Commuting - Heh...got radar gunned this morning.

I was gunning for a ticket too - but nothing doing. They just smiled and waved... They didn't want to be laughed at by the judge. Can you imagine - Honest Judge, this here white-haired ole geezer was speeding with his bike...

I WAS going too fast (40+ KPH) but since the average cyclist goes 10, no one would believe them.

I was following behind a car along a quiet section of two-lane residential feeder road that climbs slightly around a bend. I use the climb as a max effort interval on the way in just for grins. This morning coming up to the bend I could see that a blacked-out motorcycle cop had set up under a streetlight off to the side of the roadway painting folks as they passed through that curve. The car and I were pointing directly towards him until we peeled off around the curve. I was trying hard to keep up with the car anyway and he had only just started to separate from me a bit as we approached the curve and his speed climbed up over 30. When I saw the radar cop I dug in and gave it as much as I could muster to keep building speed like the car.

As we approached I saw the cop raise his gun at the car then drop his arm. Then he sees me and guns me too! I ride with a NiteRider Blowtorch and an L&M Vega on the front of my bike. They are really bright and from a distance they combine to look like one big head light. Pedestrians and drivers tell me all the time that they thought that I was a motorcycle until they could get up close. I'm sure he thought the same thing.

When I rounded the turn and he could see me from the side, I saw his head kick back as he laughed. As I passed by he looked at his gun like he was reading the speed, smiled and motioned for me to slow it down a bit. :D

One of my goals in life is to get a speeding ticket at a 30mph zone while riding my bike. One day, one day...

LOL, nice. Around here, well across the river in NJ / Rockland County there are un-manned radar guns that display your speed on a huge sign. I see one and I'm off like a bullet to get as big a number as possible. It beats sprinting for city limit / state line signs! :D

Last night on the main street that I ride the police had installed on of those wagon radar units that displays your speed in huge 3 foot tall digits to get you to slow down. It was at the crest of a small hill. I was disappointed that it did not register my speed. The big blank screen was disheartening.

It is my goal also to get pulled over for speeding on my bike. Someday I hope. Recently a cop paced me down during a descent but didn't do anything.

Until last weekend my highest speed ever was on a slight downhill, 41.5 mph in a 30 mph zone. Never saw a cop in that section of road, though.

Last weekend I hit 43, but it was on a fairly steep downhill along a highway, 55 mph speed limit.

One of my goals in life is to get a speeding ticket at a 30mph zone while riding my bike. One day, one day...

My brother nearly got one. A big long downhill in a 30 mph zone he was clocked at 42. The cop flipped on the lights and siren and pulled my brother over. He wanted a written ticket for bragging rights but the cop let him off with a verbal warning.

Stupid question: If you get a ticket while on a bike, would it affect your auto insurance rates? I was doing 24 in a 20 zone this morning (on level ground though).

Stupid question: If you get a ticket while on a bike, would it affect your auto insurance rates? I was doing 24 in a 20 zone this morning (on level ground though).

I believe it would.

This should definitely be a poll. I'll bet that bikers are the only folks on earth who would 99% sprint all-out, bloody hell, watch out for crazy momma fast in an attempt to get a traffic ticket from a cop in a 30mph zone!

Which is why it's smart to only carry a State ID, instead of your drivers license, while riding your bike. That way nothing you do on the cycle will go on your driving record, right?

I think I got RADARed in Burlington yesterday. (Lake Street, for locals. 20MPH speed limit.) Funnily enough I was going 20MPH. ;) Had I seen the cop far enough in advance, I would have switched to the outer ring and sprinted. I was maxed out on the middle ring.

There's a speed trap on my ride home. Police are there about 1/4 of days. They nab cars coming around a corner. I've had the police sitting in their cruisers look at me, smile and yell, "hey slow down!" As it's slightly uphill, I don't think I could swing a ticket with the 35 MPH limit.

Two thoughts.

1). School Zones = Easy Money = Ticket. F*** you Houston PD (33 in a 20).

2). You are not required to have a drivers license to ride a bike, yet the first thing the officer will want is an ID. This is where the rub is. No driver's license means insurance company will not likely ever know. Give the officer your DL and it will likely show up on your driving record. Carry something else (school ID, passport, credit card) and give them that.

One of my goals in life...

Funny that, being a favorite target of pigs just for living, one of my goals in life is to never see another one ever.

Even if you don't have the driver's license on you, they'll look up your name and ID# anyway on their network. I don't know if bike infractions affect driving records, but not giving them your driver's license won't make any difference.

