Other Stuff
Riding like the wind
By HAYLEY SEENEY
29jun05
A MOTORCYCLIST who was travelling the same speed as the wind in a category 3 cyclone might never be caught.Police have been trying to find the biker since clocking the motorcycle at 224km/h, 15km south of Ingham in January. The motorcycle was going so fast that the police highway patrol officer could not even get the colour of the bike or the registration number.With such little information to go on, the rider has not been identified.Describing the speed as ludicrous, police are calling on someone in the community to dob him in.Police say unless information is forthcoming from the public, the rider may never be found. The speed is considered to be one of the highest recorded on Northern Region roads, and prompted police warnings for motorists to drive to road conditions and stick to speed limits.In the past week, police have clocked two vehicles travelling nearly double the speed limit.A light coloured sedan was clocked travelling at 197km/h on the Bruce Highway, south of Home Hill, on Sunday.On Thursday night, a 17-year-old provisional driver was caught travelling at 154km/h in a 80km/h zone along University Drive, Townsville.Both drivers face $700 fines and the loss of their licences for six months.On January 2, a police highway patrol car was travelling near Helen's Hill, south of Ingham, when the motorcyclist flew past at 224km/h.At the time police labelled the speed sheer lunacy.Winds have to be travelling between 170 and 224km/h for a system to be declared a category 3 cyclone.Regional traffic co-ordinator Inspector Brian Richardson yesterday said if a speed camera van had been on the highway that day and the bike had a legible number plate, the rider would have received his $700 fine in the mail.Insp Richardson said police crews had to make split decisions on whether to pursue people travelling at such speed."We have very strict policies in relation to urgent duty driving," Insp Richardson said."In this circumstance they quite obviously haven't pursued because of the risk involved for not only police but once a pursuit starts there are outcomes dependent on road conditions, the time of day, the volume of traffic."Other dangers can arise in those circumstances."It all depends on the circumstances."Insp Richardson said other police patrols along the highway were alerted about the motorcyclist.He said anyone travelling as fast as the biker could easily be killed."Anyone who rides a motorbike at that speed on our roads like that, where there is other traffic, where you don't know what could jump out in front of you, you must have rocks in your head to sit at that speed," he said."Our roads aren't designed for those speeds up around 200km/h."You have no protection on a bike."Anyone with information about the motorcycle rider should contact their ass