Ever gotten a speeding ticket on a bicycle?

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I have.

It happened to me when we lived in Los Gatos. At the time - 1995 through 1999- I was a complete animal on the bike and was regularly training at 300+ miles per week. Hard training with lots of climbing and interval work. Shaved legs, the whole deal. Experienced "roadies" will understand.

Anyway, one day on my morning 40 mile round trip commute to work I was descending through the hills in a residential area of Los Gatos. The posted speed limit was 25mph. I was caught on radar doing 37mph. I got a citation, the whole deal. The fine was about $150, and that was back in the mid to late '90s.

Just in case it ends up being necessary to defend myself; no, I don't blow stop signs, ignore traffic lights, ride two abreast on narrow roads, etc. I follow most of the rules when I ride or drive, so no lecture is needed. Understand, the radar was intended for cars, not bicycles. Regardless, I took my citation with a smile and a thank you. Haha! I was caught fair and square.

My intent is to post a story about a somewhat unusual, perhaps even humorous, life event.

Scott
 
Originally Posted By: zzyzzx
No. I know someone who got a ticket for running a stop sign while riding a bicycle.


Unfortunately, that's a common one for cyclists to get. But, to get one for speeding....
 
My dad will ride 35-45mph on his bike.
most fail to realize when riding a bike. all the laws rules and regulations of motorcycles and road apply.

ken

i ride around 15miles aday. i do follow all laws. hand signals used too. i wear OSHA approved hi-vis appearal everyride along with helmet. i now use led flashers front and back(24/7).

ken
 
Originally Posted By: HardbodyLoyalist
Out of curiosity, does such a citation put points on your driver's license?


I should have included that on my previous post. No, the speeding ticket I got on my bicycle did not go on to my automobile record, even though my driver's license was used as my ID.

Scott
 
Originally Posted By: HardbodyLoyalist
Out of curiosity, does such a citation put points on your driver's license?

Because that would be stretching the bounds of rationality.


Good point. Better watch out, too many points and they will take your bicycle license away!

I knew someone who was pulled for speeding on a bike many years ago. Mid-eighties. He was a teen, and was given a warning.

I used to bike commute when I was in school. People would always get [censored] when you were following the rules, like stopping at a stop sign. I'd see many other cyclists roll a stop or red light.

Also depending on the state law it can be questionable to pass a cyclist on a two lane road as well, especially in town. I was driving once, came to a complete stop at a stop sign, and looked. Pulled out, because it "looked clear". Lady hit me almost instantly. I was like what the $#%@? Almost immediately a guy on a bike came buy to ask if everyone was OK. Didn't think much about it at the time. Officer came and treated me like scum. Only later did I realize she had just PASSED that cyclist while coming up a hill on a narrow street. That put her on the wrong side of the road enough that I couldn't see her because of the parked cars on the near side of the street...
 
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Originally Posted By: JR
My dad will ride 35-45mph on his bike.


Does he live on the top of a mountain?

Don't feel bad I received a jay walking ticket while on vacation in San Diego. I was in the cross walk but didn't have the "walk" signal and no cars in sight. Oh I was mad. Not so much at the ticket but the guy's horrible attitude. Next morning I went to the station and had a talk with Internal Affairs. Not a formal complaint but a verbal one. Off the books so to speak.
 
Originally Posted By: Miller88
I have been passed on a hill by cyclists going 65MPH ...


That's freaking fast! The fastest I've ever gone is 54mph even. On the right road it's really smooth and easy. The only thing that scares the heck out of me is the thought of a high speed puncture. A crash at high speeds could be fatal, or worse.

Long story short, I did a face plant at 25mph in a pace line accident (not my fault). Three of the seven of us went down in just one or two seconds. I was the most seriously injured. I was knocked unconscious for about 20 or 30 seconds. Once conscious again I was still so stunned and groggy that I could not get up off the pavement. I was taken to the hospital via ambulance, strapped to a back board because a doctor motorist who witnessed the crash feared I'd broken my neck.

I had a broken middle finger on my right hand, broken left elbow (which still bothers me 16 years later), massive facial abrasions with 15 or 20 stitches on my chin and jaw, and a grade 3 concussion. The concussion was the worst. It was two months before I fully regained my sense of balance.