I believe it would.

I asked my wife, who has taken college courses on the subject, and we looked it up in her books...

She is pretty sure that it wouldn't citing that the insurance is for the car not the driver.
Speculation here, but say you list your nice bike on your home owner's policy and got a ticket...there is a chance that you might have a rate hike from that, though there is no conventional way to report a speeding ticket in a home owners policy.

Interesting :)

Which is why it's smart to only carry a State ID, instead of your drivers license, while riding your bike. That way nothing you do on the cycle will go on your driving record, right?

Not in NC they will attach you liscense one way or another. And as far as I know insurance companies monitor your driving record and if a ticket shows up on there they can raise your rates whether the ticket sticks or not.

Aaron:)

Which is why it's smart to only carry a State ID, instead of your drivers license, while riding your bike. That way nothing you do on the cycle will go on your driving record, right?
They can still easily connect you to your record. And if you have no ID, they can detain you until they can identify you. Fortunately, in Ohio, starting last month, most cycling tickets no longer put points on your license (drunk driving/cycling and the like will still get you points). The Ohio Bike Federation pushed hard for this.

As to insurance, they can raise your rates if they catch you even thinking about violating a traffic law. That's why I keep aluminum foil under my helmet.

Back to the point of the post. The one traffic rule I enjoy breaking is the speed limit. Although I haven't received a ticket for it, there's a 35mph limit hill that I have hit 40 mph on. That would be a ticket worth framing.

Which is why it's smart to only carry a State ID, instead of your drivers license, while riding your bike. That way nothing you do on the cycle will go on your driving record, right?
Wrong.

The officer, if he should so desire, can use either a computer in the car or radio to the dispatcher for the driver's license info and have your driver's license info in a NY minute. The only way to avoid the possible problem is to not be licensed at all. Or have a state law that does not allow bicycle violations to be entered on to a driving record.

I was radar gunned by a cop once and actually started sprinting towards it. When I passed him he yelled out my speed and gave me a thumbs up. We were both laughing.

Stupid question: If you get a ticket while on a bike, would it affect your auto insurance rates? I was doing 24 in a 20 zone this morning (on level ground though).

If it goes on your MVR, the company you are with surcharges for minor violations and they either order the MVR or you report the ticket...yes. Otherwise no.

-Dogboy, Actuary

BTW, in this situation I'd go to court, admit guilt but ask the judge not to put it on my MVR since it was on my bike. If you have a clean MVR otherwise I'm guessing you have at least a 50/50 shot at not having it affect your rates.

School Zones = Easy Money = Ticket. F*** you Houston PD (33 in a 20). So you think school zones are for easy money and not there to protect kids?

You could also look at it the way buddies of mine fight MVR traffic tickets. A simple paper from a mechanic to show that the speedo was not properly calibrated will get you a defective equipment. Since there is no law that says you must have a speedometer on a bicycle how would or could you know just how fast the bike is travelling.

That said, I've been trying for about 18 years to get a speeding ticket on my bike. My old town I could do about 42 in a downhill 25. The cop was never there when I wanted him to be.




If it goes on your MVR, the company you are with surcharges for minor violations and they either order the MVR or you report the ticket...yes. Otherwise no.

-Dogboy, Actuary

BTW, in this situation I'd go to court, admit guilt but ask the judge not to put it on my MVR since it was on my bike. If you have a clean MVR otherwise I'm guessing you have at least a 50/50 shot at not having it affect your rates.

i currently ride a fixed, gear ratio 46/16, so i max out around 30. I would love to have a cop pull me over for going to fast though just for entertainment

I once got up to 39.9 on my trike on a downhill road where the speed limit was 40. I just couldn't squeeze out that extra .1 mph!

Just noticed that the local PD parked one of their speed indicator trailers out in front of where I work. That puts it in the middle of a long slightly descending four lane straight-away where the speed limit is 30. It posts your speed and has a white strobe that flashes if you go above 40.

I think I have a new goal for the commute in tomorrow morning. ;)

Two thoughts.

1). School Zones = Easy Money = Ticket. F*** you Houston PD (33 in a 20).


If you were driving 33 past my kids' school I would want you to be ticketed.

I don't know about Houston, but around here it's not about easy money. It's actually really hard to get the police to do speed enforcement, but the parents are relentless about pressuring them. I was just at a meeting this week where the PTA presented the local police commander with a petition and a letter from the elementary school principal, asking for more enforcement.

