Speeding ticket while commuting???

[trocared]

A brother (we'll call him Justin) was late for work last month, going 32mph through a school zone (25mph) when he was pulled over by the local fuzz and given a $175 dollar ticket.

"Well..." I say, "you should know better then to speed through a school zone, even if you were late for work."

It turns out he was riding his Trek hybred down a hill, and was pretty proud about the fact he hit 32 mph. When the police pulled beside him and asked him to pull over, he was looking around, sure the cop was talking to someone else. The cop went through the whole "do you know why I pulled you over?" bit....a stunned Justin gave him his social security number (he did not have his drivers license with him) and received his ticket.

In the end he fought it, and the judge tossed it away.

I have heard of such stories, but generally regarded them as urban legends. Any forumites have any such stories??

trocared

[MilanoTom]

I've heard of such things, but again, they seem to be urban legends. If a cyclist is going to get a ticket, it would be in a school zone, though.

One day few years back I rode past a speed trap. I'm sure I was going at least a few mph over the limit, but the cop didn't even glance up at me.

I figure if I ever got a speeding ticket while riding, I'd have it framed.

Regards.
Tom

[Sandy]

I've heard of such things, but again, they seem to be urban legends. If a cyclist is going to get a ticket, it would be in a school zone, though.

One day few years back I rode past a speed trap. I'm sure I was going at least a few mph over the limit, but the cop didn't even glance up at me.

I figure if I ever got a speeding ticket while riding, I'd have it framed.

Regards.
Tom

As slow as I must be right now, I would say I got framed. :)


Supersonic Speedster Steel Serotta Sandy

[bagochips3]

The police around here give tickets for running stop signs all the time. During the summer it's common to find a motorcycle cop camping out to give bikers tickets for running stop signs. But for speeding? That would be cool! I was told to slow down by a cop once. He was stopping traffic to clear a branch on a descent. I was only going 25 or 30 in a 25 zone though, so not sure what his deal was.

[frenk]

I think here we cannot get tickets for speeding on the bike just because it's not mandatory to have a (certified) speed measuring device, so we have no way to know how fast we ride.

[Louis]

The cop went through the whole "do you know why I pulled you over?" bit..

Interesting that you mention this. I've decided that the next time a cop asks me that I'm going to answer

"Because it's your job to do that?"

Louis

[H1449-6]

Does a cyclist present enough of a radar image for a cop to accurately gauge speed using a radar gun?

[H1449-6]

Interesting that you mention this. I've decided that the next time a cop asks me that I'm going to answer

"Because it's your job to do that?"

Louis

The question, obviously, is an invitation to self-incrimination. Best practice is to ignore the question, or to answer "I don't know."

[sbornia]

Does a cyclist present enough of a radar image for a cop to accurately gauge speed using a radar gun?

I know that my bike can trigger the automated radar signs that are parked on the side of the road to warn drivers, so I'll bet the hand-held units can do it, too.

[Hardlyrob]

Does a cyclist present enough of a radar image for a cop to accurately gauge speed using a radar gun?

Absolutely - those signs that tell you your speed, and have the posted speed limit under them pick me up every time. I believe those signs use the same radar technology as a gun to catch people speeding.

Cheers!

Rob

[dauwhe]

As vehicles, we need to follow the laws. I wouldn't want my kid to get hit by a speeding bike in a school zone.

Dave

[chuckred]

I have heard of such stories, but generally regarded them as urban legends. Any forumites have any such stories??

trocared

I got a ticket for running a red light in Boulder in 1977 - at 6 AM, not a car in sight,and after waiting for several minutes for it to change (sensor activated - I guess my steel bike wasn't enough to set it off). As soon as I started through the intersection, a cop came around the corner and saw me.

The judge laughed it out of court.

[BumbleBeeDave]

As vehicles, we need to follow the laws. I wouldn't want my kid to get hit by a speeding bike in a school zone.

Dave

A bike going 30 mph could really do a number on some kid crossing the street. The ticket sounds legit to me.

BBD

[Marcusaurelius]

I think if cyclist want to be respected by everyone they have to obey the same traffic laws as automobiles and speeding in a school just seems very wrong even for someone on a bicycle. A bicycle going 30km+ could seriously injure someone especially a child.