No wait, the worst part was that I crashed a $7000 fully custom, full Dura-Ace bike. And that $7000 price tag was in late 1990's value.

Scott
 
I've been up to near 50mph and falling down crossed my mind too! I put down my dirt bike at that speed and a snowmobile and neither was fun.... Sliding on pavement or gravel in shorts and a T shirt at that speed wouldn't be good either.
 
I got 'er up to 46 on a mountain bike on pavement. Helmet, but no other gear. At that speed my eyes were watering like crazy and my aero tuck had me rolling my eyes up just to see the road.

Remember, there are three types of cyclists, lest one prejudge. I know I'm preaching to the choir:

-- Sub 16 year olds. It's transportation. Wildly variable.
-- Hard core spandex advocates. Stage "bike to work weeks".
-- Convicted OUI drivers. Hate the bike. Have to get to work. Already shown disregard for highway laws. Some disguise themselves as athletes with preppy gear to save face.
 
Originally Posted By: eljefino
I got 'er up to 46 on a mountain bike on pavement. Helmet, but no other gear. At that speed my eyes were watering like crazy and my aero tuck had me rolling my eyes up just to see the road.

Remember, there are three types of cyclists, lest one prejudge. I know I'm preaching to the choir:

-- Sub 16 year olds. It's transportation. Wildly variable.
-- Hard core spandex advocates. Stage "bike to work weeks".
-- Convicted OUI drivers. Hate the bike. Have to get to work. Already shown disregard for highway laws. Some disguise themselves as athletes with preppy gear to save face.


I rode my bike for 2.5 years several miles to campus while at UNC. I've never been a "hard core" cyclist. It was just that I was too impatient to ride the bus and too poor to pay for a parking space which would have been half a mile from the school anyway. The bike was the most time efficient way to solve the problem. (I also had a bike already which was paid for, so that helped.) Even when the bus was free to students my last year there, I rode in five days a week year round. I was lucky never to get run over or bumped.
 
Originally Posted By: HardbodyLoyalist
Out of curiosity, does such a citation put points on your driver's license?

Because that would be stretching the bounds of rationality.


In most States it will. In Florida, if you get a jay walking ticket and don't pay it, the DMV will not renew your driver's license. If you are too young to have a driver's license and don't pay the fine, you can never get a driver's license until you settle up, and an unpaid fine gets penalties added to it.

Ask my son who got a jay walking ticket when he was 15 and never told anyone.

Personally, I think that is unusual but there are some weird laws out there.
 
The question was about the points though. Basically, do you get points for speeding on a bicycle and will they affect your insurance premiums on your car? It would be somewhat ridiculous if so, but insurance companies will try anything to raise your premiums.
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
The question was about the points though. Basically, do you get points for speeding on a bicycle and will they affect your insurance premiums on your car? It would be somewhat ridiculous if so, but insurance companies will try anything to raise your premiums.


OP here. All I can say is that in California during the second half of the '90s, the speeding citation I received while riding my bicycle did NOT go on my motor vehicle record. Whether or not that is still true, I don't know.

Scott
 
Originally Posted By: satinsilver
Originally Posted By: JR
My dad will ride 35-45mph on his bike.


Does he live on the top of a mountain?


Yes, because if he is doing that on the flats, even with a STRONG tailwind, there is more than one Pro Tour team that would want to speak to him with wads of cash in hand!
lol.gif
 
Originally Posted By: dailydriver
Originally Posted By: satinsilver
Originally Posted By: JR
My dad will ride 35-45mph on his bike.


Does he live on the top of a mountain?


Yes, because if he is doing that on the flats, even with a STRONG tailwind, there is more than one Pro Tour team that would want to speak to him with wads of cash in hand!
lol.gif



Two TDF examples....

Fastest individual time trial: 54.545 (33.89 mph) kph by Greg LeMond in 1989 over 24.5 km (15.22 mi.)
Fastest average over a flat stage: 50.355 kph (31.29 mph) by Mario Cipollini in 1999 over 194.5 km (121 mi.)

Unless you cycle, you can't fully comprehend these AVERAGE speeds.

Scott
 
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