Can pedal-bikes get pulled over for speeding?

[giant_mtb]

As the title says...can people on pedal bikes get pulled over for speeding if they are riding on the road?  I've heard a couple times of it happening, but I doubt it because the sources were, well, crap.  So...?

[footoflead]

Dunno...
Probably not unless your on a road bike and can go faster than lance armstrong...(~30 MPH)

[Rupert]

Yeah, it's possible. But I don't think it happens very often.

[giant_mtb]

Dunno...
Probably not unless your on a road bike and can go faster than lance armstrong...(~30 MPH)

I've hit 38 on city streets.    

[Colonel Cadillac]

Do you live in San Francisco? It's pretty tough to hit 38

[280Z Turbo]

He lives in Michigan's U.P.

[giant_mtb]

Do you live in San Francisco? It's pretty tough to hit 38

No, I live where 280Z said...  If I did live in San Fran (I've been there, I know what it's like) it wouldn't be hard to hit 38...just climb to the top of the streets, then roll down.    

[Laconian]

I wondered about this myself.

I go much faster than cars do on the hills back from the mountain bike trails near my house. My friend's speedo clocked us going almost 40.

[giant_mtb]

I wondered about this myself.

I go much faster than cars do on the hills back from the mountain bike trails near my house. My friend's speedo clocked us going almost 40.

Yep.  Try to do that when there's a cop nearby and see if he pulls you over...then come here and tell me so I know if I have to worry or not.    

[Rupert]

I've hit 45 on a big hill in the country. I would have gone faster, but the bike was old and out of tune...

[dazzleman]

Every once in a while, I hear about a bike rider getting a ticket for something.  Generally, it has something to do with blowing stop signs or traffic lights.  I imagine a speeding ticket on a bike is possible, but it has to be pretty rare.

One funny thing I've heard about is speeders on local streets getting pulled over by cops on bikes.  My town has a bike patrol, and those officers sometimes give out tickets for speeding on the local streets.  

Getting pulled over and ticketed by a cop on a regular bike (as opposed to a motorcycle) would be pretty embarrassing.  Kind of like getting your azz handed to you by a 75-year-old woman....  

[ifcar]

I assume that police theoretically can ticket bicyclists, but wouldn't unless they were behaving unsafely. Running a red light in the city would be behaving unsafely, but I don't think managing to go over the speed limit down the side of a road would qualify.

[giant_mtb]

Sweet.    I always obey the traffic laws...no point in risking getting nailed by a motorist.  

[dazzleman]

Sweet.    I always obey the traffic laws...no point in risking getting nailed by a motorist.

I agree.  If you're doing crazy things on a bike, a ticket is the least of your worries.

That's actually true in a car also.

[TurboDan]

I wonder exactly HOW they would ticket you, though.  I don't always carry my wallet and license with me just for a casual bike ride.  Do bike violations count towards your real driving record?

[ifcar]

What you do on a bicycle has nothing to do with your license to operate a car.  

[dazzleman]

I wonder exactly HOW they would ticket you, though.  I don't always carry my wallet and license with me just for a casual bike ride.  Do bike violations count towards your real driving record?

Logically, I would think they cannot, since you don't need a license to ride a bike.  A ticket on a bike is probably more like a parking violation.

I have to admit, the idea of getting a ticket on a bike is pretty funny, but also pretty lame.  If I'm going to get a ticket, I want one I can brag about to my buddies....  

[giant_mtb]

I wonder exactly HOW they would ticket you, though.  I don't always carry my wallet and license with me just for a casual bike ride.  Do bike violations count towards your real driving record?

Yeah...can they even ticket me if I'm not a licensed driver?  :blink:  

[giant_mtb]

I wonder exactly HOW they would ticket you, though.  I don't always carry my wallet and license with me just for a casual bike ride.  Do bike violations count towards your real driving record?

Logically, I would think they cannot, since you don't need a license to ride a bike.  A ticket on a bike is probably more like a parking violation.

I have to admit, the idea of getting a ticket on a bike is pretty funny, but also pretty lame.  If I'm going to get a ticket, I want one I can brag about to my buddies....

You can brag to your buddies when you say you got a ticket riding your bike 40 MPH down the 25 MPH city streets.      

[dazzleman]

You can brag to your buddies when you say you got a ticket riding your bike 40 MPH down the 25 MPH city streets.    

I could only get to that speed on a steep downward incline.  I'd be afraid I'd kill myself going that fast on a bike.

Most of my friends are more of the 80 mph on the highway type guys.

