Bicycle Law Enforcement: Enforce Laws With Mutual Respect

[Kennah]

A really great read!

Author Kirby Beck is retired after 28 years with the Coon Rapids, Minn. Police. He is a certifed IPMBA police cyclist instructor trainer. He is an expert witness in bicycle crash cases.

http://lawandordermag.epubxp.com/title/12194/54

America's roads were first paved in the late-1800s after extensive lobbying by bicyclists, then known as "wheelmen."
...
Roads are still for moving people and motor vehicles are but one type of conveyance by which people move.
...
[A cyclist] hugging the edge of the road is actually dangerous for a number of reasons.
...
Seeing and treating cyclists as an expected and respected part of traffc will undoubtedly be a new idea for many police offcers and their administrators.

[vanamonde]

1. Just about the best summary

of the issue that I have ever seen. And written by a law enforcement officer to boot. This should be required reading at all driving schools and driver's ed classes. If motorists understand why law abiding cyclists do what they do there would (I hope) be less animosity.
And, to be fair, cyclists should be licensed as well.

[bhikkhu]

3. I'd be in favor of a cycling component to the written driving test

as a person needs to know what the rules are for those they share the road with too. Most everyone gets a driver's license anyway, and you should be able to predict, at least, what cyclists will do.

I grew up and learned the rules of the road for cycling safely years ago, and have a good 100,000 miles or so with no car-related incidents. The worst thing now is that I rarely see anyone riding, especially young people, who show any signs of knowing (or caring) what the basic rules are. Like riding with traffic, turning safely and so forth. Where are they supposed to learn?

[Kennah]

6. Isn't driver licensing intended to guard against the damage a driver can cause in a vehicle?

A 2,500 pound car capable of 80 MPH versus a 30 pound bike with a 220 pound rider capable of 20 MPH. I suppose there could be merit to it, but I'm not sure I see the value. Seems it would be a cost to the state, and I suspect compliance rate would be very low.

[NutmegYankee]

2. Obviously written from an urban point of view.

A cyclist riding down the center of the roads near me would be killed. Two lane roads with traffic moving at 40-50 MPH with many bends and curves. Obviously one cannot just switch lanes on a two lane country road.

[HolyMoley]

4. WTF?

That has to be one of the most obnoxious, least user friendly, non-navigable websites I've ever happened across.

The designer should be disemboweled.

That aside... bicyclists need to be licensed, registered and insured just like any other conveyance
on the roadway.

Play by the rules or pay by the rules.

[Kennah]

7. Their website is screwy

I used the links at the top to download the PDF, but I couldn't figure out how to link to it. They did a masterful job of obfuscating it, even though the whole thing can be downloaded and read.

[HolyMoley]

8. The page flip sound is amateurish.

Something I'd expect on some 10-12 year olds MySpace page.

The "masterful job of obfuscating it", is most likely intended to foil copy and paste copy write offenders.

But, as you've discovered, there's a work around.

So... why bother?

I would have loved to have read the entire article without it being a PITA, but after 3 seconds of navigating and moving the cursor around, it just wasn't worth the time or frustration.

[awoke_in_2003]

9. Disembowling is kind of severe. nt

[frazzled]

5. It took a rather long time to get to the cyclists' problems

I happen to live in a very bicycle-heavy area of a large city, next to a protected bike-lane street used by hundreds and hundreds of bicycle commuters each day. I have never, once, seen a bicyclist yield at the stop sign at our intersection. They simply plough through without looking or hesitating, as if only the pedestrians and cars need to stop. (Let's not even mention the stop lights, which are routinely ignored by the bicyclists as well.) Traffic, whether automobile, pedestrian, or bicycle (and we've got lots of each of these three categories) only works when all the parties obey the rules. I appreciate the observation in the article that more tickets need to be issued to cyclists. Drivers like myself are often terrified we might hit a cyclist running through an intersection or otherwise cycling incorrectly.

Don't get me wrong ... I'm a huge cycling advocate, and I come from a family of avid cyclists (though they never commute--they're road bikers who put a lot of energy and training into it as a sport and conditioning activity). The one thing I would advocate strenuously is for all bicyclists, of whatever ability or type, to helmet themselves each and every time they go out. I have seen too many injuries (not necessarily involving a car at all). Motorists are required by law to wear a seatbelt; I wish we had helmet laws for cyclists.

The other issue that should have been covered here was pedestrians--both their rights and their duties. Pedestrians being hit by cars is a big problem in this city, and results in many injuries and deaths. We all use the streets together, and we have to figure it out together. Otherwise, a great article.