General Cycling Discussion - Do we have to obey the speed limit ???

Just curious . Can people who ride get tickets ?
jarhead#42
Been blowing bye some police cars and Im wondering bwhahahahaahhh
ps Ive allready been told I have to walk my bike in both local park parking lots . Meanwhile cars drive in and out . Once I got pissed off and ignored the security guard . He couldnt catch me and the other I went on a oil war rant lol

Yes. I got put for speeding, and got a writen warning. You have to obey all motor laws when on the road.

Yes. I got put for speeding, and got a writen warning. You have to obey all motor laws when on the road.

What he said.

if i get ticketed for breaking the speed limit, i will have smile on my face the whole time and will brag about it for as long as someone will listen. i just think it's a funny concept.

dan

Well, it can happen. Usually it is not much of a possibility. Generally the lowest speed limit I see is 25 mph. I have asked police officers about speed limits and most say they will not ticket someone unless they are going 10 mph over the speed limit. That means that on a bike you have to be going 35 mph to be even considered and I bet a sprint would not be counted. Around here, I only see 25 mph speed limits in residential areas. Out in the country and on any roads where 35 mph is any possibility the speed limits are usually 35 mph-55 mph. Also I am in FL and the constabulary around here seems to think that bicycles are below their dignity to fool with. They must have some sort of size limit or something.

Now I have known a few people who got ticketted for rolling through red lights. I don't know anyone who got ticketted for going through a stop sign though.

If you hav'nt got a bike computer how would you know? & would that be a valid excuse to challenge a speeding ticket ?

Ignorance of the law doesn't mean you are not governed by them :)

how about... officer, i dont have a license, thats why im riding a bycicle. how in the hell is he going to ticket you then, you cant be expected to obey the laws you arent familiar with becuase you havent been properly trained to know what all the signs mean and all that. for all he knows you cant read. now... i know pretending to be ignorant isnt the answer, but im sure some of you will try anything to beat a ticket:)

Not when they aint, or aint lookin'. Ride on.

Also, above say..40, things are very serious.

NO bikes you do'nt personally check, and have done.

ALSO..by increments, bikes have 'harmonies' a specific rate of vibration that oscillates.
(Not sure what speed guys call it.)

High speed on a bike is SERIOUSLY dangerous.

When\ if your bike 'oscillates @ 50+ you better know what to do, and be protected if not.

Easily Die.

You brakes can fail, destroyed slowing.

Don't be stupid, slow down.

Or do controll runs.

how about... officer, i dont have a license, thats why im riding a bycicle. how in the hell is he going to ticket you then, you cant be expected to obey the laws you arent familiar with becuase you havent been properly trained to know what all the signs mean and all that. for all he knows you cant read. now... i know pretending to be ignorant isnt the answer, but im sure some of you will try anything to beat a ticket:)

Yes you are expected to obey laws you are not familiar with and have not been trained about. Even if you can not read, are color blind, are mentally handicapped, have no drivers license, or have no computer on your bike, you are to obey the laws and can indeed get a ticket. It is your responsibility you know the laws, not their responsibility to teach them to you. And of course when you play the ignorant card and they haul you in to fingerprint you, find out you did graduate high school and can indeed read, then you get nailed for telling a police office a lie AND for the traffic violation.

On another note, yeah if I got a speeding ticket I would frame the sucker on the wall and brag about it non-stop to everyone I saw :-)

how about... officer, i dont have a license, thats why im riding a bycicle.

It doesn't matter if you have a drivers license or not if you get caught speeding, running a red light or whatever. You can STILL get a ticket for whatever it was you did. If you claim to not have any ID on you, the police can legally detain you until your identity has been established. How popular do you think your lycra clad ass will be in the holding cell?



how in the hell is he going to ticket you then, you cant be expected to obey the laws you arent familiar with becuase you havent been properly trained to know what all the signs mean and all that. for all he knows you cant read. now... i know pretending to be ignorant isnt the answer, but im sure some of you will try anything to beat a ticket:)


Every time a cop stops someone, they hear every excuse in the book. Instead of pretending to be stupid and ignorant to beat the ticket, do something novel, tell the truth. "Yes officer I know I was speeding. I was trying to see how fast I could get going on this stretch of road." Cops appreciate the truth and they treat you with more respect when they know you're being truthful.

