Rise in cycling accidents triggers crackdown in Sausalito

http://www.marinij.com/ci_8908209?source=most_viewed

An increasing number of bicycle accidents in Sausalito has officials
concerned about safety as police write tickets and conduct stings to
slow riders who fly through the city.

While most drivers coming to Marin zoom past Sausalito on Highway 101,
the city is the gateway for bicyclists who ride north over the Golden
Gate Bridge, down Alexander Avenue and onto busy Bridgeway, where cars,
pedestrians and bicyclists mix.

"There are places where you get wedged up between moving cars and parked
cars, and there are pedestrians," said Ken Eichstaedt, who has been
riding through the city to his job in San Francisco for the past 17
years. "You have to be aware when you ride in Sausalito."

But, increasingly, riders are unaware or don't care
Scofflaws in Spandex
Should authorities crack down on cyclists breaking traffic laws?
Yes
No
to be aware, creating safety risks, officials said.

Sausalito Councilman Paul Albritton said "Spandex warriors" who ride in
groups through the city are the biggest problem.

"They come in packs and refuse to ride single-file and they are going 25
to 30 miles an hour and they bang on cars and spit at cars and have a
pack mentality," he said.

"They just come flying through town."

At the same time, tourists on bikes and bike commuters also appear on
the upswing, city officials said.

"Marin County has become a bicycle mecca, and that is a curse and a
blessing for us," said Kim Baenisch, executive director of the Marin
County Bicycle Coalition. "Sausalito is the route everyone takes who
rides into Marin, some from the other eight
Bay Area counties, but we also see people from across the nation and world."

During a weekday, the city sees more than 500 bicycles on its streets
and, on the weekend, that figure can balloon to 3,000, according to the
Sausalito Police Department.

"We see bikes rear-ending cars, bikes into pedestrians - there are just
a lot of bikes in Sausalito," said Albritton, himself a bicyclist who
pedals to work in town three to four times a week. "And bicycle accident
rates are coming back up
A bicyclist rides past pedestrians walking in a crosswalk across
Bridgeway in downtown Sausalito. (Special to the IJ/Douglas Zimmerman)
again."

Bike accidents involve a bike striking a car or vice versa. In the past
five years, drivers have been at fault for those accidents half the
time, and bikers the other half, according to Sausalito police. Bike
accidents can also involve hitting a pedestrian.

In the late 1990s, Bridgeway - the city's 2.2-mile main drag - was
recording the most bike accidents of any street in the county, according
to the Marin County Bicycle Coalition.

In response, the city formed a Bike Policy Task Force, and bike
advocates and city leaders began working to create bike lanes on
Bridgeway to make drivers, bikers and pedestrians aware of each other.

While that work went on, accidents remained high. Between 2000 and 2003,
there were almost 20 bike accidents a year in Sausalito.

In September 2003, the bike lanes on Bridgeway were finished. Bike
crashes dropped in 2004, when only nine were recorded. "The lanes made a
big difference," Albritton said.

But the success was short-lived. Accidents crept up to 12 in 2005, 16 in
2006 and 18 last year.

"The numbers are going up again," said Police Chief Scott Paulin. "We
have a lot of people on Bridgeway and we are concerned about safety."

The city's officers are trying to slow the pace by working with the
county's bicycle coalition and setting up checkpoints where "share the
road" information is handed out to bikers, motorists and pedestrians.

Officers are also writing citations for violations, which have risen in
recent
A cyclist makes her way down Bridgeway in Sausalito, where police have
begun cracking down on speeding cyclists after a rise in bike-related
accidents. (IJ photo/Jeff Vendsel)
years. In 2006, police wrote 89 tickets. Last year, they wrote 167.
Violations are primarily issued for blowing through a stop sign or stop
light, not yielding for a pedestrian in a crosswalk or not riding within
a bike lane.

Failure to stop at a traffic light is a $360 fine, failure to stop at a
stop sign is $138, as is failing to yield to a pedestrian in a
crosswalk. Bikers are hit with a $102 fine for riding outside a bike
lane."It has not been an effort to write more tickets, we are just
seeing more violations," Paulin said.

