powers@noscvax.UUCP (William J. Powers) (07/17/85)
The statistics on bicycle accidents show that the bicyclist is his own worst enemy. Bicyclists are constantly violating traffic regulations. If bicyclists can ever expect to be treated by the law and the motorist as simply another slow moving vehicle, they must, as a group, act like any other slow moving vehicle (i.e., they must obey the law). What I'm wondering is whether anyone knows of any cities where there are volunteer bicycle patrols. These patrols would probably be trained by the police and have the authority to ticket other bicyclists for traffic violations. The ticket would essentially be the same now administered to any other vehicle using the roadway. At present, most cities have laws already in place which stipulate that the police have the authority for such action. However, such actions are almost never taken. I am not a total stickler when it comes to enforcement. The bicycle is not, at present, given the same treatment as cars by loop detectors and road design; consequently, sometimes a bicyclist has to take actions which would be strictly illegal. No, what I'm concerned about are riders who simply ignore traffic lights (seemingly reagardless of the danger and expecting everyone to watch out for them), ride the wrong way (kidds are particularly prone to this form of suicide), etc. What I would actually like to see is for many of these violators not to be given fines but being compelled to attend a class on biclycle safety. The advantage of this method (for the not flagrant violator) is that it serves to promulgate (spelling?) bicycle awareness amongst both bicyclists and motorists, i.e., the bicycle and the bicyclist become a more noticeble part of the community. Anyway, any ideas? Bill Powers
oyster@uwmacc.UUCP (Vicious Oyster) (07/22/85)
In article <1016@noscvax.UUCP> powers@noscvax.UUCP (William J. Powers) writes: > What I'm wondering is whether anyone knows of any cities >where there are volunteer bicycle patrols. These patrols would >probably be trained by the police and have the authority to ticket >other bicyclists for traffic violations. The ticket would essentially >be the same now administered to any other vehicle using the roadway. We have just the kind of "bicycle monitors" that you describe here in Madison. I'm one of the few bicyclists I know of who thinks they're a good idea, but even I have some reservations. The problem is that they seem to "catch" good cyclists who do things illegally (e.g. don't put both feet on the ground at stop signs... I don't even put *one* down, although I come to a stop), rather than getting "bad" cyclists. Also, since they are there to make it safer for cyclists, I think they should also be empowered to ticket idiotic pedestrians. In my experience, it's the ignorant (not necessarily stupid) pedestrian who's more dangerous than other cyclists. Another thing which I'd like to see from the law-enforcement side of things is for police to stop and at least warn motorists who make things dangerous for cyclists. For example, something which I see many times each day here is cars making right turns *across* bike/right-turn-only lanes, rather than letting us cyclists know they are turning by getting into the lane. I've seen a couple of accidents, and too many close calls to remember, just from this single maneuver. Well, I'll get off of my soap-box, leaving behind an opinion I've expressed here before: if cyclists *and* motorists made the small effort required to be more considerate and predictable (i.e. SIGNAL!), things would be much better. -- - joel "vo" plutchak {allegra,ihnp4,seismo}!uwvax!uwmacc!oyster "Take what I say in a different way and it's easy to say that this is all confusion."
deg@mtgzz.UUCP (d.e.gillespie) (07/24/85)
> Bicyclists are constantly violating traffic > regulations. If bicyclists can ever expect to be treated by the law > and the motorist as simply another slow moving vehicle, they must, as > a group, act like any other slow moving vehicle (i.e., they must obey > the law). I don't quite understand the psychology behind it, but my observance of traffic regulations seems to vary with the amount of respect I receive as a bicyclist, just the opposite of what bill mentions. I lived in Boulder for quite a few years, where bicyclists are reasonably respected, and hence bicyclists followed the rules (reasonably). However, after moving to New Jersey, where anyone who doesn't drive a TransAm is a fagg*t (or maybe just a commie) and deserves to run off the road, my desire to obey laws has dwindled. It's almost like obeying the rules certainly isn't going to get me there any faster or safer, so I might as well run the light. I am not condoning this line of reasoning, merely stating it. Don Gillespie AT&T-ISL Holmdel [inhp4!]mtgzz!deg
ketterer@macbeth.UUCP (Lance Ketterer) (07/24/85)
> The statistics on bicycle accidents show that the bicyclist is his own > worst enemy. Bicyclists are constantly violating traffic > regulations. If bicyclists can ever expect to be treated by the law > and the motorist as simply another slow moving vehicle, they must, as > a group, act like any other slow moving vehicle (i.e., they must obey > the law). What I'm wondering is whether anyone knows of any cities > where there are volunteer bicycle patrols. These patrols would > probably be trained by the police and have the authority to ticket > other bicyclists for traffic violations. The ticket would essentially > be the same now administered to any other vehicle using the roadway. > At present, most cities have laws already in place which stipulate > that the police have the authority for such action. However, such > actions are almost never taken. I am not a total stickler when it > comes to enforcement. The bicycle is not, at present, given the same > treatment as cars by loop detectors and road design; consequently, > sometimes a bicyclist has to take actions which would be strictly > illegal. No, what I'm concerned about are riders who simply ignore > traffic lights (seemingly reagardless of the danger and expecting > everyone to watch out for them), ride the wrong way (kidds are > particularly prone to this form of suicide), etc. > What I would actually like to see is for many of these violators not > to be given fines but being compelled to attend a class on biclycle safety. > The advantage of this method (for the not flagrant violator) is that > it serves to promulgate (spelling?) bicycle awareness amongst both > bicyclists and motorists, i.e., the bicycle and the bicyclist become a > more noticeble part of the community. > > Anyway, any ideas? > Bill Powers There is a town near my hometown that has a very good bicycle safety program (including a bicycle patrol) which is administrated by the local police department. They employ patrol members on a volunteer basis (or for a small remuneration) who are given the authority to give warnings and tickets to those violating bicycling laws. I believe that part of the penalty requires attendance at bicycle safety classes. If you want more information write to the bicycle safety division of the Dayton Police Department, Dayton, MN (I'm sorry but you'll have to find the zip code for yourself). I hope this is of some help.