http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress Encouragement, Education & Advocacy for Bicycling in the Real World Thu, 24 May 2012 02:02:01 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 Encouragement, Education & Advocacy for Bicycling in the Real World Commute Orlando no Encouragement, Education & Advocacy for Bicycling in the Real World http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/powerpress/rss_default.jpg http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/category/bicycle-law/ http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2012/04/30/bike-lane-law-update-what-it-means/ http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2012/04/30/bike-lane-law-update-what-it-means/#comments Mon, 30 Apr 2012 12:29:49 +0000 Keri http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/?p=15210 As a product of this year’s legislative session, there has been a change in the language of the far right/mandatory bike lane law. The change “clarifies situations in which a bicyclist is not required to ride in the marked bicycle lane (if the roadway is marked for bicycle use) or as close as practicable to the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway. The bill clarifies that a bicyclist is exempt from this requirement when a ‘potential conflict’ or a turn lane interrupts the roadway or bicycle lane.” Here’s the way the statute looks in CS/CS/HB 1223: 316-2065(5)(a) Any person operating a bicycle upon a roadway at less than the normal speed of traffic at the time and place and under the conditions then existing shall ride in the lane marked for bicycle use or, if no lane is marked for bicycle use, as close as practicable to the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway except under any of the following situations: When overtaking and passing another bicycle or vehicle proceeding in the same direction. When preparing for a left turn at an intersection or into a private road or driveway. When reasonably necessary to avoid any condition or [...]]]> http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2012/04/30/bike-lane-law-update-what-it-means/feed/ 61 http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2011/10/01/bwcf-ucf-pd/ http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2011/10/01/bwcf-ucf-pd/#comments Sat, 01 Oct 2011 19:06:11 +0000 Brad http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/?p=13907 It was a beautiful Friday morning in April. Sgt. Troy Williamson, Community Relations Officer with the University of Central Florida Police Department was on his way to work when he saw something unusual – a squad of bicyclists, traveling two-abreast, spinning their way up University Boulevard.]]> http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2011/10/01/bwcf-ucf-pd/feed/ 20 http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2011/08/24/good-works/ http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2011/08/24/good-works/#comments Wed, 24 Aug 2011 14:52:30 +0000 Keri http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/?p=13700 San Diego Police Department to Train Officers on Cyclists’ Rights and Laws Within the next two weeks, all patrol officers in the City of San Diego will receive training on the full text of CVC 21202, the bicycle law that applies to cyclists in California. This section of the vehicle code is the one that addresses where cyclists can be positioned when riding on the street and the specific exceptions to the code that have been the subject of two citations we’ve written about here. This has been the section of the vehicle code that has been oft cited when bicyclists in San Diego have been ticketed. Not surprisingly, the lack of understanding of the vehicle code has been a source of much consternation among the region’s cyclists. But with this new training, the patrol officers in the City of San Diego will now be better able to serve the region’s cyclists. Nice work, Sam Ollinger! Closer to home, CyclingSavvy instructor Jeff Hohlstein has been making inroads with law enforcement Jacksonville. Jeff will share the story with us soon. In new drivers manual, MVA gets something right MVA has a new version of its Maryland Drivers Manual out on the [...]]]> http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2011/08/24/good-works/feed/ 0 http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2011/08/11/honesty-takes-a-holiday/ http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2011/08/11/honesty-takes-a-holiday/#comments Thu, 11 Aug 2011 22:11:35 +0000 Eric http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/?p=13646 This case came across my radar today. It involves the case of a LEO driving a patrol car and striking a pedestrian. Apparently, Brevard County uses two people patrol cars and, well  . . . I’ll let you read the rest and draw your own opinion. County Judge Kelly McKibben acquitted a Brevard County sheriff’s deputy whose patrol car struck and killed a pedestrian last September. In her seven-page judgment for acquittal, McKibben wrote the state could not prove Vincent Marino-Vitani was indeed the person driving the patrol car when it struck and killed 65-year-old Henrietta Strong on State Road 520 near Wilcox Avenue in Cocoa. -MORE- What this means is that a LEO refused to step up and take his or her medicine. It was a patrol car, so an LEO must have or should have been driving it.  ]]> http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2011/08/11/honesty-takes-a-holiday/feed/ 7 http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2011/06/08/has-the-bike-lane-law-affected-you/ http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2011/06/08/has-the-bike-lane-law-affected-you/#comments Wed, 08 Jun 2011 20:24:36 +0000 Keri http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/?p=13017 Mark Simpson and Michael Cacciatore at WMFE’s Intersection are following up on the mandatory bike lane law that was passed last year. You may recall, Mark rode with me on Orange Ave. and did an in-studio interview with Mighk last year when the law was passed. If you have had any interactions with the police over the bike lane law, whether or not it ended in a ticket, please share your story with Michael at r_intern@wmfe.org. An interaction could be anything from being yelled at over the loudspeaker to being pulled over. Individual and group stories are welcome. Please pass this on to anyone you know who has had interactions with the police for avoiding a bike lane, or any striped-off area that looks like one.]]