Comments on: Don’t Ride Like Children

By: Keri

Keri — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 17:51:05 +0000

ChipSeal just made the point FBA is using to encourage participation Law Enforcement ed program.

LEOs, (like most people) don’t think big-picture or connect the dots for themselves, but if you do it for them with the right framing, they can get their heads around it.

By: ChipSeal

ChipSeal — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 15:41:03 +0000

“An officer told me that bicyclists are, for the most part, only a danger to themselves, sooooo…”

So which has more paperwork involved, a cyclist injury with a transport to a hospital, a cyclist fatality, or a ticket that will modify a cyclist’s behavior and avoid the first two examples?

I guess “To Serve and Protect” means something different to me than your local police.

By: Steve A

Steve A — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 00:22:51 +0000

I expect that the over-worked, under-staffed police ARE inclined to enforce FTR laws…

By: Andy Cline

Andy Cline — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 21:46:37 +0000

Robert… The attitude here is that the over-worked, under-staffed Springfield PD has better things to do than ticket bicyclists. An officer told me that bicyclists are, for the most part, only a danger to themselves, sooooo…

By: robert

robert — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 19:43:29 +0000

Keri and Andy,

So much of this starts with a knowledgeable police force. I’m not bragging but things in Columbia have changed 180 degrees in the past 12 months. I rarely see a bicyclist breaking traffic laws now and the police officers routinely pull over law breaking bicyclists.

Police officers really need to #1. be knowledgeable of bicycling laws and #2. think of bicycles as vehicles.

If both of those are occurring then pulling over a bicyclist would be a perfectly normal thing to do.

Our University Police force is still refusing both training and enforcement but I think they will eventually come around.