I'm a little mad...

erickster

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3:54 PM
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Apr 2, 2008
Messages
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I went riding this weekend. It was really a "first time" ride that exceeded 1 mile. Before I rode, I had been dreaming about riding my bike down this new "bike trail" they put in that runs next to one of our major freeways. It attaches my community to the beach! It's about a 5 or so mile path along a new highway that made commuting 100X easier for those who worked closing to the coast & for those who wanted to hit the beach. So I did-- I took off, and got all the way there, and then turned around to see a fat sign that said, "NO MOTOR VEHICLES OR MOTORIZED BICYCLES"

At this point I had no choice but to ignore it and ride back. I'm a little frustrated though. This new path is a PERFECT way for me to get to the beach and back without taking extremely dangerous, and out of the way busy backroads. It's paved, and nice and wide, and even has "lanes". I rode on a Sunday afternoon and must have passed a total of 3-4 bikers in an hour. I wasn't causing any problems, and you CAN'T complain about the noise because I couldn't even hear my bike over the freeway noise!

Legally, in San Diego, CA (here)-- you can't even ride without applying for a license. It's easy, but it seems silly. I haven't put the plate on my bike-- first of all, it looks dumb, and I don't want to spend money buying a mount for it.

So far, having a motored bike has been fun, but a lot of the real "commute" opportunities have been taken away from me. The trail I most looked forward to riding isn't even legal for me to ride on, I need a special license, and the streets are so busy, I'm afraid of getting hit.

California is all about "being green"-- shouldn't they support a vehicle that gets 150 MPG?? :mad:
 
I have the same problem. Bike trail all the way to work. But I have to ride on the
shoulder of the highway. If they did open it up to MBs rest assured some dimwit would
be riding his 5HP MB at 45 mph scairing moms with their kids and dogs.

The few dictate what we can do. Laws are not thought up by the state. The state responds
to the idiots.


Keep our rep clean folks.


A
 
man that sucks. you might try faking the pedals and hitting the kill when needed. no they just want to drill, not change things. keep your chin up. read and carry laws that help. start a movement, thats california
 
I can't even ride on the shoulder of the highway. :-/ I wouldn't want to! And yea-- I hit the kill everytime I came up to a biker. I'm sure some of them didn't even notice I was on a MB, but still. I'm the kind of guy who hates breaking the law. My dad's a cop... lol.

Also-- the thing about this trail, is I've NEVER seen anyone WALK it. It's not that kind of trail. The "trail" starts on the corner of a busy intersection, not in a neighborhood or anything. It just LOOKS like it was MEANT for MBs.. heh. There's no signs anywhere when you're riding THERE, they all face the opposite way. It was a surprise to me!
 
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Then just Ride be polite talk to people, (the locals) and have fun.
The first infraction should be a warning only. Keep us posted!

A
 
Yeah, I'm still looking for that "dream spot" where I can ride for miles along the coast and feel like I'm doing it legally and safely.
 
one of the reasons i went to electric. we have 50 miles of paved bike trails. sign also says no motorized bikes BUT an electrical assisted bike is legal and not considered a motorized vehicle in most states ..

mount a front 408 hub and have the best of both worlds. use electric for the bike paths and gas for the highways Heck the 408 with 4 sla 12 amp hour battery's at 48 volts with run 30 plus mph and at least 15 to 20 miles on a charge and you would then be legal in CA
 
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