njkayaker

The claim that a broken speedometer allows you to speed is a bold claim. You'd need more than the vague "in some countries" to support it.

In the US, if the law applies to "motor vehicles", it doesn't apply to bicyclists. That might be the case in the UK too.

If they can use the "careless/dangerous cycling" as a result of the cyclist speeding and the evidence is measuring your speed, it means that speeding is illegal.

I am talking from a US perspective. Other countries might have very different laws (and I'm not commenting on laws I haven't seen the actual text for).

The traffic laws in the US are at the state level but they are generally the same for the most part.

Anybody claiming it's legal (even "maybe" or "might") in any US state for cyclists to exceed the speed limit would have the burden of proving it.

Though, you might not get a ticket for it (especially, if you aren't being an ahole about it). (Cops in the US generally won't give you a ticket if you exceed the speed limit on a highway by a bit but that doesn't make it legal.)

tempocyclist

Not saying it's "legal" as such, just saying you won't get a speeding ticket for it, which is the entire point of this thread. 😉

The thread topic isn't "Ever get a careless/dangerous cycling ticket?"

It's "Ever get a speeding ticket?" on a bicycle. And it seems the answer is; no.

njkayaker

Threads don't always limit themselves the way you want. It seems it's worth-while to dispel the odd notion that speeding on a bicycle is legal.

In Mississippi (and other states, possibly), a "speeding ticket" would be a "disobeyed traffic control device" ticket. So, even drivers there can't get "speeding tickets".

I suspect the details of the violation would be listed regardless.

The point of this thread should be more properly phrased as "have you every gotten a ticket as a result of speeding". And I suspect any such ticket would fit the OP's bucket.

tempocyclist

That would probably be a far clearer thread title!

To answer that one; Not me personally, but yes it has occurred before. Road cyclists here in Australia have been directly targeted in the past during "major police crackdowns" on cyclists (because, you know, real criminals).

rsbob 

I used to ride a 150 mile 10,000 in one day ride called RAMROD. Part of the ride goes through Mt Rainier National Park (Wa). The park police became so fed up with cyclists bombing down the massive downhills faster than the posted 35MPH, they got out their radar guns and unmercifully started writing up speeding cyclists. Luckily I got a warning since I saw one ahead and slowed down to 40.

Attilio

One of my reasons for riding is a bike's ability to pretty much act if traffic laws don't exist. I do it in front of cops all the time it's become clear that police don't enforce traffic laws on bicycles at all. Nothing happens. Much safer to run red lights especially if the entire intersection is still. Most of the honks and near misses with motorists were when I was starting up to cross a light that just turned green. Better to pass with red, the cars that are there are still and nobody is coming, safer. Also with bike you can sort of cross like pedestrian, use islands, get creative and cross in stages rather than turning left and risking getting mixed up with cars. Gave me a totally new appreciation for navigating traffic.

Once you count being able to use sidewalks (sparingly), go the wrong way on one way streets instead of having to do blocks and blocks (carefully and near the curb) or even ride across parks, powerlines or take other shortcuts I have found that in urban areas I make better time on a bicycle than I can in a car. This is why so many criminals use dirt bikes for speedy getaways here... but that's another story.

qwaalodge

You're slow. Don't do it if you're slow. It just pisses off drivers and gives us riders a bad rep. I see lots of riders do it, even from random commuters, form a long line and block an intersection that turned green.

Tony Marley

When I was 18 in my town in California, the policeman added speeding (35mph in a 25mph zone) onto the ticket he was giving me for turning left without waiting for the turn signal. I had no bike computer, so don't know if I was actually going that fast.