Traffic enforcement for Bicyclist Safety

[AnnieBikes]

This is an awesome video about how Chicago is training its police officers and trying to get them to become more bicycle friendly/aware in a city with increasing bicyclists! It is really worth watching.

http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/09/10/10781/

[redrhodie]

Good for Chicago! I wish RI made a similar video, and showed it at the DMV. Last time I went for my drivers license, I noticed they had installed tvs, but instead of useful/safe driving info, there was celebrity trivia! That video is just the thing they should be showing.

[witeowl]

That's an absolutely fantastic video. Thanks for sharing.

[chicagogal]

I live in chicago and just watched that video. Fantastic!

I have friends who live in the city who think that cyclists should ride on the sidewalks and not on the road. Now I will show them this video.

And it should be mandatory for all chicago cab drivers to watch this video. They brush right up against my left arm while I ride in designated bike lanes, turn right in front of me, or stop on bike lanes in front of me just after passing me causing me to have to stop or quickly merge with traffic.

Now it is time to see the police starting to crack down on this behavior.

[kenyonchris]

Now it is time to see the police starting to crack down on this behavior.

I think that in places (like Chicago, DC, NY, etc.) the cops have much more training in bike safety, etc. I am trained in bike enforcement (oddly) because I am a bike cop (good luck trying to stop a vehicle that doesn't want to stop when you are on a bike). But the rest of the non-cycling officers do tend to look on cyclists as guys out getting some exercise...not as vehicles with rights. And, because we tend NOT to enforce traffic laws with cyclists much (stop is still stop here, not yield), we have a tendency to ignore them across the board. AND, to make matters worse, the cyclists do not make it easy to want to help them (riding two abreast in traffic, riding in the middle of the lane when it IS practicable to ride more right, running signs and lights, generally being inconsiderate). It is hard to stop a cyclist as well, without potentially hurting him by startling him. I DO stop them and give them a firm talking to (and if they get lippy with me the "hey I am on your side" lecture, if that doesn't stop them I write em).
I ride my road bike on these streets, I see it both ways. We need to train our officers to enforce traffic rules on both sides of the fence in order to foster mutual respect and courtesy.
Is that too much to ask??

[shootingstar]

Kenyon, you work hard on your job. Does your area offer courses on bike commuting/cycling safety to the public?

[kenyonchris]

Kenyon, you work hard on your job. Does your area offer courses on bike commuting/cycling safety to the public?

Yeah, our community resource officer offers a basic bike class, primarily geared toward kids. Not many adults show up for it, though.

[Eden]

We need to train our officers to enforce traffic rules on both sides of the fence in order to foster mutual respect and courtesy.
Is that too much to ask??

Unfortunately many, many, many people (including some non-cycling officers) think that mutual respect from a cyclist means keep the %*&# out of my way....

I feel very much the way the one lady in the video does - why does a few seconds of your time have more value than my life? That is disrespecting another person... I follow the rules of the road - I stop for stops signs, don't run reds etc, but I do demand a safe slice of the roadway (I generally ride in the right hand 3rd of the lane - at least 2 feet from the curb or a foot or so out of doors reach where there are parked cars). If that means a motorist will have to turn the wheel to get around me tough titties....

That doesn't mean if I'm climbing a steep hill at 8 mph that I'm going to demand/take a full lane, but if I'm moving quickly I want my space and taking it (ie protecting my own safety) is not disrespectful. I need time to react the same way a driver does, so no I cannot dodge in between parked cars to let you by. It doesn't take any more time or effort to treat me safely than it does to deal with the myriad other things that city traffic has to offer - pedestrians crossing the street, people parallel parking, making left turns, buses - city and school.

Drivers need to realize that its not a race and that a speed *limit* is just that, an upper limit, not a god given right to drive as fast as possible. No one is "in their way" because they are no more important than any other person.

[smilingcat]

I've been mulling over this thread...

The thing is, I see a lot of bad behavior, rude behavior and dangerous behavior by the cyclists. And also by car drivers... And what we remember are the bad ones, never the ones who obey the traffic law or the curteous ones.

On Sunday training ride, I saw three guys from Dock**** club (a local club) riders pulled over by Redondo Beach Police. Looked like they were being given a ticket for running a red light. The three guys were laughing about it. I guess they'll find out or have found out that it goes on their driver license. Ka-ching on their car insurance rate...

For the most part, I haven't had any trouble with the local police. They have been polite, seems to go out of their way in avoiding giving you a ticket except in cases where you taunt them like running a stop sign without even making an attempt at slowing down in front of them. (saw that happen). This is like going up to Mike Tyson and saying in his face "Hit me!!". Police officer wants respect just like anyone else. What do you think they are going to do??

Then there are car drivers who will deliberately slam their brake so you might crash into the back of their car or swerve to run you off the road. and on and on...

One thing I have noticed, is that there seems to be a universal feeling amongst the drivers that they have to pass you because you are human powered and not gas powered. I've had cars screeching their tires around hairpin turns/corners with 20MPH yellow sign. I've gone through those at 25-26MPH and shoot out at nearly 30MPH just to stay ahead. I have yet to meet a driver who would just stay back. EVERY ONE OF THEM HAVE TRIED TO PASS ME didn't matter if their car tires were screeching... It seems like this is basic human instinct for wanting to be in front.

I guess you could say that all these problems can be distilled to one thing: Those who are causing the problems are all narcicistic and have no concern for others.

Most of the drivers are curteous where I live. They would wave me by on a 4-way stop sign...

Anyway, just my 2 cents. Oh each time I go by the officers, I normally wave at them to let them know that I appreciate their presence. And they've all waved back with a smile. cool letting them know that you appreciate them goes a long way.

I've been clocked by a radar gun. The officer was smiling at me. I in return, waved back...

smilingcat

[Bike Chick]

I live at the opposite end of state from Chicago. The same state laws apply, however, some state police officers we know weren't aware of the 3 foot law that went into effect last January. I love the women's comment about saving a few seconds. How true!

Great video! Thanks for sharing.