BTW, in this situation I'd go to court, admit guilt but ask the judge not to put it on my MVR since it was on my bike. If you have a clean MVR otherwise I'm guessing you have at least a 50/50 shot at not having it affect your rates.
Depends on the state. In Iowa the Dept of Transportation, not the court, assigns points. The judge has no say on the issue of driver's license points after the defendent is found guilty of the violation.

I regularly hit 30-35mph down this residential street on my ride in. The posted speed limit is 25mph. :D

I take up the entire lane when I do this. I don't want some cager passing me and forcing me into a situation. It's all older people who live on this street and there are no kids. I do love blasting down that hill though...of course I have to ride up it on the way home. :(

I've seen cops sit with their radar gun on Melrose but the speed limit is 50mph through there. Best I can do is 35.

Since there is no law that says you must have a speedometer on a bicycle how would or could you know just how fast the bike is travelling.
The law officer would write the number down for you on the ticket.

In Quebec they keep a record of your violation points you collect as a pedestrian (jaywalking) or as a cyclist, so if you get a driving licence, these points can be connected to it immediately.

Writing as an ex-insurance hack, the insurance company would count the ticket for pricing. It would also most likely show up on the reports they use (even without DL#) since it searches by more than just the DL#. BTW these driving histories are national so don't think you are safe in another state when ticketed, those count too.
The good news is most insurance companies don't jack up the rate much for a simple speeding ticket. However, if you get a DWI on your bike, that would cost you.
Although it seems illogical, the insurance company is trying to find the right price to manage the risk they assume. To the insurance company past behavior is a good indication of future behavior.
And by the way to the person who said they insure cars not people, that is not correct. Both the people and the cars are insured. If you are hurt in a car wreck by someone else, their insurance will pay for your medical bills and other bodily damage as well as your car. In other words you can't sue a car but you can sue a driver (whose liability is assumed by the insurance company).

I am done ranting, I think there are more urban legends about insurance companies than there are about Richard Gere

ps Every state is different.

in Ontario you can lose points off you drivers' with moving violations.
Make sure the ticketing officer puts 'bicycle' on the actual ticket.
Judgements have been rendered that you CANNOT penalize one's driver's license for infractions done while not driving a car, because after a certain amount of points lost you can no longer drive.
Going to see the justice of the peace will take care of it.

One day on the way to work radar gunned coming off the Gandy bridge, that crosses Tampa Bay. And as I road passed the cop, he said "32" ? The speed limited on the bridge is 55 mph so he could not do the anything about it. I Just Laughed and keep on going.

Stupid question: If you get a ticket while on a bike, would it affect your auto insurance rates? I was doing 24 in a 20 zone this morning (on level ground though).

In California, it is not required that a ticket on a bicycle is reported to the DMV. I have heard that if the ticket gets on your record, the DMV will remove it if you request it.

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d02/vc1803.htm

"So you think school zones are for easy money and not there to protect kids?"

1). It was a school holiday and there where no kids, just flashing lights on the sign. There were three of them there picking people off.

2). The standard practice throughout most of Texas that I had lived in for 7 years was mass enforcement such that during school times, there were NO patrols or speed traps of nearly any kind EXCEPT in school zones.

3). In working for the city planning department, we regularily had things 'adjusted' by the city manager to make things more condusive for speed traps (we even added a special pull-off area in one case such that motorists had a safe place to park while being ticketed). The fact is, one marked car clearly visable is far more effective in slowing people down than 4 in the weeks picking cars off (and bikes in my case) like bears yanking salmon out of a stream. It has NOTHING to do with practical enforcement and and a whole lot to do with maximizing fines.

So yes, at least in Texas, the actual safety of kids is somewhat removed from the top of the list where it belongs.

In construction zones I break the speed everyday the radar even tells me balsted on a big screen. Who is going to go under 15 mph?

I also got my picture taken by one of those speed vans. Never got a ticket lol.

Speed can be a problem

If anyone gets a ticket post it. This I have to see. I've yet to break 40kph speed limit in my area yet. I have however gotten around 58ish KPH something on my speedometers recorded max speed but that was going downhill on a dive. All numbers above was when I had my super 26x2.1 @ 60psi fat knobby tires. Now that I got 26x1.75 @ 80-81 psi semi-slick Continental Travel Contacts I'm going to see if I can break some local speed limits. :)


Zero_Enigma

Stupid question: If you get a ticket while on a bike, would it affect your auto insurance rates? I was doing 24 in a 20 zone this morning (on level ground though).

