Racing Dan

Where I live you cant get a speeding ticket on a bike, cos a speedometer is not mandatory.

Koyote

Not on a bike, but I once got pulled over by a rather angry and foul-mouthed campus cop who accused me of “excessive acceleration.” I asked for the definition of “excessive,” and he responded “You pulled away from the stoplight before I did! No one does that!”

In making my complaint to the Police Chief, I offered him a ride in my ‘77 F150, which had a tired old six cylinder engine and a three on the tree shifter. You’d have needed a calendar to time that vehicle in the quarter mile.

KiwiDallas

Yes, I was riding in a group decades ago that blew through a you-can-see-for-miles-each-way stop sign.

What we failed to see were the two cops stationed in the shade of a big tree. They were waiting for us and waved us all over.

Their partner in the squad car blocked the road in case anyone thought of taking off.

Tickets all around. The cops told us the neighbors had been complaining, and they set up the stop.

Per the topic of this thread, we were also exceeding the speed limit of 25 mph. But the tickets were for failing to observe a stop sign.

=K

PS - The only semi-funny part was the rider who was wearing shorts, shoes, and nothing else. I mean, NOTHING else. Cop asked him for ID. He said, "Does it LOOK like I have anything on me??"

DiabloScott

It is certainly a violation and you can certainly have to pay a fine; but "points" have to do with insurance and getting your license revoked... and should not be affected by anything you do on a bike. There seems to be some disagreement legally and some judges are probably misinformed.

Unrescinding my previous:

Darth Lefty 

If they took away your license you might be reduced to riding a bicycle

Hypno Toad

That doesn't sound all bad. Not to be too obnoxious, but I've made that choice for myself. Sold my car last year. I do drive Frau Toad's car from time-to-time, but I could get along without driving.

Koyote

This thread title has been bugging me.

Has anyone already pointed out that the police generally don't "book" people for speeding, unless the speed is high enough to result in actual arrest?

dombey19

I was riding in an empty mall parking lot at 6:00 a.m. A mall cop stopped me and told me I was riding too fast. There were no cars, no traffic. Just an empty parking lot. I was probably riding 15 mph. JRA.

Darth Lefty 

Good news! I just saved a ton of money on my car insurance by running from the cops








* not my original joke, one of my motorcycling friends had this on a t-shirt

Hypno Toad

This is not my experience. I've been issued speeding tickets (in motor vehicle) for 36 in a 30. There's a speed trap on a down hill road that requires riding the brakes to stay at the speed limit, it's a couple block from the police station that is well known for speed traps and issue tickets to everyone. I'm not sure where you get this impression that police don't generally just book people for speeding, it's common around here.


(this doesn't even start to get into the trigger-rich long known topic of profiling in traffic stops)

colnago62

My understanding of the term is it is when you are arrested and brought jail.

Hypno Toad

I see your point - thanks for clarify - Getting a ticket versus being booked in jail. I agree, this thread is about getting a ticket for speeding on a bike, not getting arrested.

Koyote

On the bright side, it seems like you've never been arrested.

Hypno Toad

I consider that a privilege.

Koyote

If you've kept your nose clean, it's a right, not a privilege. Fourth Amendment.

Hypno Toad

It is a privilege. Keeping your nose clean doesn't work for every person equally. I am treading as lightly as I know how to on this topic to not get this thread locked (& off in to a P&R rabbit hole).

Koyote

Ahh, yes, I get you now. Agreed.

urbanknight

No, but a cop once pulled up behind me when I was almost to 40 mph in a 40 zone (downhill) and told me on the loud speaker that I was almost at the speed limit. Amusing considering how many sports cars scream through those canyons.

But yeah, if I ever got one, I'd frame it.

colnago62

It is so funny how some cops behave.

urbanknight

I honestly couldn't tell if he was saying it to warn me that I was close to speeding, or if he thought I didn't know and was giving me an ego boost.

Psimet2001 

There's a downhill "S" curve on the PATH here....yes on the Fox River Trail MUP. It's one of the only places you can get some speed going as this is Illinois and overpasses are our only climbs. It's not unheard of to be going 25-28 on the short little descent. Technically somewhere it is posted that the path speed limit is 15. When it was just opened there were a couple of saturdays when a cop would be sitting there watching with a radar and would stop riders that were going too fast. It's technically the park district so not sure how all of that worked but almost no one received an actual ticket - just a warning. Had a teammate pulled over and then swing by my shop. At first while telling the story he seemed confused as to why on earth he would have been pulled over but as it dawned on him what it meant he became kind of proud of it.

Another time a LARGE and fast, drop group ride was stopped by some cops for blowing stop signs consistently. Old teammate of mine gets a little smart with cop in charge. "What...are you really going to write us tickets? what a waste. Don't you have anything better to do." kind of stuff. Cop asks him his name. Guy gives the cop a fake name. Cop follows up on it later. Guy ends up in court over it. Took about a year. So...uh don't lie to the cops about who you are just because you're on a bike and think you can get away with it.

Personally - I was chasing our old group ride after I had been dropped. I blow a sign because....yeah I was chasing and I could see it was clear (turning right). Cop was sitting at the intersection just hanging out. Window down. "HEY! You STOP at that sign. Don't be blowing through it just because you're on a bike. You understand?" "Yes, I'm sorry. I usually do. You're right." "OK - enjoy your ride."

another instance on the same ride (we rode in a great area for riding but it's one the places where the uber rich in Chicago own estates...places that have names instead of addresses and they simply hate that their streets that they refuse to pay for shoulders on are filled with pesky cyclists that will stop and pee in their yards) we came to the top of the "big climb" to regroup. 2 cops pull up. "Is this all your riders in your group?" "Yeah." "OK then it's not you. We're getting a lot of complaints about a group of about 40 riders who are blowing signs and spreading out across the road" (They have a single file ordinance for cyclists in this village even though the Illinois DOT allows 2 abreast but the rich make their own rules). I instantly knew the other group. "Let me guess - they're wearing all green." "Yeah" "Definitely not us but I can tell you the name of their team, who is probably on the ride, what shop they ride out of and what route they are probably taking."

I was sick of them blowing everything for us in the area. The cops weren't interested. They wanted to just find them on the road just so they could say they responded to the complaints.

Same area again - 3 ft law had been passed. Guy buzzes myself and another rider. We follow because his dumbass pulls into his house about a quarter mile down. We sit at the end of the driveway for his estate and he's poor enough that we were in earshot. "HEY! You need to give cyclists more room when you pass them. There's a 3 ft law in effect now." He proceeded to tell us off using every swear word and name he could think of. We had passed a cop hanging in a church parking lot about a mile back so I rode back and told the cop. "What do you want me to do about it? Listen you guys come here and ride on their roads in their neighborhood. You take on your own risk. I'm not going to do anything at all."

Protect and Serve baby.

urbanknight

Reminds me of this gem I found not too long ago.

popeye

Remind me to never get arrested with you.

popeye

I'm on the Santa Ana River trail when I hear over a loudspeaker "on your left". I first looked up for a helicopter before I noticed the Sheriff behind me.

Robert A

I don't understand what happened here. Were the cyclists somehow hugging the left side of the road because the video doesn't show it that way.