Originally Posted by
solveg
They're trying to slow traffic down. They're generally on the freeway, going the speed limit in the "fast lane". You can see the peloton from miles away and you know there are cops about. Where there's one, there's 4!
I read somewhere (maybe in Atlantic Monthly's column about words) that the "peleton" to which you refer should be known as the "halo effect." It has two meanings - one being that drivers who see the officer on the interstate slow down and drive the speed limit, and the other the effect of cars circling around the police car, both in front and behind, to avoid getting caught. I think it's a great description.
Also, my goal in life if to get a speeding ticket on my bike. I do intervals at a park with a loop that is .65 miles long, so it makes for a good two-minute sprint. The speed limit is 10, and I frequently pass cars. A speeding ticket certainly belongs framed on the wall.