So what do you do when your bike oscillates? Other than clench your ass.

So what do you do when your bike oscillates? Other than clench your ass.


Had it happen on a specialized hybird once . All u can do is hope its your lucky day . I did a 10 percent grade climb and on the way down I know I was over 45 . The people in the cars were cheering as the tears in my eyes blurred my vision . Now , I use my brakes on the down hills before I reach 40 . But on flats , the hell with it , u dont need your brakes as much . bwhahahahaahhahahah
jarhead#42
Now I ride a tour bike

So what do you do when your bike oscillates? Other than clench your ass.

Dont use your knees.

Jeeeze!!! No offense- but reading these 'excuses' bothers me.
Seems to me that if we expect 'cars' to obey the rules of the roads, shouldn't we be expected to do the same.
Something basic is wrong here.

"Yes officer I know I was speeding. I was trying to see how fast I could get going on this stretch of road." Cops appreciate the truth and they treat you with more respect when they know you're being truthful.
:) Usually that is the best approace. I was warned on the parkway and almost got on here on base. FYI, a ticket on a federal reserve (park mil base) is a federal offense not a state and those judges do not take kindly to any excuse.

Had a Col's wife complaining about one of our sprint points where they clocked us at 35 in a 25. The dude was cool and gave us a warining and then offered to clock the next sprint for us :D

It would be cool to get a ticket for speeding on a bicycle, but it wouldn't be cool when the insurance company sees a speeding ticket on your driver's license.

I would as it is the law.

The only time its an issue for me is in the two 15mph school zones I ride thru every morning. I admit I sometime go 16-17mph, but conciously keep it well below my normal 22mph speed.

I was actually passed in one of those school zones while was going 15mph. I usually fully take the lane (ride in the center of lane) and this tool passed me while they were straddling the centerline and had to cut quickly in front of me as there was a temporary "SCHOOL ZONE 15mph" sign standing on the center line. I so wish the police had been there then - they must have been going at least 25mph.

Al

Shouldn't the speed limit for bikes be higher than the limit for cars since their stopping distance is shorter, their momentum is significantly less, and their pilots typically more attentive?

It would be cool to get a ticket for speeding on a bicycle, but it wouldn't be cool when the insurance company sees a speeding ticket on your driver's license.


A speeding ticket on a bike will not reflect on your driver's license. At least none that I have known have had it show on their insurance. It's a completely different type of violation.

I once was riding my bike on a city ride we always do. A company that was doing valet parking had put up some barrels with a chain between them, but it was dusk and we couldn't see them until I was right on them. I hit it and one of the workers was parked their in his car watching his fancy in car TV when I drug that chain right up the back of his car, I endoed and ended up on the ground, but his car was a mess. Anyway, the police came and we had to fill out a report. The cop was laughing the whole time, asking me the make and model of my "car" and my license number, which I didn't have at the time. My little "accident" didn't show up on my insurance. Also, just so you know, it was deemed the fault of the businees because they did not have proper markers on the chains to make them visible to drivers and pedestrians in dark conditions.

just get a regular ID card, and present it in lieu of a DL when asked...that is if your state doesnt tie the two numbers together.

Shouldn't the speed limit for bikes be higher than the limit for cars since their stopping distance is shorter, their momentum is significantly less, and their pilots typically more attentive?


I maybe wrong , But road bikes really dont stop well if your really moving . If you need to stop fast and your going fast its my oppinion that is a safty hazard . Youd hit the ground .
jarhead#42

just get a regular ID card, and present it in lieu of a DL when asked...that is if your state doesnt tie the two numbers together.

That's what I did

It would be cool to get a ticket for speeding on a bicycle, but it wouldn't be cool when the insurance company sees a speeding ticket on your driver's license.

You don't even have to have a driver's license, or for that matter insurance, to ride a bike.

What I've been told in Driver's Ed was that in Ontario, cyclists don't have to obey the speed limit since they have no idea how fast they are going.