> http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2011/06/08/has-the-bike-lane-law-affected-you/feed/ 10 http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2011/06/03/huntington-beach-offers-traffic-school-for-bicycle-lawbreakers/ http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2011/06/03/huntington-beach-offers-traffic-school-for-bicycle-lawbreakers/#comments Fri, 03 Jun 2011 17:44:26 +0000 Eric http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/?p=12987 From the LA Times: Huntington Beach has become the first city in the state to offer traffic school for bicyclists who break the law. The city’s police officers now give cyclists the option of going to court and paying high fines or going to traffic school. Some counties, including Santa Cruz and Marin, offer traffic school for bicyclists, but court permission is required first. In Huntington Beach, violators will not need permission or go to court if they elect to take the city’s offer. Unlike the much longer traffic school for drivers, the Police Department’s Adult Bicycle Safety Program takes two hours, said Lt. Russell Reinhart. Since the program began late last month, Reinhart said, most of those cited have gone the traffic school route. Ten people opted for the class the first day it was offered, he said. Violators are charged $50 to cover the cost of the class, which also waives any other fees or fines. “It’s a good deal,” said Frank Yonemori, who rides his bike several times a week in the city. The new policy does not apply to bicyclists caught riding under the influence of drugs or alcohol, said Police Chief Ken Small. State law [...]]]> http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2011/06/03/huntington-beach-offers-traffic-school-for-bicycle-lawbreakers/feed/ 10 http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2011/04/13/understanding-cyclistmotorist-tensions/ http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2011/04/13/understanding-cyclistmotorist-tensions/#comments Wed, 13 Apr 2011 13:11:52 +0000 Keri http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/?p=12259 Today Steve Magas posted an unabridged version of a forthcoming op-ed in the Columbus Dispatch. It’s an excellent read with lots of talking points for informing your non-cycling friends. Why Are Cyclists Allowed On The Roads? Do Cyclists, or Motorists,  “Pay For” The Roads? Why Aren’t Cyclists Licensed? Are Cyclists Driving Recklessly? How do we move forward? The answers are here. Enjoy.]]> http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2011/04/13/understanding-cyclistmotorist-tensions/feed/ 5 http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2011/01/14/theyll-do-it-every-time/ http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2011/01/14/theyll-do-it-every-time/#comments Fri, 14 Jan 2011 19:46:20 +0000 Eric http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/?p=11320 I’m not anti-bike, but followed by some cockamamie statistic and then some dreadful interpretation of the motor vehicle laws. It’s a pattern we have all seen far too many times. And here it is again, all in one paragraph, from a fellow applauding the new NYPD crackdown on cyclists. But in a way, his complaint about cyclists not riding on streets that have bike lanes makes perfect sense . . .  it is another logical conclusion to painting lines and requiring cyclists to stay on one side of the painted line. *thanks, with a tip of the hat, to Jimmy Hatlo When people ask me why I’m for the NYPD’s new bicycle safety enforcement initiative that’s poised to start, I have a very straightforward answer for them: It’s going to save lives, period. As president of the 84th Precinct Community Council, I talk to cops all the time. Just the other day I was asked to come over to the station house on Gold Street to address the 20 new cops we’ve received. I told these young officers flat out that they shouldn’t be shy about giving out tickets, because sanctioning people with tickets will ultimately save someone’s life. I’m [...]]]> http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2011/01/14/theyll-do-it-every-time/feed/ 7 http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2010/10/20/and-now-some-good-news/ http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2010/10/20/and-now-some-good-news/#comments Thu, 21 Oct 2010 03:08:21 +0000 Keri http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/?p=10453 Fred reports that his Ormond Beach citations have been dismissed (no trial). He is still trying to set up a meeting with the OBPD to ensure they will leave him alone. Now, if we could only seek restitution for the time lost and emotional damages suffered by being harassed while not breaking any laws, that would be a deterrent. Ignorance of the law is no excuse, especially if you’re a police officer!]]> http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2010/10/20/and-now-some-good-news/feed/ 7 http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2010/10/01/the-cost-of-being-different/ http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2010/10/01/the-cost-of-being-different/#comments Fri, 01 Oct 2010 19:18:50 +0000 Keri http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/?p=9949 Fred’s troubles began in Port Orange in February 2009. Until then, he had been happily and legally traveling around the Space Coast without trouble from the police. Like many of us, Fred had studied the laws regarding bicycle operation and ensured that he was operating in accordance with the law. He uses lights at night, obeys traffic control devices and drives in the right lane on multi-lane roads. Because the roads he uses have lanes that are less than 14ft wide, he rides near the center of the lane as he is legally allowed by 316.2065(5)(a) exception paragraph (3). When the Port Orange PD began stopping Fred, they were not interested in the exceptions. They wanted him to ride next to the curb. He refused to give up his legal right to the lane. They began a campaign of pulling him over and ticketing him every time he drove through town. Fred hired a lawyer ($400) to file a motion to dismiss. The tickets were dismissed without a hearing. We thought the problem was solved, but early this year, Port Orange PD renewed their campaign of harassment. Fred received two more tickets and the threat that he would be pulled [...]]]> http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2010/10/01/the-cost-of-being-different/feed/ 21