Booked for bike rack????

[Cam070695]

A Middle age lady came in to my place of work today and asked us to remove her bike rack from her vehicle.

She then explained that it was due to being booked by the police for having a bike rack on her car.... I explained to her it is illegal to drive with the rack on with nothing on it.

Truth be told she only had the adapter on the tow ball, not the rack itself.

Be warned people, Dont drive around with your adapters!

 

[creaky]

It must have been blocking the number plate on her particular vehicle to get booked for only having the adapter on.

 

[BLKFOZ]

Didn't happen to be a Forester did it?
The early Forester towbar tongue actually covered the number plate and were illegal to have on when not towing. Luckily they moved the plate position on the later models like mine.
I've got bike rack plate and a light board on my rack as the fine is somewhere close to $400 and possibly demerit points.

 

[vtwiz]

It's illegal to drive around with a rack on your car with no bikes?? Even if it's not obscuring the number plate or tail lights??

So what happens when I have to drive somewhere to pick up a bike, thus having an empty rack?

I suppose its also illegal to drive around with an empty trailer???

Law's gone mad.

EDIT: Just looked on Vicroads and yes, it is illegal to have a rack on your car without a bike on it even if not obscuring the number plate or tail lights. How ridiculous!

I also found this :



"Do not overload the vehicle by carrying too many bicycles"...... They are some seriously heavy bikes!

Proves that Vicroads definitely are mad!

 

[indica]

use one of these.... www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSkBRskWdzs

 

[Nautonier]

A Middle age lady came in to my place of work today and asked us to remove her bike rack from her vehicle.

She then explained that it was due to being booked by the police for having a bike rack on her car.... I explained to her it is illegal to drive with the rack on with nothing on it.

Truth be told she only had the adapter on the tow ball, not the rack itself.

Be warned people, Dont drive around with your adapters!

Being illegal to not have a bike on a rack is retarded enough, but to book someone for having just a pissy little adapter (most certainly not obscuring the plate) is the most c**tish thing I've ever heard of. I'm generally a relatively law-abiding citizen, but if a cop booked me for an adapter, all self-control would be out the window (to my detriment)...

That's it, I'm super-glueing a 3" toy bike to my rack asap!

 

[vtwiz]

use one of these.... www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSkBRskWdzs

Excellent! I'm buying one.........will actually look forward to getting pulled over by the cops with one of those attached.

 

[John U]

It's illegal to drive around with a rack on your car with no bikes?? Even if it's not obscuring the number plate or tail lights??

So what happens when I have to drive somewhere to pick up a bike, thus having an empty rack?

I suppose its also illegal to drive around with an empty trailer???

Law's gone mad.

EDIT: Just looked on Vicroads and yes, it is illegal to have a rack on your car without a bike on it even if not obscuring the number plate or tail lights. How ridiculous!

I also found this :

View attachment 254339

"Do not overload the vehicle by carrying too many bicycles"...... They are some seriously heavy bikes!

Proves that Vicroads definitely are mad!

It's probably illegal to drive around with steel pipes hanging out the back of your truck also. An empty bike rack isn't too much different.

I thought this law was fuckin nuts when I first heard of it about 10 years ago. But I agree with it now. An empty bike rack sticking out about 4 feet in the air behind a car could be dangerous to cyclists, pedestrians, and moto riders when the cars is moving or parked.

 

[vtwiz]

It's probably illegal to drive around with steel pipes hanging out the back of your truck also. An empty bike rack isn't too much different.

I thought this law was fuckin nuts when I first heard of it about 10 years ago. But I agree with it now. An empty bike rack sticking out about 4 feet in the air behind a car could be dangerous to cyclists, pedestrians, and moto riders when the cars is moving or parked.

And yet a bunch of pipes hanging out the front of your car (bull bar) is OK?

I have a Thule Euroway 3 bike carrier. Is has a light board on it. It's easy to see.

Lot's of things could be dangerous.

 

[Dales Cannon]

There was a reply to a similar thread and someone mentioned they bought a bright pink 12" bike at a garage sale for about $10 to sit on the rack when he didn't have his downhill bikes on board. Chucked it in the back when the rack was full!

