Az mb law flawed!

Let me preface my comment by saying I appreciate the fact that I'm allowed to operate my MB here in Az. legally.I also appreciate the efforts of Spooky tooth,Roland Bosma,rep. Tom Pezelzki and all others involved with Az. HB 2794 and the adoption of 28-2516.My concern is the top speed less than 20mph,I believe 25 or 30mph is a more logical choifrom our e like many other states have adopted.With the <20mph factor I'm illegal on my mb 75% of the time and considering the legal ramifications of no lic.,reg.,insur., your looking at big time trouble.My gebe kit cruises at 25-28mph on the open road which I am quite content with,less than 20mph makes a 10-15 mile commute to work an afterthought for most.I drive by officers regularly at speeds above 20mph and have never been stopped,I believe most officers are reasonable but we all know there are those who are not,and thats the rub.I'm somewhat under the radar in my town as I have only seen one other guy riding a mb in the past year,and regrettably I would like it to stay that way.I know that sounds selfish but more riders equals more attention and possible ordinances.They have already basically shut down the go-ped scene here because of complaints from our huge senior population here...Any thoughts?

I too think the 20mph is a little slow.....but considering we where not able to ride at all a 20 mph speed limit is a small price to pay.

A while back my chain tensioner fell off and I had to remove the chain just to pedal home. As I was going home I was pulled over for going 22 or 23 mph, I don't remember. The officer said even if I do not use the motor I still have to obey the 20 mph speed limit because just with the motor mounted on the bike I am still a motorized bicycle.

Their are a few here in Tucson who have gotten tickets for doing 21 mph. They just do not want us on the road.

Been practicing law for 10 years....still looking for a "perfect" law on anything.

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Sounds like you have a wonderful police force down there.How much are fines for 1mph over?If the fines are not excessive then it's not to bad,way better than no reg/ins/lic.It seems that Tuscon has had alot of publicity and all lately,maybe the attention level will subside with time.Again the whole "speed" issue should be based on safe operation.Under 20 is fine if your downtown in traffic and so forth,but if you're on the open road then it's kinda moot.I can appreciate the fact that they are issuing only a ticket and not trying to throw people in jail and such.I wonder if they can ticket a non-motorized bicycle for speeds greater than 20mph,if so,how ironic.Thanks for chimming in......BILL P

I enjoy my motorized bicycle every day.
I was followed by armies of mini bikes, go peds, atv's. motorized office chairs , and golf carts. LOL!
When I doubled back ( I ride the way my kids play nintendo in circles, endless circles.
There was usually a policeman ticketing the dog snot out of everybody but me. I am legal in the state of Arizona.
I removed my speed (o) meter .
Thank you Spookytooth.

I have lost way over 100 pounds. And enjoy a healthier lifestyle.
The only complaint I have is when I run out of gas in the middle of nowhere.

Hey spad , whats up! You seem to be pretty relaxed about the whole thing.I know ther is a heavy DPS presence up there on the 95,very aggressive ticket writers I might add,got me several times in my auto.How do they respond to the MB? I haven't recieved much attention down here in havasu but I still worry about it.Maybe I should just relax a bit.

Very true Houghmade,it really comes down to how the police interpret the laws.Anymore as I'm sure you know too many laws equate to "REVENUE ENHANCEMENT" for municipalities.Look what MADD did to the originally adequate DUI laws.Even though most "reasonable" and informed people realize it's an unconstitutional fiasco,it will never change due to revenue increase and the "guise" of public safety.OK, I think I'm officially off-topic now.Thanks..Bill

i just moved from tucson recently. and let me say, that you may feel 20mph is slow.
BUT thats a small price to pay for NOT having to:
have a driver license
carry insurance
register (blinkers, brake lights, mirrors, emissions, etc)
ride out IN TRAFFIC....you have your own lane, a free pass up to the light during rush-hour

you have to be thankful for the freedoms you have. some states want the whole gamut (nearly impossible) before you're legal.

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spunout, Point well taken,If i had to walk downtown I'd be up the creek.The mb surely makes it possible for me to get around quite easily as opposed to walkin or attempting to use the limited public transportation here and that I'm thankful for.......Thanks

The bike lanes here in the AZ suburbs are full of dog walkers, joggers, etc that shouldn't be there and the 20mph speed limit is designed to protect them. (Though they are breaking the rules, I'm glad that they are outside, being active). I also believe that 20mph is too slow, but I don't think the law will change in our favor.

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you forgot cars, pulled waaaay over in the bike lane, to turn right. i snapped the pic a little late....this car was 5 or 6 car-lengths back, before moving up to the corner.

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401-952-7064