scarpi41

I've broken the speed limit a couple of times. You know, like 20, 30,35 mile an hour zones. I was wondering if a cop pulled the speed gun out, and caught me doin over the speed limit, could he give me a ticket? has anyone out there gotten a ticket for speeding, or any other traffic violation they may have commited?

sizmaters

several people here have gotten them you can do a search and find loads of them

nate6158

If i got a speeding ticket on my bike, i'd probably frame it

DieselDan

You can get a speeding ticket on a bike. I've heard conflicting stories about radar guns picking up a bike. Since a radar gun can get a reading from a baseball, it should work on a bike.

Raiyn

I would - after I fought it.

my58vw

I have recieved a speeding ticket on my bike 29 in a 15 zone... fought it and won...

Pat

Well, it is possible and has happened. I was in a convenience store awhile back and I asked a policeman there, I think he was getting coffee, if there was some sort of threshold value for giving speeding tickets. He said that in the local area, they generally do not do anything unless the person is going at least 10 mph over the limit. That makes sense because you really do not have to wait long in certain areas to find some people going even 20 mph over the limit.

Locally, the lowest customary speed limit is 25 mph. That means a cyclist has to hit 35+ mph to even get a look. Since central FL is pretty flat, chances are a cyclist would not get a ticket unless he was speeding and being reckless at the same time such as swinging wide on blind corners and stuff like that.

Daily Commute

How'd you beat it?

DieselDan

There was a rumor at a group ride I was at of four riders on TT bikes getting ticketed for 55 in a 45 going downhill.

a601mom

Heads up- lots of people riding in the San Francisco Bay area are getting tickets for going over the limit on the off road trails-Seems the bike cops sit at the end of long hills!!

my58vw

Well it is a long story...

I was going down this huge hill going into this construction zone, the road was quite lose with dirt. I never really thought that a cop qould bother me so I just rode it out seeing the alternative was having a nice high speed collision and some nice road rash... Imaging canalever brakes at that kind of speed... ouch. I blew though the construction zone and a cop was siting there monitoring traffic. The officer was not being very nice and dewcided to write me a ticket. I went back and took photos of the area and the judge amoust laughed at the officer and he killed the ticket...

geoduck

Yes, certain municipalities in the SF Bay Area (Marin Municipal Watershed, East Bay Regional Parks District, etc.) have been issuing speeding tickets on multiple-use trails. There is typically a posted 15 mph speed limit on these trails (er...fire roads).

From what I understand, you know when to slow down because you will pass several speed limits signs in quick succession, and then there will be Ranger Rick with a radar gun.

Sounds like something My58VW would enjoy doing ('Try and get away!).

a601mom

Mt. Tam and a lot of the Marin County and Alameda County trails have posted speed limits. (Which is better than the vast majority of trails closed to bikes.)

greenbreezer

I live in that very area that a601mom is referring to. The "owners" of the land set the speed limit, whether it be the county, state, the city or the board that governs an open space preserve. One area that was notorious for speed traps was a long downhill stretch at Femont Older. It's a wide open fireroad with sweeping curves. What made the speed limit necessary was that hikers used the trail as well. However we always knew where the speed trap will be cuz the rangers needed a wide enough place to park their truck so there were only two sections of this hill that can accomodate that. Thus bikers would go ripping down the hill, slow down for the speed trap (wave at the nice ranger with the radar gun), then resume warp speed as soon as the ranger was behind them. It was usually newbie riders or those who flat-out forgot about the speed traps that got busted. In most places that set speed limits, the max speed is 15 MPH. Yeah it sucks, but these are in areas that have hikers and equestrians sharing the trails so I can understand from a safety point of view. None of my buddies nor I have ever been ticketed, but we've met many riders who have and of those who fought the ticket, most say they lost because the judge viewed it as a blatant disrespect for the posted signs (they're all over the place and you have to be blind and dumb not to notice). One guy tried to say he was going too fast to read the signs (kinda stupid if you ask me) but the judge was quick to point out the signs are also posted on the uphill side as well, which is ironic cuz it stands out in most people's minds: "How in the world can one go 15MPH while going uphill in your granny gear?!"

DieselDan

FYI: I have the Beaufort County, SC Sheriff on record stating he isn't going to concern himself and his deputies with enforing traffic laws on cyclists.

Take that however you feel.

Daily Commute

Congratulations. This sounds like a model on how to fight a ticket--get evidence to back your claims, and explain the truth about what happened to the judge. Good work.