The most important part is radar guns can't pick a bike out of a crowd even a parked truck can give a false reading over a cycle. I had an article out of this motorcycle mag I get that gave all the triganometery involved but long story short the guns are like flach lights they can be aimed in general but thats only general and without a license plate and headlamp reflectors(the main radar bouncers), you are stealth baby. :D

And scool zones are 20mph around here. school and park zones are only effective while the special condition is present meaning no kids normal speed limit, federal law for any state reciving fed highway funds(all 50 get 'em) circa 1966. Also(same fed reg) speed limits cannot be set without, or different from (not higher or lower), the recomendations of a traffic engineer survey, the survey must be no more than 5 years old at the time of the change in speed limit. this is to help prevent speed traps(trying to trick drivers into speeding for extra revenue ie. lower speed limit and hide the signs behind bushes) all laws paraphrased

The most important part is radar guns can't pick a bike out of a crowd even a parked truck can give a false reading over a cycle. I had an article out of this motorcycle mag I get that gave all the triganometery involved but long story short the guns are like flach lights they can be aimed in general but thats only general and without a license plate and headlamp reflectors(the main radar bouncers), you are stealth baby. :D


Maybe the guns can't pick out a bicycle, but I regularly pass these temporary 'this is your speed:XX mph' signs that read and provide your speed. They always pick up my bike and provide a readback that matches my bike computer. This is with no cars anywhere behind me so I know its just me, also it goes from reading 0 to reading my speed as I get within a 100ft or so.

My only complaint is that these are placed in the bike lane so I need to swerve around them.

Al

The most important part is radar guns can't pick a bike out of a crowd even a parked truck can give a false reading over a cycle. I had an article out of this motorcycle mag I get that gave all the triganometery involved but long story short the guns are like flach lights they can be aimed in general but thats only general and without a license plate and headlamp reflectors(the main radar bouncers), you are stealth baby. :D


Radar works by what is reflected back to it and there is no way for the operator to know what vehicle is returning the signal. The bigger the moving object, the bigger the return. Motorcycles can and are picked up on radar, just as bicycles are. If there is a larger object behind you, their speed will most likely be displayed on the radar, not yours. Vehicles with lots of odd angles (no vertical surfaces) are harder for radar to get a reading on than others (those with vertical surfaces). Not impossible, just harder. The human body makes an excellant target for radar to bounce back from, of course if you're in a tuck the amount of radar bouncing off you will be greatly diminished, but your head is still large enough to send back a strong enough signal for the radar operator to get a reading. The only true way to be stealthy in a vehicle against radar, is to cover it with radar absorbing material.

Laser on the other hand, uses an aiming system that the operator can pick out an individual vehicle and get an accurate return from it. Unless that vehicle is covered with special light absorbing material.

if i get ticketed for breaking the speed limit, i will have smile on my face the whole time and will brag about it for as long as someone will listen. i just think it's a funny concept.

dan

Until your insurance goes up.

whoa...how the hell do you get above the speed limit anyway? I can only top 50km/h and that's going down a hill.

Maybe the guns can't pick out a bicycle, but I regularly pass these temporary 'this is your speed:XX mph' signs that read and provide your speed. They always pick up my bike and provide a readback that matches my bike computer. This is with no cars anywhere behind me so I know its just me, also it goes from reading 0 to reading my speed as I get within a 100ft or so.

My only complaint is that these are placed in the bike lane so I need to swerve around them.

Al
But your within 100 feet, not the mile range most of the guns have, and its set up at just the right angle where most hiding holes are not just right and there were no large vehicles around and its not set on travel* and it uses a continuos, or nearly so, signal vs. the 120 millisecond blip the cops like to use.

*travel mode is when the gun is in motion like in a patrol car. it works by reding the speed of the road and the speed of another vehicle then add subtract yada yada end speed of the other vehicle. However on small vehicles a large parked vehicle, at an angle forming a triangle between the three objects in question but still in the beam, will cause a serious false reading when everything is done being *-+*+*-/.


Radar works by what is reflected back to it and there is no way for the operator to know what vehicle is returning the signal. The bigger the moving object, the bigger the return. Motorcycles can and are picked up on radar, just as bicycles are. If there is a larger object behind you, their speed will most likely be displayed on the radar, not yours. Vehicles with lots of odd angles (no vertical surfaces) are harder for radar to get a reading on than others (those with vertical surfaces). Not impossible, just harder. The human body makes an excellant target for radar to bounce back from, of course if you're in a tuck the amount of radar bouncing off you will be greatly diminished, but your head is still large enough to send back a strong enough signal for the radar operator to get a reading.

