September 2014 Trail Conditions

[Emm]

@rcannon100 95223 wrote:

If you have need heard, apparently there is a lot of police enforcement taking place downtown against cyclists: cycling on sidewalks and running stop signs. Several folk have been ticketed. Be careful out there.

Same thing has been going on around King St in Alexandria. At an Alexandria BPAC event last week 2-3 people told me they’ve been ticketed recently in Old Town for slowly rolling through stop signs that had 0 cross traffic or not fully stopping to let pedestrians through on crosswalks. They all admitted fault, but were annoyed that they were getting tickets, and Alexandria police have indicated they won’t be enforcing the 3 ft rule for cars/bikes unless an accident actually occurs.

[cyclingfool]

@Emm 95246 wrote:

Same thing has been going on around King St in Alexandria. At an Alexandria BPAC event last week 2-3 people told me they’ve been ticketed recently in Old Town for slowly rolling through stop signs that had 0 cross traffic or not fully stopping to let pedestrians through on crosswalks. They all admitted fault, but were annoyed that they were getting tickets, and Alexandria police have indicated they won’t be enforcing the 3 ft rule for cars/bikes unless an accident actually occurs.

So, infractions of the law by cyclists that aren’t going to injure anyone are going to be ticketed, but the same thing by cars aren’t going to be ticketed. By their logic, cyclists should only be ticketed if they run into a pedestrian in the crosswalk. I’m disappointed, Alexandria.

[mstone]

@cyclingfool 95257 wrote:

So, infractions of the law by cyclists that aren’t going to injure anyone are going to be ticketed, but the same thing by cars aren’t going to be ticketed. By their logic, cyclists should only be ticketed if they run into a pedestrian in the crosswalk. I’m disappointed, Alexandria.

But are you surprised?

[cyclingfool]

@mstone 95258 wrote:

But are you surprised?

No. Not at all. But I am surprised they are apparently so open with BPAC presumably (?) about their unwillingness to enforce a law put on the books expressly to protect cyclists from dangerous drivers.

Behavior unworthy of silver level biking community status from LAB…

[ShawnoftheDread]

@cyclingfool 95259 wrote:

No. Not at all. But I am surprised they are apparently so open with BPAC presumably (?) about their unwillingness to enforce a law put on the books expressly to protect cyclists from dangerous drivers.

Behavior unworthy of silver level biking community status from LAB…

This raises a question: does LAB consider police enforcement issues when making their status awards?

[Terpfan]

@Emm 95246 wrote:

Same thing has been going on around King St in Alexandria. At an Alexandria BPAC event last week 2-3 people told me they’ve been ticketed recently in Old Town for slowly rolling through stop signs that had 0 cross traffic or not fully stopping to let pedestrians through on crosswalks. They all admitted fault, but were annoyed that they were getting tickets, and Alexandria police have indicated they won’t be enforcing the 3 ft rule for cars/bikes unless an accident actually occurs.

I always hear about it, but never seen it. The only cop I ever seen in OT in commute is the one directing traffic by the Catholic school on Royal. He almost always keeps waving me through in the morning, which is nice because it’s the endorsed running of the stop sign. Otherwise, I don’t see them. And I never see them on bikes. That’s the one thing I don’t quite understand because I have seen Fairfax County cops on bikes and I have seen DC cops on bikes, but never Alexandria ones.

[lordofthemark]

@cyclingfool 95259 wrote:

No. Not at all. But I am surprised they are apparently so open with BPAC presumably (?) about their unwillingness to enforce a law put on the books expressly to protect cyclists from dangerous drivers.

Behavior unworthy of silver level biking community status from LAB…

Are there any other police departments in Va proactively enforcing the 3 ft rule, in the absence of an accident? My understanding was that was not the expectation when the bill was being considered for a variety of reasons – rather that it would have its impact when there was an accident (and in particular would impact civil suits.) I would of course be delighted if LE would enforce it, and am disappointed that resources are wasted on harmless Idaho’s, but I am not sure that the City is out of step with other Silver level communities on this.

Note – I arrived late at the Sept BPAC meeting (my first) so I have not been present for any BPAC discussions on these matters.

[dasgeh]

@americancyclo 93408 wrote:

The eastbound Pennsylvania Avenue cycle track at the intersections of 11th and 12th streets NW are also completely ripped up. Have fun dancing between rough road, a really bad patch/transition along the seam, and the bollards on the pedestrian islands!

OMG it’s almost been a month! Will this ever get fixed?!?!?!?!

[dasgeh]

@cyclingfool 95287 wrote:

Did anyone report this to the See It. Click It. Fix It. site? If so, is there a link you could share so we can vote this up?

Good idea! http://seeclickfix.com/issues/1297104 and http://seeclickfix.com/issues/1297107

[cyclingfool]

Voted both up.

[cyclingfool]

@lordofthemark 95281 wrote:

Are there any other police departments in Va proactively enforcing the 3 ft rule, in the absence of an accident? My understanding was that was not the expectation when the bill was being considered for a variety of reasons – rather that it would have its impact when there was an accident (and in particular would impact civil suits.) I would of course be delighted if LE would enforce it, and am disappointed that resources are wasted on harmless Idaho’s, but I am not sure that the City is out of step with other Silver level communities on this.

Note – I arrived late at the Sept BPAC meeting (my first) so I have not been present for any BPAC discussions on these matters.

What seems out of step is publicly acknowledging that your police department is not enforcing a law. There are clearly other laws that police departments choose not to enforce until it contributes to a bigger issue, but I don’t think they go around telling constituencies that they are not enforcing said law until it becomes part of an accident or bigger issue.

I mean, in practice, I think it’s generally understood that speed limit violations are rarely enforced unless the violation is, say, 6 mph or more over the limit (give or take a few mph). But I don’t think that the police go to AAA and divulge to them in a public meeting that this is how it works.

[dasgeh]

@cyclingfool 95291 wrote:

What seems out of step is publicly acknowledging that your police department is not enforcing a law. There are clearly other laws that police departments choose not to enforce until it contributes to a bigger issue, but I don’t think they go around telling constituencies that they are not enforcing said law until it becomes part of an accident or bigger issue.

I mean, in practice, I think it’s generally understood that speed limit violations are rarely enforced unless the violation is, say, 6 mph or more over the limit (give or take a few mph). But I don’t think that the police go to AAA and divulge to them in a public meeting that this is how it works.

ACPD will openly acknowledge that they don’t ticket speeding if less than 10MPH over. Even in a 25 MPH zone.

[cyclingfool]

@dasgeh 95292 wrote:

ACPD will openly acknowledge that they don’t ticket speeding if less than 10MPH over. Even in a 25 MPH zone.

Well, then, I humbly stand corrected. And, by extension, rescind my criticism of Alex. PD, I suppose. I’m still disappointed, though…

[ShawnoftheDread]

Sounds like you shouldn’t rescind your criticism of APD, but rather extend your criticism to their peers.

[lordofthemark]

@cyclingfool 95291 wrote:

What seems out of step is publicly acknowledging that your police department is not enforcing a law. There are clearly other laws that police departments choose not to enforce until it contributes to a bigger issue, but I don’t think they go around telling constituencies that they are not enforcing said law until it becomes part of an accident or bigger issue.

I mean, in practice, I think it’s generally understood that speed limit violations are rarely enforced unless the violation is, say, 6 mph or more over the limit (give or take a few mph). But I don’t think that the police go to AAA and divulge to them in a public meeting that this is how it works.

Sure. As I said, I was not at the meeting and don’t know the context or wording.

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