[trocared]

A bike going 30 mph could really do a number on some kid crossing the street. The ticket sounds legit to me.

BBD

Sure....but in these parts, school is not in session from June - middle of August. Not a kid in sight...wouldn't going 25mph do a number as well?

[girlie]

I got pulled over in California for wearing my iPod.
No ticket.

[BumbleBeeDave]

Sure....but in these parts, school is not in session from June - middle of August. Not a kid in sight

. . . as might be any number of other summer camp or child care programs that the schools are used for.

It's an intriguing question, though . . . do you have to slow down for a posted school zone, even when school is obviously not in session? Where's Bob Mionske when we really need him? :p

BBD

[Kevan]

I have to rely upon my stiff, but sensitive, nose hairs to gauge my speed. Course, personal grooming has to be sacrificed in order to maintain accuracy.

Looking forward to seeing you folk up thar in finger lake land.


Sign me,
Hairy

[bigbill]

In 1992 I got a warning ticket for doing 34 mph in a 25 on Finn Hill Road in Poulsbo, Washington. No fine, no court, just a stern talking to with a receipt. The road is named for the actual hill, and has a -10% grade heading into the 25 mph zone.

I have seen a few cyclists get pulled here on base, but usually it is for following too closely or running stop signs. The Navy buses exhaust out the rear bumper, I can't imagine trying to draft that.

[William]

The police around here give tickets for running stop signs all the time. During the summer it's common to find a motorcycle cop camping out to give bikers tickets for running stop signs. But for speeding? That would be cool! I was told to slow down by a cop once. He was stopping traffic to clear a branch on a descent. I was only going 25 or 30 in a 25 zone though, so not sure what his deal was.

In Corvallis there's a small hill that runs down past the admin building on the OSU campus. Right in front of admin is a stop sign, a cross walk, a speed bump, and an information booth/guard house. This is a busy cross walk. A guy on a mtb came flying down the hill and blew through the stop sign. When he went to hop/jump over the speed bump (right in front of the cross walk), his front wheel came off and he planted first his forks, then his face full speed into the pavement. They guy was out, he had multiple broken bones, and his face was hamburger. When he woke up a few days later in the hospital, the police were there to cite him for the multiple infractions he committed leading up to his crash.

I was heading to or meeting point by the OSU bookstore (where we met for all of our rides) and I was hammering at a good clip up the road when I noticed an officer sitting in his police car up ahead with the radar gun hanging out the window. It was a 25 mph area and I was cruiseing around that...for chit & giggles I got out of the saddle and started sprinting up the road toward him. As I flew past he was grinning and giving my the finger wave...but didn't bother coming after me. I didn't think that he would and he probably was getting a kick from a cyclist going 10+ mph faster than the speed limit on the flats (or so I fancy he thought that ;) ).



William

[BumbleBeeDave]

In Corvallis there's a small hill that runs down past the admin building on the OSU campus. Right in front of admin is a stop sign, a cross walk, a speed bump, and an information booth/guard house. This is a busy cross walk. A guy on a mtb came flying down the hill and blew through the stop sign. When he went to hop/jump over the speed bump (right in front of the cross walk), his front wheel came off and he planted first his forks, then his face full speed into the pavement. They guy was out, he had multiple broken bones, and his face was hamburger. When he woke up a few days later in the hospital, the police were there to cite him for the multiple infractions he committed leading up to his crash.

I was heading to or meeting point by the OSU bookstore (where we met for all of our rides) and I was hammering at a good clip up the road when I noticed an officer sitting in his police car up ahead with the radar gun hanging out the window. It was a 25 mph area and I was cruiseing around that...for chit & giggles I got out of the saddle and started sprinting up the road toward him. As I flew past he was grinning and giving my the finger wave...but didn't bother coming after me. I didn't think that he would and he probably was getting a kick from a cyclist going 10+ mph faster than the speed limit on the flats (or so I fancy he thought that ;) ).