But police are sometimes targeting scofflaws and conducting sting
operations. On Friday, decoys acting as pedestrians were sent to stroll
crosswalks throughout the city and, when a bike or car, didn't yield,
Sausalito police Sgt. William Fraass issues citations to cyclists. (IJ
photo/Frankie Frost)
they were cited.

"It's like trout fishing in Alaska," said bicyclist Craig Reisfield, who
received a citation for failing to yield to a pedestrian.

Said Paulin: "We have a lot of crosswalks that cross Bridgeway, and this
is a response to complaints we get from people."

The bicycle coalition's Baenisch supports the stings.

"Police have to enforce the traffic laws and if people obey the laws it
makes it safer for everyone," she said.

Sausalito officials say they are seeing more tourists who rent bikes in
San Francisco, ride into Sausalito and take a ferry back to San
Francisco, but they are not much of a problem.

"They move pretty slow and they are not involved in accidents,"
Albritton said. "People like to blame them, but they are not a problem."

Baenisch said much of the problem could be resolved if people used their
heads.

"It's a lot about using common sense and courtesy and giving the right
of way," she said. "Ideally everyone knows what the rules are."

With the county promoting bicycling not only for recreation, but as a
means of travel, bike advocates say more needs to be done to promote
safe biking.

Albritton agreed.

"We don't mind being a bicycle mecca, we just want to be a safe mecca,"
Albritton said.

In article , says...

Bikers are hit with a $102 fine for riding outside a bike
lane.

Makes me glad to live in a state where mandatory bicycle lanes are
illegal.

--
is Joshua Putnam
http://www.phred.org/~josh/
Braze your own bicycle frames. See
http://www.phred.org/~josh/build/build.html

wrote:
In article , says...

Bikers are hit with a $102 fine for riding outside a bike
lane.

Makes me glad to live in a state where mandatory bicycle lanes are
illegal.


Me, too. And that they are illegal isn't by accident. I'm getting to
know and appreciate the advocates that have come before me.

But they will not stay illegal unless more people stand up and hollar.

On Sun, 13 Apr 2008 11:29:31 -0400 in rec.bicycles.soc, Eric Vey
wrote:

An increasing number of bicycle accidents in Sausalito has officials
concerned about safety as police write tickets and conduct stings to
slow riders who fly through the city.

If Sausalito banned cars for everyone except Sausalito residents,
that would help the problem. There are too many cars full of
rubbernecking tourists there.

| "They come in packs and refuse to ride single-file and they
| are going 25 to 30 miles an hour ...

=v= Um, isn't that the speed limit?

| ... and they bang on cars and spit at cars and have a pack
| mentality," he said.

=v= While not condoning the banging and spitting, I suspect
that these have something to do with motorist misbehavior.

| "We see bikes rear-ending cars, bikes into pedestrians - there
| are just a lot of bikes in Sausalito," said Albritton, himself
| a bicyclist who pedals to work in town three to four times a
| week.

=v= That stuff, of course, is clearly messed up.

| In September 2003, the bike lanes on Bridgeway were
| finished. Bike crashes dropped in 2004, when only nine were
| recorded. "The lanes made a big difference," Albritton said.
|
| But the success was short-lived. Accidents crept up to 12 in
| 2005, 16 in 2006 and 18 last year.

=v= So bike lanes are no panacea; who'd a thunk it? I'd be
interested in knowing where these collisions are happening.
For the most congested stretch of the road, in my experience
there are always oblivious shopping tourists overflowing into
the bike lanes. I'd better not be ticketed for avoiding them,
as CVC 21208(a)(1) and (3) makes it clear that I have the right
to ride outside the lane.
_Jym_

On Apr 17, 10:07*am, Jym Dyer wrote:
| "They come in packs and refuse to ride single-file and they
| are going 25 to 30 miles an hour ...

=v= Um, isn't that the speed limit?

| ... and they bang on cars and spit at cars and have a pack
| mentality," he said.

