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Is the Blue Ridge Parkway inherently dangerous?
- Thread starter Rick del Monte
- Start date
- Status
pglaves
#13338
The last time I was on the Parkway it might have been dangerous, and it was terrifying. It was lightly raining but the real hazard was fog. I was with Voni and one other rider. Visibility was about two bike lengths. Voni, following me, lost sight of my four-way flashers at about that distance. I had to look angled downward to tell where the road was. Too fast and I could hit whatever might be ahead. Too slow and we could be nailed from behind by an errant driver. Pullouts were hard to find. After a while I took the first downhill road to get to lower elevation and out of the fog. It was not a fun ride.
daveslash5
Member
As tickets should be! Laws without enforcement are just suggestions.
Rick del Monte
Member
Paul, this happens all the time. On a cloudy day you start climbing up the Parkway and suddenly find yourself in the clouds: drizzle, wet roads, no visibility, and you have to keep riding till you find an overlook. I won't go up there if I sense the clouds are low. The micro climates in the mountains can be pretty extreme. I have started rides on a warm sunny day, cross over a ridge and found myself in the rain and cold. The changing conditions are one of the things that make riding in the mountains entertaining.
My house is at 3,200', and sometimes we are below the clouds, sometimes in them, and sometimes below them.
Visian
look out!!!
Never ride the BRP in the rain/fog/snow….
Most people who fall there on cruisers are not looking at the road, they’re looking at the view, then a curve sneaks up on them and they have to lean too hard.
It’s kind of amazing that they sell bikes that will crash due to this
pglaves
#13338
It did not take me long to figure that out once we hit the rain/fog.
davidsanders
New member
I was on it a couple of weeks ago, riding from my house near the northern end to Waynesville, NC with an overnight stop in Little Switzerland, NC. It was a Thursday, light traffic, and I was able to enjoy the road at a comfortable speed limit + 10% - fast enough to have fun but not so fast to be a menace to society. All was well until it started to rain, and then rain turned into rain and fog. The temperature dropped from a comfortable 84 to a not-so-comfortable 64. The rain and fog were clearing up and then the most interesting part of the ride happened: I was rounding a curve and then traffic stopped. I could see blue lights ahead but the park police were not there for a collision. A tree had fallen over and was blocking the road and we all had to wait wait for a maintenance crew to arrive with chainsaws to remove it. They did, but I sat there in the rain while they worked. I was only 10 miles from my hotel.
The road's not dangerous, but you do have to increase your situational awareness while you're on it.
The road's not dangerous, but you do have to increase your situational awareness while you're on it.
Visian
look out!!!
The real risk is getting hit from behind. Thank goodness it’s pretty easy to get off in a lot of places.
A curve sneaks up on them? There's about 10 curves per mile on that road. A curve shouldn't be a surprise to anyone riding it.
Some years back while heading to the Ga Mtn Rally (first weekend in May) a buddy and I were headed south along the BRP. Along part of the way we got into fog. My buddy was on a R100RT; I could not see his bike or tail light at all. At some point we switched bikes, still foggy. I was on a new 94 R1100RS and I had added some LED tail light / brake lights to augment the stock rear lights. Were it not for the LED lights I would not have been able to see my bike at all. As it was we made very slow progress along that part of the BRP. At one stop a local said to make certain to keep "mustard" on the left and "mayonnaise" on the right. I got it pretty quickly; I also decided no more riding on the BRP in the fog.
wbrownell9
New member
I have to confess...
I was on the BRP one day behind a "loud pipes" group. We climbed into the fog, the only thing that gave me any directional sense was those stupid pipes. Did they save my life? We may never know...
I was on the BRP one day behind a "loud pipes" group. We climbed into the fog, the only thing that gave me any directional sense was those stupid pipes. Did they save my life? We may never know...
lee
Debbie's Servant
One friend who got a ticket in a National Park was told by the officer the Federal ticket would not get reported and show on his record and it seems like the fine was not that bad.
I've never hired a lawyer to get out of a ticket.
If I get a ticket, I pay it. The only time I got what I felt was a unfair ticket was when a plane clocked me for 10 over while passing a car in Iowa.
Luckily Debbie did not pass at the same time.
At the time in Iowa it was illegal to go over the limit when passing, so why waste the money fighting it when it's law.
The other reason was tickets were really cheap in Iowa when that happened
akbeemer
SURVIVOR
One friend who got a ticket in a National Park was told by the officer the Federal ticket would not get reported and show on his record and it seems like the fine was not that bad.
I've never hired a lawyer to get out of a ticket.
If I get a ticket, I pay it. The only time I got what I felt was a unfair ticket was when a plane clocked me for 10 over while passing a car in Iowa.
