Is that a Radar Gun, or are you just happy to see me?

Apr 15, 2001 - © Too-Cool from Saskatchewan - Canada

This was just too strange to ignore. Below is Too-Cool’s odd story of a Police encounter of the third kind. Contact!

Last November 30 I took my road bike out for a spin in the city. I was moving pretty good and going through a school zone with a 40km/hr speed limit. I noticed right beside the road was a dumpster which seemed totally out of place. When I looked back up again a second later a cop came out from behind the dumpster and flagged me to stop which I did. Once I came to a stop I noticed the cop had a portable radar set up and had his bike parked behind the dumpster. He came up to me and said, "Do you realize your speed was 42km/hr and you were rapidly accelerating towards 50km/hr?" I didn't know if he was serious or not but assumed no way, this guy is on a bike and he saw me on a bike and thought it would be cute to zap me with the radar gun and stop me, Ha-Ha. He then asked me for my car drivers license which I wasn't carrying (like you need one to ride a bike) and then asked me for my name which I stupidly supplied. He then proceeded to write me an $80 ticket. When I saw him writing the ticket I started to get mad and wanted to clobber the guy. I immediately came back to reality and didn't go through with the act of violence.

When he handed me the ticket I was so pissed I said to him "Having trouble meeting your quota this month pig?" He gave me a dirty look and proceeded to tell me to shut up. He then asked me for my bike license that I produced (to his shock) and said I had to wear a helmet, which was BS, and I told him that. A few words later I was on my way vowing to fight this injustice.

I waited patiently for the court date on the ticket ready to fight it. I noted every argument I wanted to make such as it is not mandatory to have a speedometer on a bike, there was no cars in the area to gauge my speed and that your reaction and senses are much more rapid on a bike. I even borrowed my friend's suit and did my hair back up into a ponytail to look respectable. I went over my defense with a law student friend of mine and he said I should probably win.

The copyright of the article Is that a Radar Gun, or are you just happy to see me? in Mountain Biking is owned by Too-Cool from Saskatchewan - Canada. Permission to republish Is that a Radar Gun, or are you just happy to see me? in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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