This varies from state to state, so this isnt true in all states.

In Texas I used my passport as my only ID for years and years, I never noticed any frusteration from my encounters withpolice.. Maybe im not perceptive. But I dont get it, why WOULD they be frusterated? What am I missing here?

The bylaw enforcement officers are out every spring with their radar guns at the bottom of hills, giving people tickets for exceeding 20 KM/H on the MUP. I don't know about you, but I can run at 20 km/h and top 50 km/h on my bike. 20 km/h is a little slow.

Bikes aren't required to have speedometres. How's a cyclist to know if he's breaking the limit? My estimates of my own speed have been WAY off on occasion, even afteer years of riding with a cyclocomputer...

I've gotten pulled over on the bike by some Deputy Fife types who really wanted to write me up for perceived infractions. One got upset by my apparent lack of a driver's license and the other found my knowledge of bike laws to be far better than his. Perhaps it because I have been know to take a bit of a confrontational attitude with them.

Heck, one of them tried to write me up for using the left turn lane to make a left turn! He thought 'as far right as safe & praticable' meant always in the gutter.

Saturday morning I hit 50.0 mph on a nice downhill stretch with a 45 mph speed limit. No cops in sight unfortunately. I'd gladly take that speeding ticket for 5 over.

It would be pretty tough for me to break the speed limit on my commute without blowing through at least a few stop signs. However, the bike path that I take for part of the way has "10 mph" painted on it in a few places. I'm not sure what the laws are for speed limits on trails like that. It would be really hard to stay under 10, though.

Nor do I. You'd need a pricy piece of metal to get up that fast. I can barely even get close to 35-40 on my Peugeot without getting one hell of a ride going down the longest steepest hill I know of. I'm not sure how those goonies in the TDF can freaking hold 32mph averages in speed...Though I dont have a 5lb bike.

I followed a Cop down a 35mph hill at about 45mph. Was so hoping he'd stop me at the bottom of it. Turns out he was a bike cop who was about to start his shift, he pulled into the same parking lot as me in the park I was heading too and was taking his bike off the back of the car by the time I caught back up to him.

I would think that a cyclist could easily defend the charge. Bicycles are not required to be equipped with spedometers nor do the vast majority of them have one. How is a cyclist supposed to determine exactly how fast he's going?

Here's an interesting piece for MI residents:The "impeding traffic" bit is actually wrong, AFAIK. There may be laws on the book that say so, but this has been struck down in court, at least in as far as if you are riding at a reasonably fast speed for a bicycle and you are obeying the lane positioning laws, then you're not "impeding traffic."

However, from the sound of the article and knowing the area, I'm betting the people who he's getting complaints about are out-of-town tourists clogging up the streets with beach cruisers, weaving all over the road for the 3 days a year that they ride a bike.

ugh

Just a guess, but I'd say that, among the population of cyclists that can routinely break a typical speed limit, the majority will have a speedometer. Though I might be inclined to yank the thing off the handlebars and pocket if I see flashing blues behind me. ;)

As for me, there are a couple of spots on my commute where I can just top the speed limit. 35mph zones. Unfortunately, there's nowhere I can really blast it - I have to make a right turn at the bottom of my best downhill, probably wouldn't work well at full speed. ;)

I would sooo like to get a written warning for speeding on the bike. Our evening tandem rides through Manitou Springs are the perfect place. Speed limit 20 and a nice downhill through town. We can usually get 30+ in that stretch. Old Colorado City is the same story 25 speed limit and we can easily go 30 or so.

The hill coming out of work is another one, I hit over the speed limit any day that the headwind is not blowing. Record is 43 in that 35 zone... with some nice sweeping corners to boot.

Never a cop around when you need one :)

So the defense you suggest is:

"Judge I couldn't obey the law, because the law doesn't require me to have the equiptment necessary to obey the law." :rolleyes:

I really don't think that would fly.

The law isn't really concerned with how you know how fast you're going, the law still applies. It's up to YOU to be responsible for whatever equipment you require to be in compliance with the law. If you need a speedometer to keep from breaking the law, then it's up to you to get one. If you have perfect pitch and you can tell your speed by the pitch of the wind whistling through the spokes on your bike, then great for you.

Pretty funny this topic popped up today....

The first mm maybe half mile down from my house is a pretty steep downhill run that sort of steps down, 50 yard then a flat, 50 yards another short flat and then a good straight run with a good sweeping apexed corner. Anyhow there is a cop who sits mid apex in that corner waiting for people to come speeding by. As I was going as fast as humanly possible on my Fuji I glanced over at him, he had his gun on me shaking his head haha.

I'm pretty sure it was the officer that gave me a ticket for expired tags on my VW but i'm not sure. I think he was just surprised to see a fat kid going faster than traffic on an old ugly MTB.

I'm not worried about actually getting a ticket I'm only worried about them stopping me and wasting my time.

I think it would qualify as a fix it ticket. As for the proper identification, I've been detained for not having it (out of state, and pissed the cop off). Normally they yell and look for hesitation, I memorized my ID # and that gets me doubt and then laughs most of the time. If you've had run ins with the law then you'll be in their computer, if not then maybe not. I know my brother tried using my name and the cop said "NO, I know him" and he got providing an officer with false information.

+1

I have tried so many times... and have only been warned.

In the UK, you can't get done for breaking the speed limit because bikes aren't required* to be equipped with a speedometer.

However, they can do you for "furious and reckless" riding. This is based on an early 19C law relating to horse-riding.

*If you ever get prosecuted for speeding, it might be worth trying this argument, especially if motor vehicles are required to have a working speedometer - that, after all, is why they are required to have one.

I think the MUP's around here have some insane 8mph speed limit. Naturally, I never obey it I do better than that going uphill onto the overpass. I have heard of people getting tickets for speeding, particularly down the overpass which you are required to walk your bike down, but none recently. I have never been stopped.

This seems to depend on whether anyone thought it through. In my state (AZ), for instance, the laws on lane-sharing specifically apply to "motor" vehicles, so a car and a bicycle can be operated in the same lane (and "filtering" is legal). But most of the statutes do not make that distinction.

The eastern section of Saguaro National Park is notorious for producing speeding tickets for cyclists. The limit in the Park is 25mph max, but there is a series of whoop-tee-doo hills in the first few miles of the loop road where it's deceptively easy to get over 35 on a bike. The rangers don't hesitate to cite for that, probably because it really is sorta dangerous, and the pedestrians in the Park gripe a lot about it. The vegetation is tight to the road, and you can't see over a lot of the little rollers to see pedestrians, deer and javelina ahead.

Every time I get a new driver's license, I take the old one and cut off the driver's License number. So I can give the cops a picture ID with my address.

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