Cyclist Speeding Ticket NBC Report?

[Raymo853]

@dplasters 138552 wrote:

– is this really a thing?

I hope so and hope it is done more often.

[sethpo]

It’s definitely a thing:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/capitalcrescenttrail/permalink/615425948610619/

I really don’t have an issue w/ enforcement of the stop signs on the northern part of the CCT or even speed in that crowded area. Stationing police near the tunnel — the middle of the trail w/ the least amount of use by walkers, dogs, kids, elderly, etc. — seems unnecessary at best.

[jabberwocky]

Hah. I can remember arguing with someone (volunteer with the park patrol) when that limit went into effect that the police would eventually use it as a revenue source. He claimed that they would never be conducting normal speed traps, that it was just there as a tool to curb the most egregious behavior. :rolleyes:

[Subby]

@Raymo853 138553 wrote:

I hope so and hope it is done more often.

Maybe if we had unlimited enforcement resources, but we don’t. So let’s shift those resources to where there is a greater need and/or threat to life. Not the middle of the gd CCT.

[Raymo853]

@Subby 138560 wrote:

Maybe if we had unlimited enforcement resources, but we don’t. So let’s shift those resources to where there is a greater need and/or threat to life. Not the middle of the gd CCT.

As someone who had their shoulder dislocated by a speeding cyclist on the CCT, I disagree.

[Terpfan]

@Raymo853 138561 wrote:

As someone who had their shoulder dislocated by a speeding cyclist on the CCT, I disagree.

I can see that point and I’m sorry you were hurt. But I also worry of motorists obeying the laws and think to that gentleman killed last year along Mass Ave and others hurt in the same region. I would actually like to see more of the cops on bicycles riding the trails and heavily commuted roads. Let them issue tickets from our perspectives. I mean the only time I’ve really seen a ticket issued was by a DC cop on a bicycle because of a motorist that came ridiculously close to me or at least it looked like he was going to give the guy a ticket.

[Steve O]

So do the police allow for the c. 11 mph buffer they allow motorists on roads? Or are they grabbing the 16-17 mph-ers?

I’ve posted this before. Enforcement should be for unsafe behavior–not an arbitrary speed. Particularly since bicycles do not have speedometers. On nice days like today in the afternoons, 15 is too fast and unsafe for the crowded conditions near Bethesda. That’s where the police need to be–where the conflicts with the teeming walkers are.

In February heading towards the tunnel off the River Road Bridge? 25+ is perfectly safe. (Although I doubt there would be any enforcement that time of year; too cold.)

I’m with Terpfan. Have the police ride their bikes along the trail and learn where the unsafe stuff happens. Then work on improving safety–if that is their goal–rather than just picking an easy spot to cherry pick some people riding their bikes in a straight line. I doubt that spot by the tunnel ever has any conflicts: it’s straight with good sight lines and no intersections, and the trail is actually wider inside the tunnel.

[bobco85]

@sethpo 138554 wrote:

I really don’t have an issue w/ enforcement of the stop signs on the northern part of the CCT or even speed in that crowded area. Stationing police near the tunnel — the middle of the trail w/ the least amount of use by walkers, dogs, kids, elderly, etc. — seems unnecessary at best.

I agree completely with this. The area near the tunnel is not a very crowded place, and there are plenty of other sections of the trail where enforcement would do more good.

Out of curiosity, using data from Google Maps I found the trail is an average 1.1% grade going downhill from Bethesda to the DC/MD border.

The CCT gets very crowded especially as you get closer to downtown Bethesda. I understand it is very easy to speed when heading south even while riding at a casual pace, but it’s a corridor that requires slower speeds. I find it irresponsible to maintain any more than a casual pace when there are so many people around (this also applies to the other major crowded trail, the MVT).

[Subby]

@Raymo853 138561 wrote:

As someone who had their shoulder dislocated by a speeding cyclist on the CCT, I disagree.

Oh hey you got me.

[mstone]

Yup, the problem with enforcement is that they never do it where/how it’s needed.

[ursus]

@bobco85 138572 wrote:

I agree completely with this. The area near the tunnel is not a very crowded place, and there are plenty of other sections of the trail where enforcement would do more good.

Out of curiosity, using data from Google Maps I found the trail is an average 1.1% grade going downhill from Bethesda to the DC/MD border.

The CCT gets very crowded especially as you get closer to downtown Bethesda. I understand it is very easy to speed when heading south even while riding at a casual pace, but it’s a corridor that requires slower speeds. I find it irresponsible to maintain any more than a casual pace when there are so many people around (this also applies to the other major crowded trail, the MVT).

The MVT south of OT has the additional problems of winding a lot with poor sightlines.

[Steve O]

@bobco85 138572 wrote:

Out of curiosity, using data from Google Maps I found the trail is an average 1.1% grade going downhill from Bethesda to the DC/MD border.

Yes, as any of the regular riders can tell you without using google. Even though 1% is pretty close to flat, that 1%–either up or down–actually makes a real difference.
This segment, for instance:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]11582[/ATTACH]

Which goes through the aforementioned tunnel. My PR on this segment n-bound is 19 mph; southbound 24.8 mph. Good thing no cops!

[MFC]

@ursus 138585 wrote:

The MVT south of OT has the additional problems of winding a lot with poor sightlines.

Some of the sightlines are made more worse by bushes growing up to or in the path. That was kind of a problem one time when I came around a curve and there was a really large turtle.

[baiskeli]

@jabberwocky 138559 wrote:

Hah. I can remember arguing with someone (volunteer with the park patrol) when that limit went into effect that the police would eventually use it as a revenue source. He claimed that they would never be conducting normal speed traps, that it was just there as a tool to curb the most egregious behavior. :rolleyes:

Just as an aside, a “speed trap” is not just a cop waiting to catch speeders, as its often used today, its when cops in small towns would put lower-speed limit signs just past higher speeds, so close that nobody had time to slow down after seeing the signs, and then parking the cop car just past to catch all the speeders and raise money from people passing through.

[baiskeli]

@MFC 138596 wrote:

Some of the sightlines are made more worse by bushes growing up to or in the path. That was kind of a problem one time when I came around a curve and there was a really large turtle.

Was the turtle going over 15 mph?

[Author]

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