I didn't say it was impossible I said stealth. Even the stealth planes have a radar signature it just happens to be the size of a bird and only at a fair distance from the radar site. I did not say motorcycles were stealth I said they were difficult to pick out of traffic. The human body absorbs a lot of microwave energy (radar uses the microwave band) and is no where near the reflectivness of a headlight or license plate.


Laser on the other hand, uses an aiming system that the operator can pick out an individual vehicle and get an accurate return from it. Unless that vehicle is covered with special light absorbing material.[/
You meen flat black?

The only true way to be stealthy in a vehicle against radar, is to cover it with radar absorbing material.
I was going to do this just to mess with the local authority, make 'em scratch their heads a bit. A couple friends cars are all loaded with CBs, ham radios, police radios, scaners, infared stoplight changers and an '80s vintage boombox on the floorboard hard wired to the car for tunes. I just thought I'd do them one better and make my car stealthy and maybe make a radar jammer just for whistles. :rolleyes:

What I've been told in Driver's Ed was that in Ontario, cyclists don't have to obey the speed limit since they have no idea how fast they are going.

i'm a newbie (i've just had my bike 2.5 weeks) and "I" know how fast i'm going... (along with cadence, calories burned, altitude, etc) surely the majority of you established cyclists have computers..


ahhhh wait.. this is the excuses thread!

i'm a newbie (i've just had my bike 2.5 weeks) and "I" know how fast i'm going... (along with cadence, calories burned, altitude, etc) surely the majority of you established cyclists have computers..


ahhhh wait.. this is the excuses thread!

You caught on quickly! :-)

Personally, I'd only be able to achieve a speeding ticket in a 20 or 15 mph zone, or on a downhill. I generally don't go too fast on downhills, as I'm gunshy since blowing my front tire on one a few months ago.

If I do get a speeding ticket on my bike, though, I'm framing it and hanging it over my workbench. Of course, I'll fight it just like I would any ticket, because the traffic courts exist only for revenue generation, IMHO.

You caught on quickly! :-)

....Of course, I'll fight it just like I would any ticket, because the traffic courts exist only for revenue generation, IMHO.

Hear, hear.

G'day,

attached Link for funny story on this topic!http://marcan.customer.netspace.net.au/CHStory.htm

cheers,

Hitchy

Shouldn't the speed limit for bikes be higher than the limit for cars since their stopping distance is shorter, their momentum is significantly less, and their pilots typically more attentive?

With that argument, every single make and model of car is going to have it's own speed limit, slightly skewed to account for that particular driver's attentiveness. Equal is equal, car or bike.


I look forward to the day I get a speeding ticket on my bike.

Seeing as I am only starting to ride again. I dream of being able to break the lim it where I live. I will be riding a 55mph country highway when I finally settle on a bike. Not many hills so I can't pick up much speed there either.

I dream of being able to make the trek to my in-laws (yep--my parents are too far) with my dh behind me in the van. Otherwise I would be killed by some idiot on the curvey, narrow, 2-lane, country highway.

If you hav'nt got a bike computer how would you know? & would that be a valid excuse to challenge a speeding ticket ?
ignorance is never a valid excuse to challenge anything



You don't even have to have a driver's license, or for that matter insurance, to ride a bike.
you don't have to have a driver's license to have a driving record. in some states, certain minor offenses (minor in possession, etc) can postpone the age at which the minor can apply for driving test.



just get a regular ID card, and present it in lieu of a DL when asked...that is if your state doesnt tie the two numbers together.
lack of identification does not exempt the offense from being recorded. if this was the case then people would drive around without licenses and never get ticketed!



insurance rate adjustments will depend on the company... a traffic violation is a traffic violation... tickets aren't vehicle-specific (cop used regular ticket and wrote "Trek" for car model) but, i think, if you explain to them the nature of the violation, no insurance company will raise your rates

What I've been told in Driver's Ed was that in Ontario, cyclists don't have to obey the speed limit since they have no idea how fast they are going.

Lol, that is a good excuse.

If you claim to not have any ID on you, the police can legally detain you until your identity has been established.

