“Roadways are made for vehicles, not cyclists.” Cpl. Matt Brown, Springfield Police Department.
Wrong.
Wrong legally.
Wrong historically.
Wrong morally.
Our roadways are made for people, not particular machines.
The officer made this unfortunate and damaging statement in an article this morning in the Springfield News-Leader.
I wonder if this is the same officer who last year honked at my daughter and told her to ride on the sidewalk?
Thankfully, the reporter interviewed Ozarks Greenways STAR Team members David Hutchison and Terry Whaley. Despite a lot maddening misunderstandings and mythology on the part of police and bicyclists, the article does point out more education is necessary for bicyclists (let me suggest CyclingSavvy). More education is also necessary for police officers, and, thankfully, that’s coming because of an initiative by the STAR Team.
Whaley makes this statement: “One or two cyclists can destroy a year’s worth of work you’ve done with the motor vehicle community.” That’s certainly true.
But I think Officer Brown’s statement is far more damaging of our efforts. How many motor vehicle drivers this morning will encounter a bicyclist on the way to work and think to themselves “you don’t belong” because Cpl. Matt Brown says roads are for cars. How many will honk?
Thanks for making my life more difficult Officer Brown.
UPDATE: I was just interviewed by KSMU for a story about safe traffic bicycling. I’ll post a link when it becomes available.
Comments 33
There are ways to turn this negative into a negative.
Perhaps you could work with the PD to put out a press relase about the training on July 20th?
Posted 13 Jun 2011 at 7:56 am ¶I live in a rural area east of Springfield on a road that is a favorite of cyclists both as individuals and as organized groups – Farm Road 186. Personally I don’t mind sharing the road. Too many times the cars and trucks are going too fast and anything that slows them down is a benefit – trailing a bicycle until it is safe to pass, following a haybine or rake, whatever.
While trailing a bike waiting to pass, I hang back and don’t push, and when passing I get fully into the other lane. And I don’t honk or accelerate rapidly during the passing process.
I do have some of the same complaints about cyclists as I do about drivers of motor vehicles though.
The ones that crowd the center line when meeting oncoming traffic or being passed, the ones that don’t move away from the edge of the payment as a courtesy when passing someone that is mowing the ditch or collecting their mail out of the box, that kind of thing.
A few weeks ago a cyclist passed by the house pulling a trailer carrying a boombox set loud. Quite a bit more rare than a car with windows down and music up loud fortunately. A car passes quickly, but we heard the music from the trailer for much longer.
Cheers
Posted 13 Jun 2011 at 8:04 am ¶Trying to decide whether to file a complaint against Officer Brown or not. I think what he said opened season on bicyclists. Whether I do a complaint against him or not I will go to the next coffee with the chief.
Posted 13 Jun 2011 at 8:25 am ¶Andy, can you turn this around with some good media strategy? Maybe take the story to a higher level with the Chief coming back to make a corrective statement… an op ed or something?
Posted 13 Jun 2011 at 8:40 am ¶Cpl. Matt Brown: “It is pretty unusual,” he said. “You can be cited if you are on a bike and are obstructing traffic, or slowing it down. Roadways are made for vehicles, not cyclists.”
We have similar issues with the New Mexico State Police. Maybe the force needs to read its own traffic code and appoint a spokessperson who knows his/her stuff rather than one spouting what seems to be personal opinion. I suggest the cycling community take it up with the police chief. The police dept.’s own web site is rather inaccurate on paraphrasing the actual code. For example.
Police site:
http://www.springfieldmo.gov/spd/generalinfo/crimeprevtips/Vehicle/bicyclesafety.html
“…Bicycle drivers shall drive as near the right side of the street as possible in single file….”
Reality:
http://library.municode.com/index.aspx?clientID=11598&stateID=25&statename=Missouri
Article 8, Bicycles.
Sec. 106-506. – Riders to keep to right side of roadway; riding abreast.
