bbbean 

If it's not your land, it's not public property, and you didn't get permission, there is a good chance you are tresspassing. It belongs to someone. Just make it a habit to ask permission. How hard is that?

I saw a nice bike propped up against a wall last week. There wasn't a sign on it that said "no stealing", but I opted to leave it alone all the same.

BB

Cyclesafe

wahoonc

Got a ticket when touring through Boone, NC for not wearing a helmet... Apparently it is local ordinance, got it tossed because I was riding on a state maintained road and state law typically trumps local law.

Aaron

spinnaker

No big problems. Once I was confronted by 2 or 3 soldiers with automatic weapons when crossing into Switzerland. I like to take pictures of border crossings. Apparently, there was a military base at this crossing and photography was prohibited. The soldier was very nice, asked to see my camera. When he saw it was just a picture of the sign, he allowed me to keep the photo. Thank goodness for digital photography!

And then once at a train station in Italy we were asked to show our ids. I guess we looked like vagrants.


And then there was this guy.



I like to tell folks he tossed us out of town. But really he was a very nice officer that escorted us through town and lead us to a bike trail on the outside of town.

Rowan

Welcome to the forums! You read like someone who has quite some experience and tales to tell. I look forward to more of you posting.

The only story I can relate is about a friend who had just spent a week or more riding the Birdsville Track in western New South Wales, Australia. He told me he and his mate had worn their helmets all the way (it's law to wear helmets in Australia). However, on arriving in Birdsville, he set up camp, hopped on his bike to ride the 200 yards to the phone to let his family know he had finished -- and was ticketed for not wearing a helmet. Some ratty, dingy, dried up little town in the middle of nowhere, and it was apparently evident the cop didn't have anything else to do that day...

We have had an officer stop us on a 24H race in Iowa to ask what all the cyclists on the road in the middle of the night was all about. But that's all I can remember as far as personal, on-bike encounters with police go.

westrid_dad

I have done a lot of touring, but many years ago, feels like a previous life now. But, the touring bug is returning, so have started reading through the forums again to try to get up to speed to what remains the same, and what has changed in the world of bicycle touring!

mev

Not exactly law, but I did have fun with immigration.

This happened as I was crossing from Poland into that little piece of Russia known as Kalinigrad. I left Poland without problem but when I went to the Russian border post, they told me "you can't bicycle across this border". I asked, "why not?" and they repeated, "you can't bicycle across this border". After another inquiry or two, the guard told me to wait while he called up his supervisor.

The supervisor drove up in car and then very carefully explained to me that I was not allowed to bicycle across the border. I said, "Ok, I understand I am not allowed to bicycle across the border...however, what can I do since I am trying to get to Kaliningrad". After that the supervisor started providing me with additional input, "for example, you could ride the train - or you could catch a ride across on a bus,...". So I replied that I wasn't quite certain where I might find such a train or get onto a bus...and from this point on the conversation became more of a problem solving exercise.

Once the border guards realized I wasn't challenging their authority and we were really just solving problems, they became rather helpful. Pretty soon the supervisor pointed at a mini-van full of passengers and told the driver he was supposed to take me and my bicycle across the border. The mini-van driver wasn't initially too happy about this, but as we talked and he described himself as being from Novosibirsk and I mentioned I was riding across Russia including through Novosibirsk we started having a much more positive conversation.

I was passenger in the mini-van as we drove up to the official checkpoint station and all the guards already seemed to know who I was and helped expedite things. About two km past the border the mini-van stopped and let me out and we shook hands and said our farewells - all much better acquainted...

Now once I was in the main part of Russia itself, I did get pulled over by police between half a dozen and a dozen times. However, once I was pulled over they proceeded to ask me the same questions everyone else did ("where are you from? where are you going?"...). Not once did I have to show any papers. So soon realized this was much more a boredom/curiosity item than anything serious along the way...

Machka 

Nope.

Most of the time I've camped in campgrounds, but there have been a few occasions where I've camped elsewhere. On none of those occasions were we disturbed in any way.

fietsbob

The Guarda rousted us from an after closing hours Pub in an Irish Village 16 years ago ..
because it was , after closing hours..

Talked to Customs People at airports, international ferry landings, and Border crossings..

one gave me a Visa Extension in Scotland.

robow

Let me guess, you thanked him by giving him a Pittsburgh inspired refrigerator magnet?

Juha

Well, there you go. You had trouble with the law, apparently.

I don't think breaking rules or regulations and then facing the consequences = trouble. I have dealt with the police on a couple of occasions, but have not had any trouble with them.

--J

Caretaker

It's the 'Garda'. You're lucky they didn't take down your 'particulars'.

seat_boy

I'm just a good ol' boy,
never meaning no harm,
beats all you ever saw,
been in trouble with the law,
since the day I was born.

indyfabz

Some states (possibly most or all) have laws addressing un-posted land. Some laws provide that you are not trespassing. Others expressly grant you a license to use the land when it's not posted. There are, of course, exceptions, such as for residential properties.

I feel that, out of courtesy, you should ask permission, but that is not always possible as some land is not occupied.

bbbean 

I'm speaking from an ethical position, not a legal position. My argument is also based in personal safety. 2 things to consider:

1) You don't know what someone may use their land for. As an example, there are several de facto shooting ranges on farms near here. These are typically unmarked, because the owners don't want to attract people to the spot where they sight in their deer rifles. Similarly, there are old shop sites that were de facto chemical dumps in the past. If you didn't know the farm, you wouldn't recognize these spots from any other piece of land. Do you really want to set up camp where the ground may be toxic or someone may wake you up with a few rounds of .300 magnum?