I don't think that's quite accurate. You don't have to carry your "papers" with you in America. You do, however, have to identify yourself. Now, refusing to give your name... that could cause issues.

The US Supreme Court just ruled on a case with this as the issue and found that it was Constitutional to require you to give your identity - when there are circumstances reasonably indicating that person has committed a crime:

The Supreme Court issued its opinion on June 21, 2004, holding that Nev. Rev. Stat. § 171.123(3) is constitutional under both the Fourth and Fifth Amendments. Justice Kennedy's majority opinion noted, however, "[a]s we understand it, the statute does not require a suspect to give the officer a driver's license or any other document. Provided that the suspect either states his name or communicates it to the office by other means -- a choice, we assume, that the suspect may make -- the statute is satisfied and no violation occurs."

Now, the fact that this guy was standing next to his truck with skid marks leading up to it might, to me, at least, indicate that the suspect was indeed driving it and therefore must produce his license. *shrug*

Anyway, if you tell them your name or give them some other form of ID - state issued, passport, military ID, student ID - they can't detain or arrest you for not having a license.

My only complaint is that these are placed in the bike lane so I need to swerve around them.


I'd be taking that complaint to the people responsible for putting it there and getting it moved off the road. There should be no more reason to block a bike lane than any other traffic lane.

Dude, even when I'm driving I coast through stop signs and blow by the speed limit.

Cops appreciate the truth and they treat you with more respect when they know you're being truthful.


This is a two-way street. A few members of my family are officers. They like the truth, and may be more polite if they are treated well. Also, if telling the truth validates your offense, then telling the truth incriminates you. This is what officers want most of all. That way you have no defense in court. Especially since you are probably being videotaped, so the whole conversation is recorded.


That being said, I would love a speeding ticket on my bike. I would also frame it for all to see.
:D

Also, if telling the truth validates your offense, then telling the truth incriminates you. This is what officers want most of all. That way you have no defense in court. Especially since you are probably being videotaped, so the whole conversation is recorded.


The times I have been stopped for speeding, the cop always asks if I knew why I was stopped. I reply "I was going too fast". All I am admitting to is going too fast, not how fast I was going. The cop knows how fast I was going, and I know how fast I was going. Whether I admit to going to fast or not I'm getting a ticket, but the times where i have admitted to going to fast, I've gotten a verbal warning to "slow down".

A cop relative once told me that he necer gives a ticket to someone who uses the "Sorry officer, I had my head up my ass today" excuse.

[QUOTE=Trek Rider]If you claim to not have any ID on you, the police can legally detain you until your identity has been established.[QUOTE]

I don't think that's quite accurate. You don't have to carry your "papers" with you in America. You do, however, have to identify yourself. Now, refusing to give your name... that could cause issues....

Anyway, if you tell them your name or give them some other form of ID - state issued, passport, military ID, student ID - they can't detain or arrest you for not having a license.

Follow this advice at your own peril. Without an ID, the cops might have the right to detain you to verify that you are who you say you are. I don't know for sure, but do you really want to become the test case? Also, as to legal "advice" you get on these forums, it is worth exactly the price you pay. If you want to know the law where you are, pay a local attorney for his or her time and ask.

Follow this advice at your own peril. Without an ID, the cops might have the right to detain you to verify that you are who you say you are. I don't know for sure, but do you really want to become the test case? Also, as to legal "advice" you get on these forums, it is worth exactly the price you pay. If you want to know the law where you are, pay a local attorney for his or her time and ask.

I think its a good idea to have ID of some sort in case of a medical emergency. This may not be a drivers license, but at least a medical card. I'd think a police officer would have less reason to think one is lying if the medical card (or other non gov. ID) name matches the name you verbally give.

Al

Speeding tickets are probably unlikely. However, citation for running a stop sign or light is more likely. I have been stopped for not putting my feet down at a stop sign. Of course, it was a security guard at Fermilab (Batavia, Illinois) at 6:30 AM on a Sunday. He asked me for my license or ID. When I couldn't produce he told me to leave the facility. No big deal -- I was just passing through!

How would the cop be able to track you down? I am too young to have a drivers license and don't have any other form of ID. Would they really bust some kid for not having ID?

by the way, how fast can a road bike go? 35 mph?