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North Texas Riders Beware!!!

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By JENNIFER EMILY / The Dallas Morning News

Speed-limit signs posted on the county's rural roads may read 30 mph, but authorities say some drivers are taking the curves on two-lane highways faster than on Central Expressway.

After a rise in complaints from county residents, the Collin County sheriff's office will add a motorcycle officer in August to patrol the county's rural roads.

Two years ago, residents called in one or two speeding complaints a month. Then one or two a week. Now, dispatchers receive that many calls a day, sheriff's officials said.

A deputy will divide time between the Harley-Davidson and a patrol car. Federal grant money paid the $23,300 for the motorcycle and equipment.

"The goal is not to sit out on U.S. 75 and run speed traps," said Sheriff's Maj. Chuck Ruckle, who oversees operations. "It's to get out into the communities where our problems lie."

Officials from cities without police departments hope the motorcycle patrol will curb speeders who drive 40 or 50 mph over the limit.

"The further you get out in the county, people don't think we have speed-limit laws," said Lucas Mayor Tom Fleps.

Speeders are a common problem on FM1378, also known as Country Club Road, in Lucas.

Other common speed spots include Tarvin Road outside of McKinney, Stinson Road in Lucas and FM2862 in Westminster.

"There's a lot of people out there not necessarily driving safely," Maj. Ruckle said.

"It seems like every time we send a unit by there, nobody speeds. Then, as soon as we leave, it starts again."

Officials hope the motorcycle will blend in more easily or even hide among the trees.

City Secretary Eddie Sturgal of Lowry Crossing said some people drive 70 and 80 mph on Bridgefarmer Road, where the posted limit is 30. There were seven accidents there in June.

"Somebody's going to get killed out here. We've got to do something about it," Mr. Sturgal said.

The Sheriff's Department also wants the motorcycle officer to get to know the community. Maj. Ruckle said children tend to be drawn to motorcycles and ask questions. He hopes the interaction will lead to a relationship with the neighborhoods.
 
Crazy speeders

Howdy,

:tab You know, I like to zing along a good backroad, but I try to temper that with a little empathy for the locals. I used to live in town on a 30mph road. NO ONE did 30mph on that road! I would venture that the average speed was closer to 60mph and often higher. This was in town in a residental area!! We were on a hill so people would be accelerating up the hill as they passed our place. When we would be outside, the traffic noise was so constant and so loud, we could not even carry on a conversation. The cops would show up rarely, write a ticket or two, and then things would go right back to normal.

:tab There is an obvious tension here. I want to go fast on rural roads, but I feel that I need to respect the locals much the same way I wanted people to respect our neighborhood. It is a do unto others thing for me. I try to keep my antics more subdued and also limited to lightly populated areas.

:tab I think the speeding is just one more symptom of an overall larger problem. It just seems like common curtesy and respect of others has gone awol in our society. It seems to have been replaced with a "get out of my way, I have things to do and you are just a hinderance!" mentality. Unfortunately, since people seem incapable of self-control, the LEO have to get involved and everyone gets irritated. :roll:

:tab What to do...?!
 
I'm still enough of a novice that the speed limit is still a reasonable upper bound with me, but I'm finding it increasingly difficult to, er, reign in the 'priller on the back roads ("Honest, Mr. 10-95, it's not me, it's the bike. BAD Futura, BAD, BAD..." :) ).

Saw a moto-patrolman running radar this a.m. on 360. Cruised by at the limit, waved, he waved back, it was nice.

I ALWAYS observed the posted limits in the little towns I go through, it's my way of saying thanks for letting moto-folks ramble around your neck of the woods. I'd do that in my car, too, btw...
 
A rider's simple fantasy

:tab Often I fantasize about being Bill Gates wealthy and buying up tons of land to make private roads. This would be miles and miles of perfectly paved road surface, one way only at any given time, and not open to the general public. There would be dirt tracks, lakes for jet skis, canals that wind through the woods for jet skis, gas stations, restaurants, etc,... It would be a club membership thing just because of liability issues. There could be campgrounds, hotels, etc,... NO CARS!!! Well, at least there would be special days that were bikes only or cars only, hehe. It would be great to have a series of tracks that ran for about 50 miles or so that occasionally intersected so that different courses could be laid out. I envision riders from all over the world coming to visit. Bikes could be rented, manufacturers might show up for testing. Tires would never wear out... I did mention this was a fantasy right? :mrgreen:
 
A deputy will divide time between the Harley-Davidson and a patrol car.


Officials from cities without police departments hope the motorcycle patrol will curb speeders who drive 40 or 50 mph over the limit.


How's that HD gonna catch someone 40-50 over??????????? :lol:
 
Re: A rider's simple fantasy

Tourmeister said:
:tab Often I fantasize about being Bill Gates wealthy and buying up tons of land to make private roads. This would be miles and miles of perfectly paved road surface, one way only at any given time, and not open to the general public. There would be dirt tracks, lakes for jet skis, canals that wind through the woods for jet skis, gas stations, restaurants, etc,... It would be a club membership thing just because of liability issues. There could be campgrounds, hotels, etc,... NO CARS!!! Well, at least there would be special days that were bikes only or cars only, hehe. It would be great to have a series of tracks that ran for about 50 miles or so that occasionally intersected so that different courses could be laid out. I envision riders from all over the world coming to visit. Bikes could be rented, manufacturers might show up for testing. Tires would never wear out... I did mention this was a fantasy right? :mrgreen:

I swear I've had almost exactly the same dream recently. Why SHOULDN'T Bill Gates do something like this? After all, I hear that he gives millions to other worthy charities! :wink:
 
Bill Gates

In the old days of MS (before moving to Redmond and before the billions) there was a white board on the wall of the MS offices with names, dates and times posted on it. BillG always had the lowest time. It seems he and his Porsche 911 turbo always posted the lowest time from the office to the local airport. He did however acquire enough tickets to nearly have his license revoked. Bill's dad, head of the Washingtom state bar association might have intervened to help him keep it.

Must not have been any riders in the office...

-sbaker
 
The 959 was a story in and of itself. There was a way to get them into the country when he and Paul Allen ordered them (matching of course) but by the time they were delivered (these things were basically built to order) the government had changed the import rules and they were impounded and not allowed into the country. After months of wrangling Paul sold his to someone outside the country and bought a basketball team instead. BillG being the tenacious sort kept fighting for years with this car sitting in the customs impound yard in Seattle. He only sold it recently. The insurance companies, basically, won't let him drive anymore because of his driving record, worth and his profile as a target for terrorists and kidnappers.
-sbaker
 
Thanks for the scoop, sbaker. Wow, that sucks not being able to drive. I sure am glad I'm not that rich... ;)
 
Scott this my local stomping ground. Squids are ruining it for everyone out there. Somehow, someway, the DFW local net sites were posting routes, roads, etc. I'm majorly pissed, but I run a V1 and I stay away from the busier roads out there.
 
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