Granted, there's no excuse for shooting into an area where there are people, or for leaving a toxic site unmarked, but these things happen, and if you're using land you don't know, you run a chance of encountering unknown hazards.

2) Land owners have good reason to be suspicious or even unfriendly to people using their land without permission. Scrap metal theives, math cooks, and vandals are common problems in rural areas, not to mention the growth of liability lawsuits. If you encounter the owner once you're on his property, there's a pretty good chance it's not going to be a friendly encounter.

On the other hand, most of my rual neighbors are pretty free with permission if asked (as am I). It's not unheard of to hear stories of someone who put up a biker, hitchiker, or other wanderer in a barn, or left a shop unlocked so someone could use the electricity and bathroom.

Consider - if someone asked to camp in your back yard, would you let them? Would you be friendler to someone who asked permission or to someone you simply found in your backyard in the middle of the night?

Consider also that it doesn't take that much planning to be sure the roads you're on are public, and that you have a place to stay at night.

While I know my urban neighbors don't always understand this, my farm is my back yard. It's just a lot bigger than most back yards. Ask before you use it.

BB

fietsbob

noticing Dutch spelling was like : Politie .. I thought would they act less Paramilitary
[in the US, as the trend is, ]
if they were painting 'Polite .. serve and protect' on the paddy wagon door.. NLP.

Juha

And, keeping in mind this is an international Forum, there are countries where there's no need to be stealthy when setting up camp in forest. Provided you follow a few basic rules.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_to_roam

--J

Dfrost 

My wife and I were pulled over (if you can call it that on a road with no shoulder) by the county police officer in Ferry County, WA on our first credit-card trip across the North Cascades Highway (US20) in 1997. The crotchety guy said that he "might have to take us in" for blocking traffic. Of course, there had been less than a few handfuls of cars and trucks that passed us that day. None had been blocked, and all had been very courteous with the exception of this officer.

What was particularly ironic was that we posed a much more significant traffic blocking hazard because his police car essentially filled the east-bound lane, and our only position during this conversation was dangerously close to the center line. But then again, nobody went by during our warning. Thankfully my wife did all the talking, so I didn't get myself in worse trouble!

i was seriously PO'd from this interaction until we got to our evening's lodging in Republic, where several people shouted nice welcomes as we rode by, and the motel keeper even offered us a second room just to store the bikes, with plenty of old towels to clean them up. Hard to stay angry when everyone else in the county is so outgoing and friendly.

Machka 

+1

Here in Australia, there are lots of places where a person could camp for free.

If you type 'Australia free camping' into Google, you'll come up with all sorts of sites with free camping suggestions.


I've camped in a couple of those places (with no issues at all), and where we lived in Victoria, we were surrounded by free camping sites, which were very popular with all sorts of people ... especially on long weekends.

Big Lew

Like "Machka", I agree. In British Columbia, it's very easy to find somewhere along most routes to camp free without being hassled.
I've pitched my little tent in all manner of places by the side of the road, such as behind Commercial Company entrance signs, Church lawns, amongst boulevard trees and scrubs, and other roadside business frontage lawns. (I never go into the business private property) I make sure that I'm gone well before business opening, and that I leave absolutely nothing behind. I've had night watchmen come out to chat, curious to know where I've come from and where I'm going, even offering me coffee.

SparkyGA

Only been pulled over once by a police while on a tour. I had my bike in the ditch, and I was relieving myself in a farmers field surrounded by kangaroos....

During backpacking trips, several times had issues with police, including one ride in a police car.....

spinnaker

Strange. I took a trough northern Italy to make uo some time. I was instructed that I was not permitted to cross the border with the bike on the train. I had to remove the bike from the train and ride it into Austria.

Rowan

On my first long tour, I had had enough after riding into a cold wind for most the day south of Port Augusta in South Australia. I pulled over, propped the bike up against a post well off the road, sat down and propped myself against a rear pannier and promptly feel asleep.

I was awoken by a guy over me in police jumper and navy trousers asking if I was OK. Yes, then I looked down the road and saw a medium-weight truck with police written on it.

He and his mate were part of the SA police band and were heading back to Adelaide after a concert with all the gear in the back of the truck. Nice of them to stop and check.

TheReal Houdini

I got a $70 ticket for riding on a hiking trail in Shenandoah National Park (USA). I'm kinda proud my only moving violation in the last 15 years was on a bicycle.

I understand and support the prohibition. If cycling were permitted hikers would be overrun by mtbs and I happened to use a short section of the Appalachian Trail - sort of sacred ground for hikers. I was taking a shortcut, about two miles on trails, from the end of the pavement at Chester Gap up to Skyline Drive. I don't think cycle tourists riding through present the same hazards as recreational mountain bikers but that distinction would be hard to enforce. In any case, the route is gorgeous and I will keep using it, and keep paying the fine if necessary.

ak08820

Just this month I was yelled at "Sir, You have to stop!" by a school crossing guard when a school bus overtook me and stopped a few feet in front of me and I emerged at the front of the bus before the door opened. I was also reading a book last night in which the tourist was asked to stop by a few drunken cops and when he did not stop they tried to chase him in the police car which failed to start. That was in Turkmenistan. Hilarious. Have read other accounts of local authorities giving hard time to foreign tourists in countries like Egypt (Miles from Nowhere -Barbara Savage) and China (Where the Pavement Ends -Erika Warmbrunn).