bikeseattle.org

Fellow commuters take heed when heading up towards Lake Forest Park.

Indeed, Lake Forest Park’s own police reports show that tickets for stop-sign violations rose 250 percent from 2004 to 2006 (when 189 were issued; that’s about $12,000 in city revenue). Helmet warnings are up no less dramatically (not all riders who patronize the Burke-Gilman Trail realize that Seattle joined the rest of King County in 2003 by requiring bike helmets). And in 2006, the city began issuing speeding tickets, too. “We have radar guns,” says Cline. “If [the speed limit] is posted 10 mph, that’s what it is.”

Wait a minute: There are speed limits on the Burke-Gilman? Yep. In Seattle, it’s 15 mph. King County hasn’t yet determined such a limit, but occasionally you’ll see a 15 mph sign randomly posted along the trail. And while Levi Leipheimer averaged nearly 33 mph to win the final time trial of the just-concluded Tour de France, a recent King County transportation study by the Transpo Group said the mean-average speed for Burke-Gilman riders was around 14 mph. (Also, most bicycles lack speedometers.) The problem, for both the CBC and Lake Forest Park, is erratic signage for the city’s reduced 10 mph zones. (A fast runner can also exceed this pace.) Riders passing north or south through Lake Forest Park will see only one such sign in each direction between Northeast 165th and 151st streets, but no indication where that zone ends.

Full article (Seattle Weekly)

My main issue with the above, is the 10mph limit in the above mentioned area. Try going 10mph. It’s much harder to keep a straight line and much harder to control the bike. I suppose the argument is that you can stop quicker, which is true given your stopping distance will be shorter. However, given both sides, it seems more dangerous at 10 than the usual trail speed of 15.

I’ll quote An Introduction to Bicycle Geometry and Handling - by Karl Anderson

This is why there is less sideways wheel movement at high speeds, and why a bicycle is more stable and easier to ride then. At low speeds, the smaller momentum of the rider requires that the front wheel must be moved farther to the right and left to keep everything supported.

Ironically, the “alternative” route for faster cyclists is Lake City Way (aka SR-522). You know, the six lane highway (with bus lanes) that has a posted speed limit of 45, but which most drivers do 50mph. It also appears to be under a perpetual state of construction. Yeah. Right.

Perhaps an open question. Do cyclists get to go 5 over too?

I’ve often thought that it’d be handy for some sort of non-verbal, easy to recognize signal for cyclists to give each other if they see cops with radar guns on the trail.

What if you were to just simply point to your speedometer as you passed people? A simple gesture which can give the oncoming cyclist a heads up that a radar gun is ahead? It reminds me of when trukers would flash their lights, signaling that a radar was ahead.

Or perhaps you just start riding without a speedometer/cyclocomputer and plead ignorance? “Hey I’m a seasoned commuter and in shape. It felt like I was doing 10 but you say it was 16?”

Just an idea.