Every person operating a bicycle or motorized bicycle at less than the posted speed or slower than the flow of traffic upon a street or highway shall ride as near to the right side of the roadway as safe, exercising due care when passing a standing vehicle or one proceeding in the same direction, except when making a left turn, when avoiding hazardous conditions, when the lane is too narrow to share with another vehicle, or when on a one-way street. Bicyclists may ride abreast when not impeding other vehicles.
(Code 1981, § 22-168)
State law reference— Similar provisions, RSMo 307.190.
Posted 13 Jun 2011 at 8:49 am ¶The police chief will be at the next Mayor’s Commission on Human Rights and Community Relations meeting. That will be 5:30 PM Tuesday (June 14) in the Busch building’s first floor conference room. The meeting will be open to the public. You will be given an opportunity to speak if you ask to have time to address the commission. Depending on the amount of time available (based on number of citizens wishing to speak), it could be between 2-5 minutes.
Posted 13 Jun 2011 at 8:50 am ¶That’s Chapter 106, Article 8. Sorry.
Posted 13 Jun 2011 at 8:51 am ¶Oops. I meant to say Wednesday night at 5:30 PM for the Mayor’s Commission on Human Rights and Community Relations. Sorry!!
Posted 13 Jun 2011 at 9:08 am ¶Everyone… I will be trying to make something positive come from this. But this morning it is important to make sure that everyone knows just how damaging Officer Brown’s statement is.
Posted 13 Jun 2011 at 9:15 am ¶Andy-
Officer Brown’s statement is far more damaging if he indeed is speaking for the force. Does anyone know how high up in the P.D. this attitude persists?
Posted 13 Jun 2011 at 10:24 am ¶What if it was said this way -
“The roads are originally designed for motorized traffic all traveling at similar speeds and generally following the same traffic rules.”
Less offensive, perhaps the way he meant it.
When sharing the road drivers have to be aware of differences in speed, acceleration, and personal protection.
Don’t forget the “Invisible Gorilla” –
http://www.theinvisiblegorilla.com/videos.html
People often don’t see what they are not expecting to see.
Cheers
Posted 13 Jun 2011 at 10:25 am ¶“The roads are originally designed for motorized traffic all traveling at similar speeds and generally following the same traffic rules.”
True enough, but not always. Whether it be road crews and their slow moving trucks, farm equipment operators, deer crossing the road, a kid chasing a ball, or a cyclist climbing on a blind curve, the roads are quite capable of holding surprises. As the law says, we have to be driving with respect to prevailing conditions. Unfortunately, modern society has swept that part of motorist education under the rug.
No one wants to be standing by the side of the road explaining to the police how he just killed someone. We need to remind the public that the best way to avoid such situations is to be alert and anticipate our response to whatever situations might arise. And, to ride as if we are part of other traffic rather than at odds with it.
Posted 13 Jun 2011 at 10:46 am ¶Country… If we’re talking in terms of design, then one could also claim that many roads are not even designed for the safe use of motor vehicle drivers
Posted 13 Jun 2011 at 10:50 am ¶10-4 on that Andy.
The attitude, capabilities and intentions of the operators make a huge difference. Absent physical barriers that can’t be designed away.
Cheers
Posted 13 Jun 2011 at 11:31 am ¶This is dismaying.
Just this weekend, I complained to an officer about a woman that had thrown something at me out of her car. She had honked at me because I was “in her way” (it was a wide street with plenty of passing room, and I was on the right).
One block later, I saw the officer, gave him the plate number, and to his credit he took off looking for her.
Wouldn’t you know it, later that night I ran into him downtown. I smiled and said, “Hey officer. I spoke to you earlier today about the woman who threw something? Can I ask how that turned out?”
He said that he ended up calling her, and that she said she “handled it wrong.” He then pretty much said that just because what I was doing was legal, didn’t make it smart, and that I better be careful.
