What did he say?
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What did he say?
So yesterday I rode over to the coast on State HWY 129, which is a 2-lane road with a good shoulder most of the way. As you get near Watsonville, it is mosty straight and flat and the shoulder is a good 6-8 feet wide. I'm riding along and I notice a Highway Patrolman parked next to a building. As I go past he gets on his loudspeaker and I hear blah, blah, blah, 15 miles per hour. I couldn't make out the first 2-3 words but the 15 miles per hour part was very clear.
At first I thought he was just letting me know how fast I'm going but then realize I'm probably about 20. I don't have a speedo so don't know for sure but based on gearing and cadence I know I'm doing well over 15.
So then I start wondering what that was all about. Was he telling me to reduce speed to 15? Is there some kind of shoulder speed limit for bikes? I've certainly never heard of anything like that. I can't imagine what else he might be saying.
In any case, I did not slow down and he did not pursue me so I guess I'll never know what his intention was. I briefly looked for bike speed limit laws in CA but didn't see anything for public roads other than not exceeding the speed limit for cars.
At first I thought he was just letting me know how fast I'm going but then realize I'm probably about 20. I don't have a speedo so don't know for sure but based on gearing and cadence I know I'm doing well over 15.
So then I start wondering what that was all about. Was he telling me to reduce speed to 15? Is there some kind of shoulder speed limit for bikes? I've certainly never heard of anything like that. I can't imagine what else he might be saying.
In any case, I did not slow down and he did not pursue me so I guess I'll never know what his intention was. I briefly looked for bike speed limit laws in CA but didn't see anything for public roads other than not exceeding the speed limit for cars.
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"Dial it up to 400 watts and drope the hamer. You're only going 15 mph."
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when I was a young man ... before radar, police gave tickets by estimating your speed or tailing you. then later, tickets would have something like this: "speed estimated & confirmed with radar" anyway, cops are experts at judging speed. they sit there all day watching cars go by, with radar, so they know what 15 mph looks like, etc. so he could probably tell you were faster than 15 even if your bike didn't register on the unit
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That's "a cheeseburger with no onions, large fries and a large orange drink"
#6
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So yesterday I rode over to the coast on State HWY 129, which is a 2-lane road with a good shoulder most of the way. As you get near Watsonville, it is mosty straight and flat and the shoulder is a good 6-8 feet wide. I'm riding along and I notice a Highway Patrolman parked next to a building. As I go past he gets on his loudspeaker and I hear blah, blah, blah, 15 miles per hour. I couldn't make out the first 2-3 words but the 15 miles per hour part was very clear.
At first I thought he was just letting me know how fast I'm going but then realize I'm probably about 20. I don't have a speedo so don't know for sure but based on gearing and cadence I know I'm doing well over 15.
So then I start wondering what that was all about. Was he telling me to reduce speed to 15? Is there some kind of shoulder speed limit for bikes? I've certainly never heard of anything like that. I can't imagine what else he might be saying.
In any case, I did not slow down and he did not pursue me so I guess I'll never know what his intention was. I briefly looked for bike speed limit laws in CA but didn't see anything for public roads other than not exceeding the speed limit for cars.
At first I thought he was just letting me know how fast I'm going but then realize I'm probably about 20. I don't have a speedo so don't know for sure but based on gearing and cadence I know I'm doing well over 15.
So then I start wondering what that was all about. Was he telling me to reduce speed to 15? Is there some kind of shoulder speed limit for bikes? I've certainly never heard of anything like that. I can't imagine what else he might be saying.
In any case, I did not slow down and he did not pursue me so I guess I'll never know what his intention was. I briefly looked for bike speed limit laws in CA but didn't see anything for public roads other than not exceeding the speed limit for cars.
You have to go slow there lest you get overcome with garlic fumes.
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There's one officer I've passed a couple of times in the morning sitting in his speed zone spot who told me how fast I was going. It was all in fun, I'm sure he was bored.
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That`s impressive....not the fact that you were going 20mph but the fact that the cop could tell the dif between a car doing over 15 vs a bike.
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I would think a bicycle would be really hard to hit with the radar that police are using. You need a decent area to hit with the radar (front or rear of the car). I guess a torso might be big enough...
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To be brutally honest, he was probably yelling out your speed for the fun of it, which was probably less than you thought. My fat bike is my only bike that doesn't have a computer, it always amuses me how much I overestimate speed on it til I go back and look at Strava.
Nah, I set off the guns on the side of the road all the time that show you how fast you're going. Doesn't happen on all of them, but you can definitely tag a bike.
Nah, I set off the guns on the side of the road all the time that show you how fast you're going. Doesn't happen on all of them, but you can definitely tag a bike.
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There was a well-known stretch of one city street with a slight downgrade into a shallow dip that was the bane of many motorists. I rode through it once with a patrol car parked at the curb and he yelled out, "You're doing eighteen!" I was pleased with that.
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I don't have a Speedo either but I have considered it. I just have a feeling it wouldn't quite attract a mate as well as I would like it too.
I never listen to cops so typically all I hear is "blah blah blah" because that is generally all they are saying. 15 is a fine speed though so if that is what you had I would be happy.
I never listen to cops so typically all I hear is "blah blah blah" because that is generally all they are saying. 15 is a fine speed though so if that is what you had I would be happy.
#18
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You guys have speed limits? Wow.
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when I was a young man ... before radar, police gave tickets by estimating your speed or tailing you. then later, tickets would have something like this: "speed estimated & confirmed with radar" anyway, cops are experts at judging speed. they sit there all day watching cars go by, with radar, so they know what 15 mph looks like, etc. so he could probably tell you were faster than 15 even if your bike didn't register on the unit
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BTW has anyone been to San Juan Bautista? Love that little town. A great Mexican restaurant.
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had to look that up but then reading it hurt my head cuz I have a cold. maybe the cop was asking for Tylenol? to go further off track, I once got a 60 mph radar ticket while I was going 30. wanna know how? was tagged by 2 cops simultaneously & one unit was reading the other unit. had to sit down with a clerk magistrate & show them that the ticket writing cop even put in writing that there was another cop with radar simultaneously in the opposite direction. plus I explained I knew the area well, well be fore they put in traffic lights due to all the head on collisions so I was driving absolutely the speed limit. also my court date was a 3 hr drive in a snow storm & told the clerk I wouldn't have driven all that distance in those conditions if I weren't completely innocent. DISMISSED!
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"Go faster! At this rate I you won't get me my doughnut in time. Your're only going 15 miles an hour".