Gatorfreak

If you really want a speeding ticket come to the campus of the University of Florida. Campus-wide limit of 20mph. Yes, campus police will give you a ticket for speeding on a bike.

bmontgomery87

Around here, you can sometimes get by with a faulty equipment citation.
Lots of people with jacked up trucks, larger tires throw off your speedometer, and if you don't re calibrate it you end up speeding.

Not sure the defense is gonna work on a bike though.

RollCNY

I am going from recollection of a thread on NY citations specifically, but if I recall correctly, in NY, the specific traffic law in question has to have it written in that the citation can be waived if documented correction is provided. Basically, the faulty equipment citation, in NY, does not apply globally, but only where it is specifically linked. And it is not linked to any of the bike equipment laws. So say you have tail lights, and the battery dies. You get pulled over for lacking a tail light, and can immediately replace the battery. But even though you replace it in front of the officer, you are still ticketable for riding without a light.

FLvector

While the cars and motorcycles are slowly rolling at 25 mph or less while taking in the scenic route, here you come screaming down the decent at 40 mph yelling Cowabungaaaaaaaaa. Not a good mix of speeds in a park setting. You're lucky he just chewed you out.

Nachoman

.
I live just a few miles from where the incident occurred.

kraftwerk 

You should have begged him for the ticket & frame that thing.

rumrunn6

he'd rather chew you out than see a crow chewing on your carcass. that said ... well done Sir! (just don't let it happen again)

reg: tickets - always fight all of them (but NEVER argue w/ a cop or a Ranger)

jerrycan42

Hmm, in my jurisdiction only motor vehicles as defined by the Highway traffic act can get speeding tickets (Ontario Canada)

MikeyBoyAz

+1 Frame that baby.

Seattle Forrest

That's a novel theory you have. You're the first person I've ever heard to say that the law actually does require cyclists to have speedometers, just in a hidden kind of way. Like numerology!

YOJiMBO20

I don't think a speeding ticket on a bike can go on your record as you're not require to be licensed to operate a bike.

And the "it doesn't come with it" defense is good half the time. A buddy of mine got out of a ticket for having four people in the back seat of his 66 Mustang by pointing out that the car doesn't come with seat belts in the back, thus there is no way to define how many people can ride back there.

Looigi

A nice thing about MA (there are a few) is that the law states that the max fine on a bike is $20 and "the violation shall not affect the status of the bicyclist’s license to operate a motor vehicle nor shall it affect the bicyclist’s status in the safe driver insurance plan." i.e. no points are issued, among other things. A rider who refuses to give or gives false ID gets a fine over $20 but less than $50.

Cyclelogikal

See what I cn do this year. I have a fellow officer friend at Boone PD that rides like a mad man who has told me as well to come up and ride. Merry Christmas and be safe riding.

tony2v

You need to show a picture of the hard right hand turn at the bottom!

Germany_chris

I got flashed on my way home a couple years back but I was only exceeding the 30 Kph zone though. I never got the ticked in the mail though.

dalameda

As the original poster mentioned, this wasn't just a cop, but a national park police cop. They take their job very seriously and are real sticklers about the speed limit on their property. Not to mention this particular park is in the midst of a large naval facility, which has even stricter controls.

timmy29er

Fixed it for ya.

I can only hope that if I ever do get pulled over and ticketed that there will be a pedestrian available nearby to take some pictures so I can display it along with the ticket.

Slackerprince

Wish I had some hills around here, so I could go 40.
Guess I'll have to work on my wattage output!
Stinkin' Florida.
Guess I'll have to settle for riding on the flats in 80+ degree weather.

S

mrtuttle04

Beautiful area for riding. In the 1980s I was stationed on a submarine at Pt. Loma and would ride my bike to work from North Park. It is a great area for all types of recreation but, as you found out, very heavily patrolled for speeders.

Cyclelogikal

Like I stated earlier..............they don't have much else going on other than catching speeders. I think however you as an officer have to use.......wait for it......wait for it.....commone sense here. A cyclist speeding is not on my radar of priorities. But you have to keep yourself amused as a officer when your job is mudane at times!

Walter

Add me to this chorus. Really nice frame too. Nicer than the ones my diplomas are in.

indyfabz

if I were a judge I would laugh you out of court. It's a general intent violation. Absent some leaglly cognizeable defense, such as necessity, do the act and you are responsible, regardless of intent or whether you knew or could not have known that you were violating the law. Sort of like defending a charge of staturoy **** by arguing that the girl didn't have an ID on her so you had no way of knowing she was under the legal age of consent. And do you really think someone is going to buy the claim that you thought you were going 25 or slower when you were really going 40, because that's essentially what you would be claiming? This is not to mention that, for about $25, you can fit your bike with a computer. Choose nto to do so and you accept the risk.

BTW...It's not unheard of for people to get cited while riding in national parks. In 2012, Cycle Oregon went through Crater Lake N.P. At least one person was cited when, like an idiot, he crossed the double yellow line and flew passed a friggin' park ranger vehicle. Someone else was also cited for speeding in Crater Lake when the event went through there in '07.

indyfabz

Depends on the park. Some rangers are very busy attending to such things and vehicle accidents, including accidents involving wildflife, and rescuing injured visitors. In bear country they have to patrol campgrounds in search of people who leave food out in violation of park rules. In the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area the NPS decided to ban drinking because of all the drunks that had to be rescued from the river.

SirHustlerEsq

Real crime

telebianchi

Mentioned above, but claiming no speedometer might get you off from doing 35 in a 30 zone, but likely not doing 40 in a 25 zone.

As for points on a driver's license from cycling offenses, I think that those rules are determined state-by-state.

I've not heard of tickets being issued, but I do know of people getting pulled over and talked to by park police on Skyline Drive in Virginia where the speed limit is 35. It's easy to go over 40 on a lot of the descents, and many riders (those who aren't as chicken$h!t as me) can push 55.

Sounds to me like the OP was not complaining about the park service officer and would have taken the ticket if written.