William

. . . any police officer with any sense would never come after a cyclist sprinting past him who happens to be twice as tall and wide as he is! :rolleyes:

BBD

[William]

. . . any police officer with any sense would never come after a cyclist sprinting past him who happens to be twice as tall and wide as he is! :rolleyes:

BBD

I don't know if I like the "wide" comment. :no:


;) :D



William

[BumbleBeeDave]

I don't know if I like the "wide" comment. :no:


;) :D



William

. . . in the shoulders! :eek:

BBD

[Kevan]

I'll hold him for you.

[BumbleBeeDave]

I'll hold him for you.

. . . you TEASE! :beer:

BBD

[Giff]

. . . as might be any number of other summer camp or child care programs that the schools are used for.

It's an intriguing question, though . . . do you have to slow down for a posted school zone, even when school is obviously not in session? Where's Bob Mionske when we really need him? :p

BBD

In Nebraska, the school zones are posted as "when school in session". Unfortunately, the city is too lazy to alter the timing when school is out.

[pale scotsman]

A co-worker got one for doing 70 on 301 in Upper Marlboro, MD. This was in '87 and he was drafting a semi downhill.

We thought he was full of **** until he brought the ticket in to work. The dude had legs like tree trunks, and was a little taller than a fire hydrant.

He ended up getting points taken off his license.

[rockdude]

Earlier this year, I past a cop in Saint Vrain Canyon who was hiding behind a tree with his Radar Gun. I though for sure I was busted. As I past, he came from round the tree, gave me a big smile and a hardy thumbs up and yelled my speed which was 2 MPH over the speed limit. Their not all bad I think some are cyclist too.

[Keith A]

I think here we cannot get tickets for speeding on the bike just because it's not mandatory to have a (certified) speed measuring device, so we have no way to know how fast we ride.Good point. As far as I know, there is no requirement in the states to have a speedometer for a bike. So how would you know if you were going too fast?

[benb]

Getting a ticket in a school zone is retarded..

Yah a bike does some serious damage at 25-30mph... (School zone speed limits are 20mph here)

But the speed limits aren't necessarily based on any reality in terms of safety..

What stops faster at 25mph? An SUV or a bicycle?

What causes more injury, a bicycle at 25mph or an car/SUV at 15mph?

Guess I would have to give anyone who got one "props" as it is pretty cool. I can't see myself sprinting through a school zone where there were actually kids going into the school or leaving the school though.. too dangerous, too easy to get nailed buy a bus or a minivan.

I will sprint for the stupid radar signs though.. around here they put them in absolutely ridiculous spots on deserted roads nowhere near schools or even near densely populated areas.. hey, they have to spend the tax money somehow.

[trocared]

A co-worker got one for doing 70 on 301 in Upper Marlboro, MD. This was in '87 and he was drafting a semi downhill.

We thought he was full of **** until he brought the ticket in to work. The dude had legs like tree trunks, and was a little taller than a fire hydrant.

He ended up getting points taken off his license.

nice...

[Dekonick]

Getting a ticket in a school zone is retarded..

Yah a bike does some serious damage at 25-30mph... (School zone speed limits are 20mph here)

But the speed limits aren't necessarily based on any reality in terms of safety..

What stops faster at 25mph? An SUV or a bicycle?

What causes more injury, a bicycle at 25mph or an car/SUV at 15mph?

Guess I would have to give anyone who got one "props" as it is pretty cool. I can't see myself sprinting through a school zone where there were actually kids going into the school or leaving the school though.. too dangerous, too easy to get nailed buy a bus or a minivan.

I will sprint for the stupid radar signs though.. around here they put them in absolutely ridiculous spots on deserted roads nowhere near schools or even near densely populated areas.. hey, they have to spend the tax money somehow.

Simple math

KE= 1/2 MV^2

so they both would hurt like hell.

[bzbvh5]

I got a ticket for running a red light in Boulder in 1977 - at 6 AM, not a car in sight,and after waiting for several minutes for it to change (sensor activated - I guess my steel bike wasn't enough to set it off). As soon as I started through the intersection, a cop came around the corner and saw me.

The judge laughed it out of court.

I almost got a ticket for the same thing. The officer flashed his lights but did not pull me over. Later that same ride, I stopped and asked a different officer while he was waiting for speeders what to do if the light doesn't change. He said: Make a right turn, ride to the next median break, make a U turn, come back to the intersection, then make another right. That'll happen. I think I will continue to stop and if it stays red continue when the intersection is clear.