=v= While not condoning the banging and spitting, I suspect
that these have something to do with motorist misbehavior.

| "We see bikes rear-ending cars, bikes into pedestrians - there
| are just a lot of bikes in Sausalito," said Albritton, himself
| a bicyclist who pedals to work in town three to four times a
| week.

=v= That stuff, of course, is clearly messed up.

| In September 2003, the bike lanes on Bridgeway were
| finished. Bike crashes dropped in 2004, when only nine were
| recorded. "The lanes made a big difference," Albritton said.
|
| But the success was short-lived. Accidents crept up to 12 in
| 2005, 16 in 2006 and 18 last year.

=v= So bike lanes are no panacea; who'd a thunk it? *I'd be
interested in knowing where these collisions are happening.
For the most congested stretch of the road, in my experience
there are always oblivious shopping tourists overflowing into
the bike lanes. *I'd better not be ticketed for avoiding them,
as CVC 21208(a)(1) and (3) makes it clear that I have the right
to ride outside the lane.
* * _Jym_

Nevertheless, be prepared to be ticketed, as we were when riding one
Saturday morning last July. Basically, be careful. The citation is
like $75, not really that much money, so probably 99% of the cyclists
cited just pay it and move on. BUT, we decided to fight it as its
really unfair to target cyclists.

It was about 8:45am and we were cruising thru Sausalito when a cop
heading in the opposite direction saw us at about the 800 block of
Bridgeway. My friend Nancy and I were passing two other cyclists on
the outside of the bike lane and got pulled over. The cop cited us for
riding outside of the bike lane. We protested. Last October, we went
to Marin County Superior Court, it was a criminal trial!

In addition to the section you cited, I raised the argument that under
CVC 21208(a), traveling outside of the bike at the *normal speed of
traffic* is allowable. Since we were the only ones on the road at the
time of the citation, and the officer didn't dispute that fact, =v= we
were the normal speed of traffic=v= and thus allowed to ride outside
of the bicycle lane. The judge bought this argument and dismissed our
citation!

Jym Dyer schrieb:
=v= So bike lanes are no panacea; who'd a thunk it? I'd be
interested in knowing where these collisions are happening.
For the most congested stretch of the road, in my experience
there are always oblivious shopping tourists overflowing into
the bike lanes. I'd better not be ticketed for avoiding them,
as CVC 21208(a)(1) and (3) makes it clear that I have the right
to ride outside the lane.

Uff ... Till you wrote that I thought Californian law-makers had gone
insane ...

bfd schrieb:
=v= So bike lanes are no panacea; who'd a thunk it? I'd be
interested in knowing where these collisions are happening.
For the most congested stretch of the road, in my experience
there are always oblivious shopping tourists overflowing into
the bike lanes. I'd better not be ticketed for avoiding them,
as CVC 21208(a)(1) and (3) makes it clear that I have the right
to ride outside the lane.
_Jym_

Nevertheless, be prepared to be ticketed, as we were when riding one
Saturday morning last July. Basically, be careful. The citation is
like $75, not really that much money, so probably 99% of the cyclists
cited just pay it and move on. BUT, we decided to fight it as its
really unfair to target cyclists.

It was about 8:45am and we were cruising thru Sausalito when a cop
heading in the opposite direction saw us at about the 800 block of
Bridgeway. My friend Nancy and I were passing two other cyclists on
the outside of the bike lane and got pulled over. The cop cited us for
riding outside of the bike lane. We protested. Last October, we went
to Marin County Superior Court, it was a criminal trial!

Umm ... Violations result in _criminal_ proceedings?

Tough luck we decriminalized violations here in the 1970s ...


In addition to the section you cited, I raised the argument that under
CVC 21208(a), traveling outside of the bike at the *normal speed of
traffic* is allowable. Since we were the only ones on the road at the
time of the citation, and the officer didn't dispute that fact, =v= we
were the normal speed of traffic=v= and thus allowed to ride outside
of the bicycle lane. The judge bought this argument and dismissed our
citation!

Your traffic laws seem to be even more confusing than the German ones.

Well, that might seem to me such because I am not accustomed to case law.