Police step it up on the Dragon
 

The state of NC just gave a grant to step up polics presence on the dragon. They gave out 158 tickets last saturday and sunday. 92 of which were given to motorcycles. Glad we had our meet 3 weeks ago:bash: :D :D

well....instead of tickets they could have been shooting at people/cars/bikes ~ :angst:

:rolleyes: :WTF: :WTF:

The week prior to the Alcyone Dragon Meet, there were 3 fatalities on The Dragon. There was already an increase on L.E.O. the weekend we were there. The cops that patrol up there on a regular basis aren't looking to just "write tickets". They're WAY more interested in nabbing the "stupid" people before they qualify for a Darwin Award.
If at all possible you NEED to try The Dragon on like a Wenesday late afternoon/evening. It's as deserted as any other country lane you know of. Granted if you treat it like your personal racetrack, it WILL burn you. But to all but have it to yourself MMMMMM CURVES!!!:drool: & Opposite Lock!!:woo:

great i think this marks the end of the dragon...
for me half the fun was not having to worry about getting a ticket.
well we all knew it was coming i'll have to drink to the death tommorow

Copied from www.TailofTheDragon.com :
BULLETIN AUGUST 12 - SUNDAY: Count for the day - four THP units and three Blount County units. Most of the day there were more LEOs than motorcycles. The Governor's plan has worked. US129 is now the safest highway in the state. Of course now there is no traffic.

Blount County SO makes harzardous turns in blind corners on the Dragon so watch it if you are on US129. SEE BOTTOM OF PAGE

I spent most of the day touring the empty roadway along with a few local motorists affraid to go over 25 mph. Engine kept overheating at this speed. Couldn't get pulled over for too many cameras. THP keeps waving at me like we are old friends.


It seems that the Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) has succeeded in "shutting down" The Dragon. Traffic counts are WAY down according to the previous website and www.killboy.com . TN has strict "anti cruising" laws that the THP is enforcing at $139 a pop.
Yes I agree that The Dragon was getting quite crowded in recent years. For the most part though the riders/drivers were quite respectful of the dangers. I usually "daytrip" up there 2-3 times a summer, and have NEVER had a problem with Law Enforcement Officers. (LEOs)
Last weekend I drove up to see if it really was that bad, and in a word, yes, it is. LEOs were everywhere & I got pulled over for what amounts to a legality check. I was let go when they noticed my camera/mount in my Pinto. Smile LEO you're on candid camera. From that point on I got the same smiles/waves that the author of the above got. DANG I never wanted a police scanner so bad!
I've sent copies of the video to both the THP main office & local Knoxville TN news desks. The video shows THP units violating the double yellow, and my "encounter" with a very rude THP sergeant. I'm hoping to get a call from one or the other.
Here's to hoping that they'll find ome other public menace to go after soon. Like the Meth Labs around here.

If The Dragon is still being outright hijacked by LEO's next year, I can come up with some local 2lane blacktop that would rival it for challenge & beauty. There is also plenty of camping & hotel accomodations for any sized group. We'd also have NO trouble with LEOs as I can get us an escort from the local sheriff's dept!

Good to know that if the dragon is "closed" next year then we will still have an alternative. I loced the part about the video camera. Good job.

I added a placemark to google earth, or maps here's the link to the roads in my back yard.
Linky: http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/showflat....gonew/1#UNREAD

Edit: it looks better in google earth than it does on google maps

Sucks for me as I was riding down there in 2 weeks. We're not going now. Looks like TN and NC succeeded in preventing an extra $1000 or so going to the local community there. I guess they're happy with the McTrailers they alreay have!:confused: At least my back won't have to endure the torture of a 1500 mile trip in 3 days on a 25 year old motorcycle.:D Should be the perfect place for the overgrown boys with gray hair to take their cruisers now.

I never took a trip to the Dragon. The more popular it became, the less likely a visit from me became. I love the idea of a windy country road, and the elevation changes look very appealing. But I do not love the idea of sharing that space with a thousand other boy-racer types (or pros, whatever, I don't care) traveling in the opposite lane. 3 fatalities in one week? Come on, you're seriously surprised or pissed that the police stepped it up? Good for them.

Take it to a track. Sign up for an autocross. Do a hillclimb.

It sucks for all of us who've ever enjoyed it. FYI the 3 fatalities were all the "overgrown boys". One couple in thier 70's on a trike, and one in his 40s on a cruiser.
{note: of all the sportbike accidents, only a VERY small percentage are the rider's fault, most are cars crossing the double yellow}
Granted there are quite a few one vehicle accidents that go unreported up there. The tree of shame will attest to that.
In the late afternoon/evening I've been known to exceed the speed limit, and cross the double yellow up there. I know that after about 6pm the traffic thins way out though. I NEVER cross the double yellow when I can't see ahead far enough to KNOW that there isn't any oncoming traffic. That applies to my daily drive as well.

EDIT: I don't bemoan the police presence, I DO bemoan the police overkill (C'mon 14 units in 11miles?!?), poor driving, and overall bad atittude towards what are essentially tourists.
http://www.tailofthedragon.com/pics2...wrong-lane.jpg
Nice to know they know what an apex is. However this isn't the place to clip them.

http://www.tailofthedragon.com/dragon_SHUTDOWN.html
info on how to put a stop to it found here e-mail there local commissioner, they tell you who to complain to and link you to there site