for MAR Tickets for rear bike racks seem unfair, say some Calgary cyclists

[rob the knob]

MAR, because you have new hitch



Tickets for rear bike racks seem unfair, say some Calgary cyclists
But police say law is clear, licence plates must be clearly visible at all times
CBC News Posted: Jun 15, 2015 3:00 AM MT Last Updated: Jun 15, 2015 3:00 AM MT

Kevin Eklund is warning others that their rear bike rack may land them a $155 fine for obscuring any part of their licence plate.

Kevin Eklund is warning others that their rear bike rack may land them a $155 fine for obscuring any part of their licence plate. (Colleen Underwood/CBC)



Kevin Eklund wants to warn other cyclists that their rear bike rack could land them a $155 fine.

About a week ago, police pulled over the 34-year-old cyclist in downtown Calgary because they said his bike rack was blocking the registration sticker on his license plate.

Then, as they handed him the fine, they told him he should remove the rack when he's not using it.

"For the location that we live, next to the mountains, you know, going three times a week to the mountains to go mountain biking with my friends, and then on the weekends, having to not have a bike rack on my car or take it off when I'm not using it , it seems a little bit troublesome, " said Eklund.

Staff Sgt. Dean Vegso says according to Alberta's Traffic Safety Act, licence plates must be properly displayed.

"That way the police can run checks on the vehicle," said Vegso. "So when people either don't clear it or they put obstructions in front of it, it could constitute ticket...Do we see a lot of it? No. Is it high on the radar, is it a priority for the Calgary Police Service? No. Could you get a ticket? Of course."

Eklund says when he started to tell friends what happened, he heard similar stories from other cyclists.

Cyclist took photo of police van sporting rack

Trevor Anderson manages a bike shop called Calgary Cycle Road. He says he was driving to West Bragg Creek last summer when he was ticketed. He was carrying his bike on his rack at the time.

But, he says, he fought it — and won — by bringing in a picture of a Calgary Police van sporting a rack that covered its plate.

"I don't really know if, like, petitions or something could be done to get something like this changed, but there definitely needs to be something done about it 'cause you are picking on people for a really bad reason. That truly seems like a cash grab," said Anderson.

Vegso says police use their discretion when writing a ticket for this offence. And they don't usually fine drivers who are hauling a bike.

Eklund says he's hoping someone can come up with a solution.

"The manufacturers don't provide an extra plate to put the licence plate on the rack when you are using it. So the consumer is let down in the whole thing," said Eklund.

[rx7_turbo2]

Your license plate can't be obscured. There's a shocker

"Eklund says he's hoping someone can come up with a solution."

Eklund struggles with simple concepts it would seem

[italianstylez]

It's because lots of people leave them their to avoid radar tickets, Id probably do the same if I could.

[C_Dave45]

Can't be that hard to take your plate off the car and attach it to the bike rack. 30 seconds to unscrew 2 screws and even use just a zip strip to attach it to the rack.

[JRSC00LUDE]

Sometimes the simple answer is just to difficult, what a whiner.

[GQBalla]

I always see vehicles with bike racks that always block their plates.

The other day i actually saw a bike rack where the owner actually put his plate onto it so it was clearly visible too.

Eklund looks like a douche anyway

[killramos]

Is it it illegal to leave any kind of hitch on your vehicle when it's not being used due to bumper regulations anyways?

People who leave these things on their car without the intention of using them should be fined for havingn no taste anyways

[rage2]

The obvious answer is to setup a bike lane to bike to the mountains and not use a car.

[Sugarphreak]

...

[JRSC00LUDE]

Originally posted by rage2
The obvious answer is to setup a bike lane to bike to the mountains and not use a car.

slow clap.

[lilmira]

» Click image for larger version

I use roof rack. It looks better and I still take it off right away after using it because it looks even better without it. It's pretty simple.

Otherwise, pay and move on. Until they set up task force against hitch mount carrier obstructing license plate, it's non-issue.

[ekguy]

Probably a road biker...Mountain bikers aren't whiny bitches like this douchebag that's blind to simple solutions.

[blitz]

Originally posted by rob the knob
;The manufacturers don't provide an extra plate to put the licence plate on the rack when you are using it. So the consumer is let down in the whole thing," said Eklund.

I love the fact that he thinks Thule should give him an extra matching Alberta license plate

There's a black CTS-V downtown that always has a folded up rack that completely obscures the license plate, I'm betting he doesn't even own a bike.

[spikerS]

Originally posted by blitz


I love the fact that he thinks Thule should give him an extra matching Alberta license plate

There's a black CTS-V downtown that always has a folded up rack that completely obscures the license plate, I'm betting he doesn't even own a bike.

One of my co-workers has a bike rack, doesn't bike, and when you talk to him about it, he says it saves him from photo radar tickets and was worth the $200 investment.

[Khyron]

I can remove my hitch rack in about 20 seconds. Which I do. Every single time. I'm not sure what the rocket science is. That was one of the advantages over a roof system which is a lot harder to add/remove.

If I actually have my bike mounted, then STFU - no different than someone hauling crap from home depot with their trunk open.

[G]

Seriously, why even bother having a plate at all?

[Hallowed_point]

Originally posted by G


Seriously, why even bother having a plate at all?

Exactly..you might as well drive around with no plate or with a heavy black tinted cover. I'm ecstatic that they are finally enforcing this. Also agree that he probably is a whiny roadie. I see the same SUVS/cars daily on my commute with blockers/racks identical to this. Funny how they never have a bike on them and their vehicle doesn't look like it's ever touched a fire road.

CPS

[lil*tymer]

Originally posted by ekguy
Probably a road biker...Mountain bikers aren't whiny bitches like this douchebag that's blind to simple solutions.

HAHA come on dude, how often do you see a road bike on a rack? We ride our bikes to where we need to go. Definetely looks like an extreme mountain biker.

[gogreen]

Originally posted by blitz


I love the fact that he thinks Thule should give him an extra matching Alberta license plate

I assumed that was a poorly worded way of saying that the manufacturers don't provide a secondary mounting point for a licence plate and it's up to the consumer to find a solution. That is, perhaps the "extra plate" refers to a mount for one's licence plate?

Even so, it doesn't seem that it would be too hard to mount the licence plate somewhere visible, and it's a bit dense to play the victim. In the end he made the decision to keep the rack on because he found it troublesome to remove, and paid a premium for convenience.

I agree with the other comments that some of these seem blatantly intentional.

[ercchry]

Originally posted by lil*tymer


HAHA come on dude, how often do you see a road bike on a rack? We ride our bikes to where we need to go. Definetely looks like an extreme mountain biker.

so all those cars parked on or near 22x are there for.... ????