[giant_mtb]

You can brag to your buddies when you say you got a ticket riding your bike 40 MPH down the 25 MPH city streets.   

I could only get to that speed on a steep downward incline.  I'd be afraid I'd kill myself going that fast on a bike.

Most of my friends are more of the 80 mph on the highway type guys.

Ahhh...well, my buddy and I can only get 40 going down the hills as well, although we can speed on the flats, too.  It's pretty funny when your on a bike and you're passing cars on a flat piece of road...      

[bobwill]

Although it's been hit on pretty much, in almost any locality in the country a bicyclist is held to all the same traffic laws as a motor vehicle.  Meaning, no riding on the sidewalk, yield to pedestrians, signal before turnsl.  In Maryland it goes as far as to require a horn or bell to on any vehicle operated on public property and a light is required on anything operated at night or in inclemement weather.

You know, some of the guys in the tour have hit over 60mph descending on the mountain stages.

[ifcar]

There's a difference between having a law and enforcing it.

[giant_mtb]

Although it's been hit on pretty much, in almost any locality in the country a bicyclist is held to all the same traffic laws as a motor vehicle.  Meaning, no riding on the sidewalk, yield to pedestrians, signal before turnsl.  In Maryland it goes as far as to require a horn or bell to on any vehicle operated on public property and a light is required on anything operated at night or in inclemement weather.

You know, some of the guys in the tour have hit over 60mph descending on the mountain stages.

Yep.

One of the teachers at my high school is a serious biker as well.  He told me about this one time he was down in the Appalachian (sp) Mountains and he was on his road bike.  He told me that he was passing semi's going 70 MPH...on a bike.  That's absolutely insane.  One little rock to knock his steering off and he woulda been dead and then some.      

[bobwill]

Although it's been hit on pretty much, in almost any locality in the country a bicyclist is held to all the same traffic laws as a motor vehicle.  Meaning, no riding on the sidewalk, yield to pedestrians, signal before turnsl.  In Maryland it goes as far as to require a horn or bell to on any vehicle operated on public property and a light is required on anything operated at night or in inclemement weather.

You know, some of the guys in the tour have hit over 60mph descending on the mountain stages.

Yep.

One of the teachers at my high school is a serious biker as well.  He told me about this one time he was down in the Appalachian (sp) Mountains and he was on his road bike.  He told me that he was passing semi's going 70 MPH...on a bike.  That's absolutely insane.  One little rock to knock his steering off and he woulda been dead and then some.    

He wouldn't be dead necessarily.  It's estimated that when Joseba Beloki wrecked back in 2003 that he was pushin 50mph.  He didn't walk away from the wreck as he broke a femur in I think two places, and it took him more than 9 months before he got back into any races, and he still isn't fully recovered after two years, but he lived.  

[giant_mtb]

Although it's been hit on pretty much, in almost any locality in the country a bicyclist is held to all the same traffic laws as a motor vehicle.  Meaning, no riding on the sidewalk, yield to pedestrians, signal before turnsl.  In Maryland it goes as far as to require a horn or bell to on any vehicle operated on public property and a light is required on anything operated at night or in inclemement weather.

You know, some of the guys in the tour have hit over 60mph descending on the mountain stages.

Yep.

One of the teachers at my high school is a serious biker as well.  He told me about this one time he was down in the Appalachian (sp) Mountains and he was on his road bike.  He told me that he was passing semi's going 70 MPH...on a bike.  That's absolutely insane.  One little rock to knock his steering off and he woulda been dead and then some.    

He wouldn't be dead necessarily.  It's estimated that when Joseba Beloki wrecked back in 2003 that he was pushin 50mph.  He didn't walk away from the wreck as he broke a femur in I think two places, and it took him more than 9 months before he got back into any races, and he still isn't fully recovered after two years, but he lived.

Yeah, but he wasn't amongst semi trucks and cars on a freeway.  If my teacher had wiped out, he most likely would have been run over.    

[JWC]

I used to be pretty serious about cycling.

One of my riding buddies was given a speeding ticket on his DeRosa doing 45mph in a 25mph.  He tried to convince the LEO that he was training for a race, which he was, but it didn't make any difference.

[giant_mtb]

Whenever I ride I'm training for a race.    

[Raza]

Another instance of the police keeping the citizens safe.  

 

[TurboDan]

Another instance of the police keeping the citizens safe.  

Eh, I've seen some bikers do pretty dumb things on the road.  Some of them deserve a ticket.