So, yeah, I suspect Brown’s attitude may be fairly pervasive throughout the department.
Posted 13 Jun 2011 at 1:10 pm ¶Nate… Yikes. Throwing something at you is assault.
Posted 13 Jun 2011 at 1:29 pm ¶Threw and made contact.
Posted 13 Jun 2011 at 1:37 pm ¶Makes me thankful of all the work the cycling community has done in Los Alamos cultivating a culture of respect and cooperation with the P.D.
Last summer the Chief caught a truck driver getting out of his truck and threating two cyclists with a tire iron after the usual “get off the road” vs. “get off the road yourself” exchange. The trucker was in jail that afternoon on felony assault charges.
Posted 13 Jun 2011 at 2:22 pm ¶The danger myth is pervasive in police departments. Much of their exposure to cyclists is scraping them off the road. They don’t understand cycling safety enough to think through the behaviors that result in crashes.
In a civility coalition meeting, a deputy (who I really like), started going on about how cyclists keep getting run over so it can’t be safe to ride the way we are advocating. He then defended that assertion with a collection of dead cyclist stories, all of which involved cyclists riding in ways we DON’T advocate!
The problem is, that thought-loop provides the comfort of certainty, so it forms a wall against new information. You need an appropriately-timed “interrupt” to get the right information in.
Posted 13 Jun 2011 at 2:25 pm ¶Keri… Let’s hope our “interrupt” begins on 20 July when Robert Johnson begins his training work for the Springfield PD.
Posted 13 Jun 2011 at 3:23 pm ¶Robert Johnson? He’s going to train them to play the blues?
Posted 13 Jun 2011 at 3:41 pm ¶Khal…
Posted 13 Jun 2011 at 3:54 pm ¶After I found the statement, I had the good fortune to read the comments, and even got a photo for tonight’s post. Thanks, Andy!
PS: Anybody reading this think that the officer’s comments, even in front of the press, are uncommon?
Posted 13 Jun 2011 at 4:05 pm ¶Steve… I hope they become uncommon here once our PD education program starts.
Posted 13 Jun 2011 at 5:10 pm ¶More importantly, Andy, did you finish re-reading Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance again? I’m slowly re-reading that too. It was recommended to me in graduate school when I was designing my master’s degree experiments (and riding a motorcycle I worked on myself). Good read!
Posted 13 Jun 2011 at 5:10 pm ¶Khal… Almost done. I usually have two or three books going at a time, so I don’t always finish things quickly. I’m at the best part — when he’s talking about Phaedrus’ time at the U. of Chicago.
Posted 13 Jun 2011 at 7:27 pm ¶RE: http://rhetorica.net/archives/7974.html
What, Phaedrus, is objectivity?
Posted 13 Jun 2011 at 9:59 pm ¶My first time here and I already like the topics and posts. I will be “bach”
Peace
Posted 13 Jun 2011 at 10:36 pm ¶@ Keri Keri wrote:
“The danger myth is pervasive in police departments. Much of their exposure to cyclists is scraping them off the road. They don’t understand cycling safety enough to think through the behaviors that result in crashes.
…. You need an appropriately-timed “interrupt” to get the right information in.”
Thanks, key insight!
Posted 14 Jun 2011 at 4:26 am ¶Sometimes helps to have a contingent of bike cops on the road in your town, so some guys in blue can speak from experience. I’ve done about five radio shows on our local AM talk radio station. Two were with police officers from Los Alamos who are trained as bike cops. Sure did help to have another cyclist in the room with a uniform on.
Posted 14 Jun 2011 at 8:08 am ¶Khal… SPD actually has quite a few bicycle patrol officers. If seen a few of them do nutty things
Posted 14 Jun 2011 at 8:50 am ¶http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_Mass
Posted 14 Jun 2011 at 2:16 pm ¶Keith…I was thinking the same thing. Sign me up!
Posted 14 Jun 2011 at 3:57 pm ¶