Over 20mph in Tucson...you're a MOPED

spunout

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This is kind of on-topic with Torques' deal, but this is a Tucson thing right here. OK, the following, in part, is from the Tucson Police Dept web site, here: http://tpdinternet.tucsonaz.gov/Services/
under sub-heading 'Motorized Bicycles'.

What is a motorized bicycle?
Arizona State law, Title 28, defines motorized electric or gas powered bicycles or tricycles as a bicycle or tricycle that is
equipped with a helper motor that has a maximum piston displacement of 48 cubic centimeters or less, or an electric motor of
less than 750 watts (1 hp), that may also be self-propelled and that is operated at speeds of less than twenty miles per hour.
If you exceed 20 mph you are no longer covered under this exemption - this means you will be treated as a moped and
subject to license, registration, insurance and other operational conditions and will be subject to a citation(s) by the
Police Department and your vehicle could be towed under the mandatory impound law.


so, this is how they deal with going 21mph? If a passenger vehicle is capable of exceeding the maximum speed limit on Interstates, or can reach speeds of 200+mph, why then, aren't they considered racecars when doing more than the allowed limit?
 
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I think what they are saying is that it is OK to have the capability of going faster than 20, but they better not catch you going faster. The FAA has a similar regulation pertaining to ultralites...max of 63 mph or you have to be an experimental. Mine would do 90, and I still qualified. Of course radar doesn't work well straight up, and there aren't many squad cars over 500 feet of altitude.

Then we are back to the Torques dilemna. Officers word against the perp's word. The burden of proof is supposed to be with the legal system to maintain the innocent against proven guilty idea. Unfortunately, it doesn't always work that way. Then you get into the common sense approach. Say you are passing a vehicle, and he accelerates, and you notice a semi coming toward you, do you accelerate to safely get around him and become a criminal, or do you maintain the speed limit and become a corpse? I have an uncle who was police chief for years, and we used to talk about this. My theory was that the whole reason for laws was to have a guidline to maintain order, and prevent people from hurting each other, or damage property. He thought that was cool, and wanted me to apply for his job so he could retire. Since then, it has just gotten too complicated in my opinion. Then again if I was a legal expert I wouldn't be using a bicycle as a daily driver right now. What happened to something that should be so simple to create situations like Torques. He didn't bother anybody, and had to spend jail time? That is just wrong.

Sorry to ramble so much, but this whole idea really bothers me. Maybe somebody with more expertise can explain it.

Denny
 
The speed limit in school zones is 20 MPH. Now you can go much faster, but then you get a ticket. Having spent time in Tucson, and having seen first hand the mental midgets behind the wheel, I don't think I want to go faster than 20 on ANY bicycle there. Cruse toward Oracle or out by the base, and I don't think any LE will care. Downtown or by the college and act like a jerk, you stand a good chance of getting pulled over. Speed limits are for safety. Maybe not yours but the other guys. Maybe it is not fair,, and if so , get the laws changed. And those in Tucson, go by Chacos on Craycroft and ask the lady who owns the place for a smothered burrito. Good food and a great town.
 
i'm not griping about wanting to go more than 20mph...thats perfectly fine. but getting busted for going just a tad over, and getting another driving under suspension, no ins, no reg., AND impound? thats excessive.
isnt a fine enough? even a hefty one? going 36 in a 35 doesnt change your dodge neon to a top-fuel funny car.
 
alternative?

You could always get yourself a motored skateboard. They are definitely prohibited by law to be ridden on the sidewalk or street in Tucson but the penalty is far less severe (civil traffic $500 max fine and it's not a criminal offense). I found one called a skaterX that will do 30 mph with it's little 2-stroke engine, lol. I dunno if I like the idea of going that fast standing up tho.

SkaterX
http://www.gasscooters4u.com/product_info.php?products_id=221

TCC Law pertaining to motored skateboards
http://library4.municode.com/mcc/li...p&s_addFilter=1&s_addFilter=2&hash=0-0-0-2883
 
i'm not griping about wanting to go more than 20mph...thats perfectly fine. but getting busted for going just a tad over, and getting another driving under suspension, no ins, no reg., AND impound? thats excessive.

Right on! That is excessively punitive. Sheesh!
 
There is no language written anywhere that says a motorized bicycle becomes a moped after twenty miles per hour and there is no language that spells out penalties.
 
there is no language that spells out penalties
Anyone who's lived here very long knows that LE does whatever the heck they want to. The night that the City Council voted to ban stand-up scooters the Chief of Police was quoted (I saw him on two different TV station news reports) as saying "we have no intention of enforcing that ordinance". I try real hard to stay under 20 mph, but the nutty-*** traffic around here requires that we keep a lot sharper eye on cagers than on the speed-o-stat. I topped 30 coming down Gates Pass on Sunday with the motor off, if they try to put the pinch on me for being under the (auto) speed limit with no motor running, there's going to be a (legal) battle.
 
There is no language written anywhere that says a motorized bicycle becomes a moped after twenty miles per hour and there is no language that spells out penalties.
i get that. what i'm trying to find out from them, is this:
"If you exceed 20 mph you are no longer covered under this exemption - this means you will be treated as a moped"
i havent gotten any anyswer to this, as far as where they get jurisdiction.
i asked if city council approved this, or is this just something the police dept took upon themselves to enact. so far, nobody i have spoken with knows for sure.
 
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