Alexandria Police Ticket Bicyclists

Tue Oct 9 09:11:17 CDT 2007

Hi Everyone,

At the S Royal/Green intersection, the APD has not issued any tickets. 
They have been conducting bicycle education regarding the rules of the 
road and also providing bicycle maintenance, maps, giveaways, water/energy 
bars and general information. 

The APD is primarily concerned with bicyclists running stop signs and 
persons who bicycle while using earphones (see Sec. 10-3-1078 of the city 
code).

On Sept. 29, the APD recorded 273 "stops" and on Oct. 7 recorded over 225. 
Only a tiny fraction of folks have been upset; most have been very 
receptive and the officers have been very professional. (The police 
conducting the work at the S Royal/Green intersection, it should be noted, 
are from the City's bicycle unit. Over 55 of the City's 300+ officers are 
assigned to the bicycle unit. They are all very supportive of the Spin 
City initiative since many are experienced bicyclists, bicycle mechanics, 
etc. They also want to see Alexandria become more bicycle friendly.)

We have provided information about the efforts to several local websites 
and bicycle listservs, all linking to the AlexRide web page here: 
http://www.alexride.org/bicyclesafety.php

Please note -- and feel free to pass the word -- that the APD will be out 
again on Oct. 13 and 21. On these days, they are not providing education 
but will be writing tickets for infractions. Officers are also stepping up 
enforcement across the City and during weekday commuting periods. Please 
ride using the rules of the road.

The tickets do carry a fine but they do NOT involve points.

These efforts are not designed to harass bicyclists or otherwise deter 
people from bicycling. Alexandria is fortunate to have the Mount Vernon 
Trail pass through Old Town and we all benefit by seeing over 1 million 
people a year use the trail for commuting and recreation.

The safety education & enforcement is a partnership -- consistent with our 
Spin City action plan (http://www.alexride.org/spincity.php) and with our 
many discussions in BikeWalk Alexandria and Pedestrian and Bicycle 
Citizens' Group meetings. I think we can all agree that there are many 
other things the officers would rather spend their time doing. However, it 
is important to remind bicyclists, pedestrians and motorists that we all 
need to share the roads (and trails). You can help by setting a good 
example when you bicycle. 

Remember, that these same officers are also leading Walk to School Day 
events, attending bicycle safety rodeos, enforcing traffic laws for 
motorists and protecting pedestrians.

Please feel free to contact me with more information and thanks for your 
continued support.

Yon Lambert
Pedestrian and Bicycle Program Coordinator
Transportation & Environmental Services
City of Alexandria
703.838.4966 phone
571.220.0842 mobile
yon.lambert at alexandriava.gov 

Visit www.AlexRide.org and subscribe to eNews - Transportation 
Alternatives for regular updates about pedestrian and bicycle issues in 
Alexandria.

Eliz Wright <ewright953 at yahoo.com> 
Sent by: bsc-bounces+yon.lambert=alexandriava.gov at bicycle.alexandria.va.us
10/09/2007 09:07 AM

To
"Olsson, Anne-Margaret" <Aolsson at shrm.org>, Robert Brubaker 
<robert.brubaker at metroped.org>, BSC <bsc at bicycle.alexandria.va.us>
cc
LORI GRANT <LORI.GRANT at EEOC.GOV>
Subject
RE: Alexandria Police Ticket Bicyclists

What wasn't stated was the cyclists receiced $87 fines.  I think at our 
Bike Walk Alex mtg we were told it's a moving violation so that can go 
against one's driving record.  APD, can you confirm?

There were "warnings" issued on previous weekends.  Maybe we should have 
put THAT on the listserve . . . . 

And it's legal to ride on the sidewalks when there isn't a dedicated bike 
lane.

"Olsson, Anne-Margaret" <Aolsson at shrm.org> wrote:
Robert,

Thank you for sharing the video.  I witnessed a motorized police officer 
pulling over a bicyclist on Commonwealth Ave. in Del Ray, just last week. 
The cyclist blatantly road right through the intersection, totally 
ignoring the stop sign.  As a long-time cyclist, I celebrated the act of 
the police officer.  The pedestrians and cyclists in Alexandria have 
gotten out-of-control!  The cyclists ride on the wrong side of the street, 
they ride on the sidewalk, they ride on the crosswalk, and yes, they ride 
through stop signs. 

If we as cyclists want to be respected on the roadway, we must follow the 
rules of the road!

Way to go Alexandria Police Department!!!!

Anne-Margaret Olsson
Del Ray, Alexandria Resident

From: bsc-bounces+aolsson=shrm.org at bicycle.alexandria.va.us 
[mailto:bsc-bounces+aolsson=shrm.org at bicycle.alexandria.va.us] On Behalf 
Of Robert Brubaker
Sent: Tuesday, October 09, 2007 7:20 AM
To: BSC
Subject: Re: Alexandria Police Ticket Bicyclists

Hello Allen

Thanks for the warning since it's an area I frequently ride.     Couldn't 
tell from the video but wonder what they considered running a stop sign on 
a bike.   If they ignored  bicyclists that slowed and looked both ways 
that would not be too bad.   I suspect, however, they enforced a 'complete 
stop'.  Since few people can do a 0 MPH track stand, coming to a complete 
stop would mean putting ones foot down.   If someone tried to follow that 
rule, just in Alexandria, it likely would put a damper on one's 
willingness to bicycle commute. 

Bob

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Allen Muchnick 
To: BikeWalk Alexandria 
Sent: Tuesday, October 09, 2007 3:09 AM
Subject: Alexandria Police Ticket Bicyclists

WJLA news video:

http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/1007/461810_video.html?ref=newsstory
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