 

[John U]

And yet a bunch of pipes hanging out the front of your car (bull bar) is OK?

I have a Thule Euroway 3 bike carrier. Is has a light board on it. It's easy to see.

Lot's of things could be dangerous.

True. I think a rack with bikes on it would be less dangerous than a rack with out bikes. I put my bikes on the roof.

I would guess that the law is generally there to stop people driving around with them permanently mounted to the back of the car with nothing on it.

 

[Nautonier]

It's probably illegal to drive around with steel pipes hanging out the back of your truck also. An empty bike rack isn't too much different.

I thought this law was fuckin nuts when I first heard of it about 10 years ago. But I agree with it now. An empty bike rack sticking out about 4 feet in the air behind a car could be dangerous to cyclists, pedestrians, and moto riders when the cars is moving or parked.

The issue in question (in case you misread) is bike rack mounts, not racks. I'm sorry, but how on earth is a minuscule mount attached to a tow ball going to cause potential harm to anyone or anything? Seriously.

 

[Xavo.au]

Yeah the mount thing is ridiculous. I thought the empty bike rack law was stupid as well, but someone posted about a Policeman demonstrating it on a motorbike and the thing's at head height.

Probably the issue with having stuff at the front of the car is that you can see them and have more control over where they go.

Edit - and also because it's one of those laws that no-one ever knows about until A) you get booked or B) your mate gets booked and posts on rotorburn. I mean, who would think that having an empty bike rack is illegal...

 

[John U]

The issue in question (in case you misread) is bike rack mounts, not racks.

Not the post I was responding to though.

 

[0psi]

Uuummmm, so how the hell am I supposed to collect my bikes from the LBS/mates place/imaginary team HQ if having an empty rack is illegal?

Seems like one of those stupid long forgotten laws, my favourite of which is, "Bars are required to stable, water and feed the horses of their patrons". I keep meaning to test that one day.

 

[vtwiz]

The issue in question (in case you misread) is bike rack mounts, not racks. I'm sorry, but how on earth is a minuscule mount attached to a tow ball going to cause potential harm to anyone or anything? Seriously.

The original post does state bike racks being illegal. Either way, it seems that just the mounting hardware is illegal too.

Probably the issue with having stuff at the front of the car is that you can see them and have more control over where they go.

I have complete control of where my bike rack goes........ it follows the car. Having bikes mounted to it doesn't change that.

I can also see it when reversing just as well as you can see the rear bumper or boot of most modern/sloping sedans.

 

[Nautonier]

I mean, who would think that having an empty bike rack is illegal...

Who would think that taking your bike rack off and leaving the mount on was illegal? Taking the rack off is relatively easy on most systems and most people do it (if they know about that particular law), but taking the mounts off is a complete pain in the ass. Short of putting a shitter or kids bike on there permanently, there is no easy way around this problem for people who do not put their bikes on the roof.

 

[pharmaboy]

Who would think that taking your bike rack off and leaving the mount on was illegal? Taking the rack off is relatively easy on most systems and most people do it (if they know about that particular law), but taking the mounts off is a complete pain in the ass. Short of putting a shitter or kids bike on there permanently, there is no easy way around this problem for people who do not put their bikes on the roof.

Almost certainly it isnt illegal. The law says a bikerack, a mount is not a friggin bike rack and even the most stupid judge knows that, let alone the dumbest police prosecutor.

I would bet my left nut (not Lances) that it was obscuring a number plate, or the lady has it completely arse about.

 

[frensham]

Almost certainly it isnt illegal. The law says a bikerack, a mount is not a friggin bike rack and even the most stupid judge knows that, let alone the dumbest police prosecutor.

I would bet my left nut (not Lances) that it was obscuring a number plate, or the lady has it completely arse about.

+1 to that. There is no way you can get booked for having a bike rack mount on your tow bar. The number plate must have been obscured in some way.

 

[static_X3]

Can you fit a bike rack in the boot of your car? Only way around it if you needed to pick up a bike or dropped one off somewhere. Im sure 99% of cops wouldnt pull you over and if they did and you told them you were going to pick it up from somewhere they would let it go. Either this lady was a smartass, bitch, had history with this cop or indeed her plate was covered. Or the cop must really be an asshole!