Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
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, By GUEST EDITORIAL PETER JONES Blue Ridge Speedway? f the world's many racetracks, a few stand out because of their exceptional length and unusual challenges. Road America is over four miles around and is loved by all who race down its numerous highspeed straights that each allow a bike to be revved to redline in top gear. One lap of the public roads making up the circuit of Isle of Man is 37 miles; through villages and countryside and over a mountain, the one-time GP track is proof of English insanity. And then there is the Blue Ridge Parkway, with nary a stop sign or traffic light on its 469 uninterrupted miles of winding joy. But, hopefully, as you should already know, the Parkway is, in fact, not a racetrack. And although it might not have red lights, it does have a speed limit. In concert with the growing popularity of motorcycles, there has been a sharp increase in the number of accidents on the Blue Ridge Parkway. From 1997 to 2002, the Parkway recorded an increase in motorcycle accidents of over 60 percent. And 80 percent of those accidents involved a single bike. And, basically, 100 percent of those accidents are the result of operator error. The Park Rangers of the Blue Ridge Parkway are well aware that it is a popular road for all types of street-bike riders. They also know that far too many sportbike riders do not respect that the Parkway is not a racetrack. You need to know that this concern has caused them to alter their policing of speeding motorcycles and to institute a number of policy and prosecution changes. And don't take any of this lightly. Unlike your local municipal, county or state police, the Park Rangers are officers employed by the United States of America. They have more resources and "firepower" than any force you might ever do business with. Or rather, more resources than any force that might do its business to you. Some of the motorcycle traffic on the Parkway is riders from the area, while many others come to ride the southern end of the Parkway in North Carolina from all over the world, having heard about its famous curves and smooth roadway. The southern end is the most popular because it has the most challenges, highest elevation, and most curves. So it is likewise the most dangerous section. Some consider it as a bit like a roller coaster of pavement. And it ends at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, about a half-hour drive from Deals Gap, another road famous among bikers. The Parkway Rangers noticed that some riders from the O Asheville area started timing how long it takes them to ride to the Parkway's end, whenever they head down to the Dragon's Tail of Deals Gap. The rider's point, of course, being to achieve a new personal best. The judgment of doing that has always been dubious, but now so is the chance of its success. With the cooperation of the United States Attorney's office, the Blue Ridge Parkway Rangers have taken a number of steps to wage war against motorcycliSts who are flagrantly speeding. Don't misunderstand - I met with Chief Park Ranger John Garrison and District Ranger Tim Francis, and it's clear that there is no antibike agenda on the Parkway. Public safety is their job, and they take it personally when they have to respond to a call to times, the Rangers make more stops. "A stopped vehicle influences others to slow down because it wakes them up to the Rangers' presence," Garrison said. "We think every time we stop someone, we affect another 15 to 20 drivers." "We've also begun some special enforcement techniques such as increased radar usage and others that we can not divulge," Ranger Francis said. "There were too many speeders coming through the courts, so we upped the fines, and [we now] have a $500 fine for two violations we can now ticket at the same time." Those two violations are Aggravated Speeding and Careless And Reckless Driving While Speeding. And just one speed can win the combined $1000 bill. The Parks Rangers aren't idiots - they n't work, it's because most Americans don't want it. No matter how popular a complaint it might be on the local level, there can be no accusing the Park Rangers of filling quotas. They have no quotas and no need for them; they work for the richest nation in the world. Just last year, Parkway Rangers were stopping riders weekly who were traveling at over 100 mph. The new ticket prices have helped. But there is also a problem with some riders not stopping when they are signaled to pull over. To address that, last summer the infraction of evasion was raised to the level of a felony. And the U.S. District Attorney gives the infraction soul by standing hard for incarceration and/or serious fines. There are, right now, some who have found out that truth the hard way. "We don't want to get into a chase, but we will do it," Ranger Francis said. "It endangers others, so we don't like doing it. And we have the most liberal rules for pursuit for any law-enforcement agency. We can basically chase you anywhere and forever." As Ranger Francis also told us, they don't enjoy chases, and they don't particularly enjoy putting people in jail. The decision to evade is considered a serious one, because it involves not just the motorcyclist but law~enforcement personnel and innocent bystanders. "It takes a relatively minor offence and turns it into a very serous matter," clean up the sorry mess of a biker hitting a tree or launching off into an abyss. They are also concerned about maintaining the Parkway as a democratically enjoyable experience. Bikers going at flagrant speeds scare people. You might not like thinking about that, but we all know it's true. One means of addressing the problem of speeding motorcycliSts was to increase policing during the three peak park-usage days and months: Friday, Saturday, Sunday, August, September, October. During those know that if a rider is going well above the speed limit, he is also passing cars over the double yellow and ruining the Blue Ridge Parkway experience for countless families. It all comes down to our basic precept of the Declaration of Independence and the pursuit of happiness. It's fine to be happy, but it's not fine to get your happiness at everyone else's expense. Majority rules. If you want to have the Parkway made into a racetrack, start a petition and contact your local congressman. And if that does- Francis said. And it is rare for an evader to escape. The Blue Ridge Parkway is uniquely rural, meaning there are very few places to go. And as we've all known since the days of Marconi, you might outrun one Ranger's vehicle, but you'll never outrun his radio. The Park Rangers are as concerned about an evading motorcycle rider's health as they are about everyone else's health. That's why they are hopeful that bikers hearing about their policing policies might stop a problem before it starts. Ranger Francis particularly takes his job seriously and, like you and I, he is affected by tragedies he witnesses. He also pointed out a few other truths about Park Rangers that are little known - such as that they are the most assaulted of all lawenforcement officers. And they have to attend to all the same problems that characterize our urban communities: rolling meth labs, domestic disputes between crazy campers who can't leave their troubles at home, and so on. And the first contact for a Ranger is usually alone. The bottom line is, a day at the racetrack costs less than $1000. The math is simple. eN CYCLE NEWS • SEPTEMBER 28, 2005 79