Luckily Debbie did not pass at the same time.
At the time in Iowa it was illegal to go over the limit when passing, so why waste the money fighting it when it's law.
The other reason was tickets were really cheap in Iowa when that happened
It irks me when people complain about getting a ticket when they were speeding and deserved it. I have not received a ticket in 36 years (a month or so before my daughter was born, hence the precise memory), but I've been stopped for speeding several times, and deserved a ticket every time. I am resolved to accepting what I deserve if I do receive a performance award and will tell the LEO thanks for his service (I may whimper like a baby afterwards tho). I do not volunteer information, but I do not lie; I am polite and cordial, but I do not call the LEO Sir, I call them what they are (Officer, Deputy, Trooper), calling a 35 year old Trooper Sir must come across as in sincere groveling to the LEO; I make an effort to not give the LEO reason to be concerned about my behavior and follow instructions; I have all my documentation and know where it is (my license is all ways under my military retiree ID card, can't hurt if he sees it). And, it catches them off guard when they see white hair and a white beard. A good friend's son is a Montana State Trooper. He said it is not uncommon to be greeted by a motorcyclist with, "What the F#@k do you want?", or something similar. Not particularly helpful.
jr31
New member
“Deserving” a speeding ticket.
Now that’s some funny stuff.
If that and that alone is the citation, I’d call that getting caught up in an extortion scheme. Not sure how one deserves that, but I’ll think on it some more.
I treat LEOs in a fashion similar to anyone I perceive as armed and dangerous…because they’re normally both. They’re almost always at least one of the two.
I’m neither disrespectful nor respectful. I don’t say “sir” or “officer” and I don’t brandish a VA card in the hopes that a kindred soul will not give me what I know I “deserve.” I attempt to communicate that I am neither hostile nor supportive. I say very little and I don’t respond to anything but binary questions. As I don’t aggress others or steal or destroy their property, I can assert that all of my interactions with LEOs have been a waste of my time and mostly about how profitable I could be made for the company they work for.
I haven’t had a ticket in decades. The last time I did, it was bull****…even if I “deserved” it. Will be the same next time.
For my part, I’d rather pay a larger registration fee (maybe 10X) to go fast than have random polyester paramilitary kids pull me over and extract the money that way.
Deserve…
That’s just awesome!
Sold!
Now that’s some funny stuff.
If that and that alone is the citation, I’d call that getting caught up in an extortion scheme. Not sure how one deserves that, but I’ll think on it some more.
I treat LEOs in a fashion similar to anyone I perceive as armed and dangerous…because they’re normally both. They’re almost always at least one of the two.
I’m neither disrespectful nor respectful. I don’t say “sir” or “officer” and I don’t brandish a VA card in the hopes that a kindred soul will not give me what I know I “deserve.” I attempt to communicate that I am neither hostile nor supportive. I say very little and I don’t respond to anything but binary questions. As I don’t aggress others or steal or destroy their property, I can assert that all of my interactions with LEOs have been a waste of my time and mostly about how profitable I could be made for the company they work for.
I haven’t had a ticket in decades. The last time I did, it was bull****…even if I “deserved” it. Will be the same next time.
For my part, I’d rather pay a larger registration fee (maybe 10X) to go fast than have random polyester paramilitary kids pull me over and extract the money that way.
Deserve…
That’s just awesome!
Sold!
Last edited:
akbeemer
SURVIVOR
Visian
look out!!!
It's not the cost of the ticket that is bad. It is the rise in insurance that is bad. Double the ticket cost but your insurance rate shouldn't go up up.One friend who got a ticket in a National Park was told by the officer the Federal ticket would not get reported and show on his record and it seems like the fine was not that bad.
I've never hired a lawyer to get out of a ticket.
If I get a ticket, I pay it. The only time I got what I felt was a unfair ticket was when a plane clocked me for 10 over while passing a car in Iowa.
Luckily Debbie did not pass at the same time.
At the time in Iowa it was illegal to go over the limit when passing, so why waste the money fighting it when it's law.
The other reason was tickets were really cheap in Iowa when that happened
I do speed moderately and when necessary keep up with or slightly ahead of the traffic flow. My concern with receiving a traffic ticket is an unbearable increase in my Canadian insurance. Currently insuring two bikes and one small trailer is north of $2000 annually (licenced since '72 with no claims or tickets). This does not include the car. I mistakenly thought I'd save money last year during COVID by dropping one bike from the policy but lost the two bike discount and the rate increased.
I have yet to ride the Parkway but would strictly adhere to the posted speed limits as I am certain that an out of country plate would merit a ticket over a more local rider.
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