I wonder about those "car free" people though. They have no insurance. Wonder what it affects then? Home owners insurance? Health insurance?

One day on the way to work radar gunned coming off the Gandy bridge, that crosses Tampa Bay. And as I road passed the cop, he said "32" ? The speed limited on the bridge is 55 mph so he could not do the anything about it. I Just Laughed and keep on going.

Wow, that's a crappy bridge to be going so fast. I've rode that fast on the CC a few times in the past when I use to live there. Had a cop give me a dirty look as I passed his speed trap.

About a year ago while commuting home on the bike path...

Cop: Do you know how fast you were going?
Me: No sorry officer.
Cop: 32 in a 20 K zone.
Me: Really? Can we try that again? I can beat that.
Cop: Slow down and have a nice day son.

What I really like is that he called me "son". I was 49 at the time.

Last night on the main street that I ride the police had installed on of those wagon radar units that displays your speed in huge 3 foot tall digits to get you to slow down. It was at the crest of a small hill. I was disappointed that it did not register my speed. The big blank screen was disheartening.


It's unlikely you posed enough of a "target"to bounce a signal back to the radar gun. Soft clothes, curved helmet make for a pretty "stealthy" profile. Riding head on towards a radar trailer only your front reflector and pedals would bounce back....I think.

One of my goals in life is to get a speeding ticket at a 30mph zone while riding my bike. One day, one day...
+10 !

I was ticketed once eons ago, shooting a hill on my skateboard.
I do manage to get in a fair bit of red light trouble. :D

Folks 2 yrs ago on the way to work there is a long curving down hill not too steep but long. one morning i was almost late. down this section i really stood on it to make up time. at the bottom, i was stopped the cop said the only reason he stopped me is he could not believe anyone could go that fast on a bicycle....58 mph in a 40 mph zone. no ticket though same reason, what judge is going to believe that a bicyclist can even attain 58 mph... afraid of being laughed out of court i would imagine. Still made it to work on time. 42 minute ride normally 28 that morning! point is even with extreme over speed i could not get the ticket... probably would not get one ever lol.

It's unlikely you posed enough of a "target"to bounce a signal back to the radar gun. Soft clothes, curved helmet make for a pretty "stealthy" profile. Riding head on towards a radar trailer only your front reflector and pedals would bounce back....I think.


Yeah, it actually took me a few passes to figure out how to get a readout. Basically the inside lane closest to the trailer wouldn't work, but when I made a pass in the outside lane I consistently got a reading. And even then if I got too aero I think I ended up sitting to low to register as well. I wear an alertshirt so it may have been the big ass reflective strip on the front of it that would catch the signal when I sat up a bit. Anyway, I headed back up the road a few blocks and gave it my absolute best sprint.

It turns out the your speed registers up to 30 in light orange numbers, and in bright red flashing numbers for anything above that, then there is the white strobe that comes on above 40. My top speed registered as 36. So I got into the flashing red letters at least. I came within a couple of beats of my max heart rate according to my computer, so I don't think that I left anything on the table. Couldn't get up above 40 on my commuter, but I am definitely thinking I could on my roadie. Still not bad for a flatbar hybrid with a backpack on.

A couple of the early shift guys were also coming into work about the same time and apparently saw the tailend of what I was doing. So I have already had several people stop me this morning to ask me how I did. Definitely was worth the effort. :D

When I rounded the turn and he could see me from the side, I saw his head kick back as he laughed. As I passed by he looked at his gun like he was reading the speed, smiled and motioned for me to slow it down a bit. :D

Nice....

The radar may not have picked up your speed. The size of the vehicle has a lot to do with whether or not it can be picked up on radar.

I know this because earlier this year on my commute to work I flew by a speed trap down a hill at 47 mph. The speed limit is 35 mph. I made sure I did a legal u-turn, rode back to where the officer was sitting & asked what my speed was because I saw him pointing the radar detector at me. He said he has no idea, my speed was not detected by it. There were no other cars coming down the hill at the time I was so it was not because it was detecting another vehicle. The officer advised the size of the vehicle has a lot to do with whether or not it will detect an objects speed.

He asked how fast was I going I told him 47 mph, he advised that I slow down next time. I told him I will once I break my personal speed record. I am trying to hit 50 mph on this hill. When I do it will be the fastest I have ever gone on my recumbent.

There's a speed indicator on my way into work. It's on a flat road near a school zone. This morning it was flashing 40 Mph at me. And, there were no cars around. My computer only said 20 Mph, but I can dream.