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Category Archives: Police

Police Education Needed

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Glendale Traffic Cops Botch Report on Fatal Bike Crash

Here’s another example of how even police officers need education in the laws regarding cycling.

In 2008, a motorist ran a stop sign and hit a cyclist (who had been riding on the sidewalk) as they crossed in the crosswalk. The cyclist died 13-months later from their injuries.

Glendale Police Det. Ashraf Mankarios gave a light charge on the driver’s actions because, “bike riding on the sidewalk is illegal” and therefore, both parties shared some of the blame 50-50.

However, California state law (section 21100) says, “21100. Local authorities may adopt rules and regulations by ordinance or resolution regarding the following matters: …Operation of bicycles… on the public sidewalks“

So, has Glendale adopted any rules or regulations regarding the operation of bicycles on public sidewalks? Why yes, they have, thank you for asking:

No person shall ride or operate a bicycle upon any public sidewalk in any business district within the city [emphasis mine--ed.] except where such sidewalk is officially designated as part of an established bicycle route. Pedestrians shall have the right-of-way on sidewalks. The prohibition in this section shall not apply to peace officers on bicycle patrol. (Ord. 5116 § 1, 1996)

Of course, the location of the incident is not a business district. Therefore, the cyclist had a right to ride on the sidewalk and cross in the crosswalk. The cyclist, at least in this case, appears legally blameless. (Cycling judgment is another matter.)

Story via Streetsblog Los Angeles.

Cyclists’ Own Fault They Died

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Cycling Tragedy May Be Blamed on the Cyclists
Via theRecord.com

It’s looking like Canadian police might blame the cyclists who died for their own deaths and not charge the driver of a pickup who hit them from behind at 90kh (55mph).

Apparently the Canadian law specifies that cyclists must use the cycling lane on that stretch of roadway. According to local riders, though, that section is gravel-infested so they usually ride in the road. Here in California, we do the same thing as state law allows us to maneuver around obstacles. But perhaps in Canada, they want you to ride straight through?

We are not humans when we are on a bicycle.

“Hey Riders: Single File!”

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Coming down the mountain pass, I had gained a good bit of steam. The last half-mile was pretty straight, allowing me to go as fast as possible. I had gained on 3 or 4 riders in front of me and decided to pass a couple. So I pulled around them on the left and went by.

Then I heard it, coming from a black car with a search light on the front. His window was down as he said, “Hey you riders, single file!” Welcome to Simi Valley.

It looked like a police cruiser, but it had no identification. It was completely black in color. There were no white door or side panels. The driver, too, was dressed in a nondescript blue shirt, with no patches or insignia. If he was police, he wasn’t wearing a uniform.

In a moment of discretion, I decided to not respond verbally and kept riding. The car pulled into a plaza behind us and didn’t follow. A cop trying to set the tone? Perhaps. The officer (if he was one) was wrong.

State law nowhere dictates that bicyclists are to ride single file, and does not allow for local municipalities to legislate such a requirement. Perhaps the gentleman meant for us to get over to the right as far as practicable, as is outlined in California Vehicle Code. If that’s the case, and giving the benefit to the officer, it is far more likely. He was still wrong.

The state traffic law only requires cyclists to travel as far to the right as practicable if they are not moving at the same speed as the rest of traffic. In our case, there was no traffic! Even the officer himself was on the other side of a dividing meridian and was not delayed in the slightest by our presence on the road. There were no cars ahead of us or–more importantly–behind us. Having come down the mountain pass, I was easily doing 35-40mph, the speed limit in this section of roadway. Last, as I have all the same rights as other drivers of vehicles on the road, I was traffic!

Even if there were cars behind me, and they were travelling faster than I (which would make them exceeding the speed limit!), state law allows me to maneuver around obstructing objects. Well, I was avoiding obstructing objects: the other riders! Surely the officer wasn’t calling for me to ride into the other riders on my right?

In the end, I don’t know if this was an actual police officer: he never identified himself as such. If it was, I sure hope he was absent that day at the office where they covered traffic law. I would hate to assume that Simi Valley doesn’t actually require its legal enforcement officers to–you know–know the laws their supposed to enforce.

So, for now, we’ll assume it was just another ignorant motorist assuming they know what a cyclist is supposed to do.

Pasadena Police Recommend Breaking the Law

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Monrovia cyclist hopes his ticket battle with Pasadena leads to change

chriszeigler.jpgDirect from the You-Gotta-Be-Kidding-Me archives in the Twilight Zone…

Wow. Let me get this straight.

California law says:
21202.(a) Any person operating a bicycle upon a roadway … shall ride as close as practicable to the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway except … When reasonably necessary to avoid … substandard width lanes … For purposes of this section, a “substandard width lane” is a lane that is too narrow for a bicycle and a vehicle to travel safely side by side within the lane.

So the Pasadena police officer says:
“Someone who has ridden a bike for more than 20 years obviously knows more about bicycling than I do… But it comes down to common sense… The street may be too narrow and the law might say that he should ride in the middle of the street”

And then he condones drivers not watching where they’re going:
“But here is a 2,000-pound car and you have a 30-pound bike. Do you want to be in the middle of the street where a driver isn’t looking for you?”

And the City courts are complicit in going against state law:”After losing his court battles, Ziegler said he would have continued the fight, but it became expensive and looked futile.”

And comments to this article advocate continuing violence against cyclists:
If a cyclist has an ‘ attitude ‘ – adjust it. When I drive and I see one of these ‘Lance Armstrong wanna-be’s', they had better be close to the curb and NOT sticking out. If they are not, then I whiz past them and honk the horn. Also, if they want to continue to have the ‘attitude’, a nice dousing of soda as I drive by can lighten them up, too. Hey cyclists, the streets are designed for CARS/TRUCKS FIRST, bicycles second. When I ride my bike, I usually take it where there are NOT many cars – like the Rose Bowl. [Must not have been to the Rose Bowl lately--ed.]

And comments to the article call for obeying the law, and when it is shown to them, they completely ignore it anyway:
This biker is an idiot. Bikers should follow the same rules as motorist.

And…
I do have a problem with the bicyclist who ride 2 or 3 abreast in a marked bike lane and one rides over the line into the traffic lane.

Maybe people can’t read in California?

Via Pasadena Star News.