any package, bundle, or article which prevents the driver from keeping at least one hand upon the handlebars.”
Other little-known laws include the prohibition of an audible siren while riding a bicycle (section 3507 paragraph (b)), riding a bike without a permanent seat (section 3504 paragraph (a)), and transporting more people on a bike than for which the bike was designed (Section 3504, paragraph (b)).
For a full list of pedalcycle laws, visit Pennsylvania’s legislative website.
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