I agree with a lot of you, Speeding Tickets received while riding your bike should be framed in a prominate area for every one to see.

[benb]

Simple math

KE= 1/2 MV^2

so they both would hurt like hell.

Yah.. a 2-ton SUV at 15mph is "only" 7 times the KE of a 200lb bicycle+rider combo... if the bicyclist is doing 25mph and the SUV is doing 15mph.

Obviously we need to ban bicycles in school zones to save the children, they better start writing tickets to cyclists to Save the Children!

Hit me with the bicycle every time...

[2LeftCleats]

In northern Indianapolis up to Carmel Indiana there is a rail bed converted to multiuse path. On the Indianapolis section I have occasionally seen police with radar guns but there is no action taken. In Carmel, there are posted speed limits on the trail, 20 mph on the borders of the town and 15 mph in the center. There are occasional roaming bicycle cops and presumably they do hand out speeding tickets though I don't know anyone who's had one.

In Bloomington Indiana, especially around the Indiana University campus, the cops can be real prickly about full and complete stops. Even if they witness a competent track stand, they make the rider stop and plant both feet on the ground. Certainly helps them gain respect.

[Elefantino]

Hmm, officer. Left my ID back at home. But my name is Art Garfunkel and I live at 123 Main Street.

[Satellite]

I was pulled over when I was oh about 15/16 I was in full race kit and coming home from a team practice. My parents live in a subdivision that boarders the Business Loop of town and there is frontage road. I was on the frontage road making a left turn when I entered the subdivision I gassed it (slight downhill). A State Trooper must have been eyeing me from behind for some distance. He came into the subdivision full throttle with lights blazing. He pulled me over and made me get into his passenger seat. He sighted me with NOT signaling my turn into the subdivision and speeding. I asked how fast I was going he said he was doing 25 mph to catch me. NOT wanting to get in any more trouble, I didn't want to point out that he had to be traveling faster than I was to catch me and he was causing a more volatile situation than I was. I asked him how I was suppose to know how fast I was going on a bicycle (even though I had a computer and I knew how fast I was going); he stated cars are NOT required to have a speedometer but they are required to know how fast they are going.

I don't remember if he ran me for warrants but he let me go with a stern talking to. I agree cyclists are too be held to the rules of the road even if that means getting cited for traffic infractions.

Satellite

P.S. Oh the thrills of being youthful I sure needed this trip back to my younger years thanks for jogging these memories and starting this topic.

[Peter P.]

Does a cyclist present enough of a radar image for a cop to accurately gauge speed using a radar gun?

Yes. I've ridden past many of those radar trailers that police set up on the side of the road to advise car drivers of their speed. As long as I'm the only vehicle within the radar's range, it picks up my speed.

[WadePatton]

Pretty sure it's legal here for cyclists specifically to run a sensor-driven traffic signal--on the theory that the sensor won't reliably pick up a bike.

But I'm pretty sure I've tripped a few back when I lived in town by riding right on one of the sensor lines--on a metal bike.

So I did the stop and run the light move the other day. No ticket, but then no coppers neither. ;)

[cadence90]

Interesting: just yesterday my brother got a ticket for running a stop sign on Mandeville Canyon Road.
He said he, and other cyclists, and cars, do it "all the time", and that there were no cars around.

He b!tched about it to me like crazy.

My answer was:
1) Well, there was at least ONE car around (the cop).
2) If we want to rail against car drivers all the time (and justifiably we do), we should obey the same laws the cars must obey, since bikes on the road are subject to same.
3) Speaking out of both sides of the mouth at the same time just leads to hypocritical mumbling....

[William]

So slow down and obey the traffic laws...


(This was a couple years ago...but applies)
Ore. Bicyclist Charged With Manslaughter
Sep 12 12:21 PM US/Eastern


CORVALLIS, Ore.


A bicyclist was charged with manslaughter after he ran through a stop sign and struck and killed a 71-year-old woman, police said Monday.

Jean Calder died at Good Samaritan Hospital after she was struck Friday night as she crossed a street at an unmarked crosswalk (In Oregon, an intersection implies a crosswalk...this explains the tendency for Oregon drivers to slam on their brakes at the mere sight of a pedestrian.), Corvallis police Capt. Ron Noble said.

