Little Known VA Biker Law

[bikepilot]

For better or worse laws are (ostensibly) made with an assumption that prosecutorial discretion will prevent abuse - a revenue-focused enforcement approach is not "just doing their job," so slagging the coppers is well justified    I also wouldn't count out the possibility that the ticketed riders were riding side-by-side for a good ways before they stopped side-by-side.  The side-by-side law is dumb, but nothing new and not really any dumber than the well-known anti-lane sharing laws.  In general I'd rather share a lane with a cage - even though they are wider, they are typically driven better than most bikes I see (as sad as that is).

[DRKWNG]

so slagging the coppers is well justified 

Let's not go there, K? 

[ManaloEA]

Not sure who might be crazy enough to ride side-by-side in the same lane with another rider as it leaves you no escape route. Staggered formation has always been my preference. Most do pull along side on group rides at stops though, if for no other reason than to exchange comments and directions. This I've always done. How a cop then decides that I'm riding two-abrest if I pull up next to a stationary bike in the same lane is beyond me. In future I'll avoid it though and pull onto the shoulder to exchange directions! And when I next see my local state rep., he'll get an earful.  Probably not a great idea to argue with a very rural sheriffs deputy in a county with 15,000 residents!!! Going to VIR on Rt. 360 is already a nail-biter as there seems to be 0 MPH tolerance in the numerous radar traps along there. Nottoway County must be very poor...

I'm with you. I prefer to follow staggered, but I do pull up next to other bikes (who are already stationary) at lights. That being said, I watched four cars this afternoon, including a chesterfield county police car, scoot around a car that was stopped mostly in a straight lane, with it's front left tire in the let turn lane (traffic was backed up so that the car could only get the front left tire into the turn lane while avoiding the median). If I were to play the "letter of the law" card, they were all lane sharing because they were partly in the same lane as the car trying to get into the turn lane, but was still occupying the straight lane. Funny how the law is conveniently enforced, but is ignored when it serves a 'better purpose'.

And I know what you mean by the Near Zero tolerance on radar traps. I just try to maintain the same speed and act as if I know I am doing the speed limit.

Regarding the potential protest, I see what you mean. However if say 200 bikers show up for a valid reason (say to observe the court proceedings for a related issue), then it is merely an inconvenience that all the best parking spots were taken by motorcycles, and forced some 'dignitaries' to walk a couple hundred extra yards. Any key scratching just goes to prove the intolerance of cagers and further legitimizes legal proceedings.

[zooom]

   Going to VIR on Rt. 360 is already a nail-biter as there seems to be 0 MPH tolerance in the numerous radar traps along there. Nottoway County must be very poor...

I hear ya on that one brother...my preferred route to get there as well...I got pinched once by a statey when I was headed down there in my lil VW Rabbit pick up with 2 bikes in the bed and all the track gear loaded for bear....he caught me in a series of rolling up and downs outside Keysville when all I was doing was using gravity/enertia to try and keep a more constant rate of speed going with that lil 4 banger and said I was doing 73 when he pegged me just about to rise up off a downhill....he was polite when I explained and somehow I still got a stern warning along with my reduced ticket....

[ducati culture]

Thank you all this has been very informative..