46: Steering Clear of the Law and the Strangest Traffic Rules

Image: PikiPiki Overland

Image: PikiPiki Overland

Graham Field

Graham Field

ADVENTURE RIDER RADIO motorcycle podcast presenter, Jim Martin, brings together an eclectic group of passionate motorcyclists for round table discussions on motorcycle travel. Each month, from around the world, the ARR RAW panel meets to discuss an array of topics and to answer listener questions.

The RAW travel panel includes your host and producer RAW and Adventure Rider Radio, Jim Martin, and panelists, Grant Johnson (Horizons Unlimited), Sam Manicom (Into Africa), Graham Field ( In Search of Greener Grass), Brian Rix and Shirley Hardy-Rix (The Long Way to Vladivostok).


RAW LISTENER QUESTIONS:

Have a question for the RAW panel? Send it to us here.

Shirley Hardy-Rix & Brian Rix

Shirley Hardy-Rix & Brian Rix

Sam Manicom

Sam Manicom

Jay Benson: Given that I do not particularly want to go off road for any great distance - and certainly not mud plugging - is there any advantage of having the “GS” style bike over a roadster? I notice that someone is covering the route from Vladivostok through Mongolia and the Stan’s - but on a GSXR600 with knobblies on.

Listener Question: I recently (with 2 friends) rode from the North to the South of France and then South to North through the Pyrenees and across to Santander. 12 days on the smallest back roads we could find and in the Pyrenees mainly on trails. I was on a Royal Enfield 411cc Himalayan and we had perfect September weather. Because of the crackdown on speeding in both France and Spain we religiously stuck to speed limits but on returning home one of my two riding partners got a penalty ticket and then a few hours later one dropped on my doormat also. We are all IAM riders and 2 are blue light trained. It turned out (using the power of Google maps and street view) we had both had a traffic light violation in a very small village. The front rider passed through the light on green and as I approached and crossed it changed to amber. As it went from amber to red the 3rd rider went through.

The 3rd rider accepted he had taken a punt crossing on the change to red but It appears that in France that it is illegal to cross on amber. That isn't the case in the UK where you can. So, 90 euros lighter I would pose the following question - What is the strangest traffic rule that you have come across on your travels and been caught by - not counting corrupt cops?


Susan & Grant Johnson

Susan & Grant Johnson

Steering Clear of the Law While Traveling:

Stories of run-ins with the law and the keys used to get free or avoid bigger problems. What can you do to avoid run-ins before they happen? Do you or should you avoid law enforcement in some countries? When you get pulled over, what methods can you use to handle corruption, right on the side of the road?


LINKS:

Sam Manicom: http://www.sam-manicom.com

Shirley Hardy-Rix & Brian Rix: https://www.aussiesoverland.com.au/books/.


ARR RAW IS AN UNSCRIPTED ROUND TABLE PODCAST, HOSTED, EDITED AND MIXED BY JIM MARTIN. PRODUCED BY ELIZABETH AND JIM MARTIN, CREATORS OF THE WORLD’S MOST POPULAR MOTORCYCLE PODCAST, ADVENTURE RIDER RADIO.


Music: "Turbo Tornado" by Admiral Bob 2016 - Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) ccmixter.org/files/admiralbob77/54272 "DIRT ROAD TRAVELER" Jason Shaw Creative Commons Music by Jason Shaw on Audionautix.com
Posted on November 19, 2019 and filed under ARR RAW.