Christopher A. Lightning, 51, was charged with manslaughter and reckless driving.

"A car and a bicycle are both vehicles and if they are operated in a way that could be criminal, then charges are filed equally in both situations," Noble said. "He was going right through a stop sign."

Lightning was being housed in Benton County jail with bail set at $57,500. He will be given a court-appointed lawyer at his arraignment in Benton County.

[palincss]

Does a cyclist present enough of a radar image for a cop to accurately gauge speed using a radar gun?

It isn't any smaller than that of a motorcycle.

[39cross]

The semi must have been doing 70+. No ticket for him?

A co-worker got one for doing 70 on 301 in Upper Marlboro, MD. This was in '87 and he was drafting a semi downhill.

We thought he was full of **** until he brought the ticket in to work. The dude had legs like tree trunks, and was a little taller than a fire hydrant.

He ended up getting points taken off his license.

[BumbleBeeDave]

Christopher A. Lightning, 51, was charged with manslaughter and reckless driving.

. . . "riding like lightning" is probably not a good idea?

Aw, c'mon, you guys were thinking it, too!

BBD

[ada@prorider.or]

"do you know why I pulled you over?" bit....

i would answer
"yes you do not like cyclist and you do not want CHANGE"

[Dekonick]

Yah.. a 2-ton SUV at 15mph is "only" 7 times the KE of a 200lb bicycle+rider combo... if the bicyclist is doing 25mph and the SUV is doing 15mph.

Obviously we need to ban bicycles in school zones to save the children, they better start writing tickets to cyclists to Save the Children!

Hit me with the bicycle every time...

My point is regardless it would hurt like hell. A kid getting smacked by a bike at 25 mph is going to take a trip in a hellicopter to Hopkins if it happens when I am working. In a school zone you should be alert for the little one's - they don't think and are likely to sprint off in any direction at any time.

Granted MASS hurts, but speed kills. 15mph = reaction time. 25mph not quite the same.

Stupid logic - just watch out for the little ones. They are the future.

[Dekonick]

Pretty sure it's legal here for cyclists specifically to run a sensor-driven traffic signal--on the theory that the sensor won't reliably pick up a bike.

But I'm pretty sure I've tripped a few back when I lived in town by riding right on one of the sensor lines--on a metal bike.

So I did the stop and run the light move the other day. No ticket, but then no coppers neither. ;)

My Hors won't trigger some of the lights around where I ride...I have to hit the pedestrian button or just wait for a gap and go...

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . to ride carefully, and to ride MORE carefully in school zones no matter when you're in them?

Seems pretty simple . . .

BBD

[bpm]

When I was in college I once got pulled over the campus police, it was a State University so I guess they are actually State cops. The main road around campus had a speed limit of 25mph, but there was a little bit of downhill stretch that I'd routinely roll through at about 30 to 35. Because of parked cars on the side of the road, I would routinely be out in the middle of the lane so I didn't get doored. There were cars following behind me, keeping a reasonable distance. The cop pulled me over for obstructing traffic. I argued it a bit, but got the ticket anyways. When I argued it to the clerk magistrate, it got thrown out because I was actually traveling faster than traffic should have been, hence I wasn't an obstruction. He also indicated that if the cop had written the ticket for speeding I would have been out of luck.

[trocared]

i would answer
"yes you do not like cyclist and you do not want CHANGE"

"Let me guess...you thought I looked like an ex-girlfriend of yours?"

[steveb]

Interesting thread.

I got pulled over twice in high school both for speeding
first was for 30 in a school zone. During summer, and well after school hours.
They'd often do speed traps to slow people down before the school year started. It was also about 3 blocks from home. New cop, asked for license and registration -- dropped the whole thing when I told him that I didn't need a registration for a bike, and that If I had a license, I wouldn't be on the bike. :)

Second was on a main street, very slight downhill, clocked at 40. Older cop this time, just asked for my license. He couldn't figure out how to give me a ticket. Maybe it was different back in 81? Or just maybe he refused because I was really interested in actually getting that ticket. Yeah, I'd have framed it.