Bicyclist Enforcement

Bicyclists sometimes contribute to traffic crashes. Some ride at night without lights. They may make themselves more difficult to see by wearing dark garments. They may ride the wrong direction in the traffic lanes. Even if they ride on sidewalks, traveling counter to the traffic lane on the adjacent street might result in them surprising a motorist who is often looking only for slow moving pedestrians and searching for cars.

They may drive through stop signs and red lights. Sometimes they may be dealing with a signal that won't detect a bicycle, or a stop sign placed at the bottom of a long hill that the bicyclist would just as soon attack without losing the momentum they've built up. Regardless, the sudden appearance of the bicyclist can surprise motorists.

Issues with Bicyclists Enforcement

Stopping bicyclists and taking enforcement actions can be a problem for a police officer who has not thought through the process.

1. Highly mobile: bicyclists are highly mobile and can be difficult to overtake, signal and actually stop. The best tool for doing this is another bicycle and voice or whistle commands. Pursuing a bicyclist by chasing with a motor vehicle can appear heavy-handed and out of proportion.
2. Dealing with a bicyclist's identification: bicyclists are not required to carry any identification, much less a formal driver's license. This can result in the bicyclist providing a fictitious or altered name. The officers should take detailed notes of the identity information given. After it is all collected, ask for a repeat.
3. Dealing with children: many bicyclists are young children. In many cases, children under age eight are considered incapable of committing an offense and cannot be cited. Under these circumstances the officer should call the attention of the parent to the problem.
4. Dealing with an anti-automobile or anti-authoritarian bicyclist: an occasional bicyclist will take strong exception to the police challenge to their behavior. They may verbally abuse the officer. Some of bicyclists will be strong advocates of cycling and have strong emotional attachment to their way of doing things, legal or not. Some will have anti-automobile and anti-authoritarian ways. Officers should not debate such issues but should focus on the specifics of the violation observed.

Areas of Focus for Bicyclists

1. Driving at night without lights or required reflectors.
2. Riding the wrong way in a traffic lane or on the wrong side of the road.
3. Running a stop sign or red light.
4. Failing to yield the right-of-way.
5. Failing to signal an abrupt turn.

Some communities have periodic enforcement blitzes, and others may concentrate enforcement efforts on particular intersections and behaviors in order to have the maximum impact.