Somverville Bicycle Committee Bike Commute Breakfast

Got this in the email, looks like a blast, oh bike week how I love thee!

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This Just In: Sky Not Falling In Somerville

Judging from some of the comments on the post where I mentioned that Somerville cops are going to have a couple targeted bike enforcement days (something by the way Boston and especially Cambridge have been doing for a long time), you would think that the entire fabric of our reality is tearing itself apart. But guess what, it was fine.

Somerville Police handed out more than 40 tickets to bicyclists caught breezing through red lights, cruising on sidewalks, and riding against traffic on two recent enforcement days, the department said. The crackdown is expected to continue, said Sergeant Sean Sheehan. Three more days of targeted enforcement are planned, Sheehan said, but he wouldn’t give away the dates.”Generally what the department wants to do is to get some feedback and see how its working, if people are following the rules a little more,” Sheehan said. The fines are for $20 for most infractions, which were mostly for cyclists who ran red lights, he said.

Ohhh sweet Jesus on a raft, 20 dollars! For doing something you shouldn’t be doing anyway! Tell it on the mountain I have seen the end times and they are tiny tickets and warnings… clearly I am being silly. This is exactly the kind of thing we should be pushing for as a cycling community.

When a person (especially cops) looks at the road and sees cyclists I want her to think “here is someone who belongs on this street, they deserve all the same protections and have all the same responsibilities as any other road user.” Following the rules normalizes cycling as a form of transportation. And having cyclists follow those rules (and be held accountable for not following them) is a good thing.

Pointing your finger at cars and going “but but but what about them” doesn’t change anything I have written. Cars can need more enforcement and cyclists should follow the rules. Both of those things can be true at the same time. In fact they are true. Somerville cops give out tickets to motorists every day. Hopefully in the future they can place themselves at intersections and give out failure to yield, and bad right turn, and not stopping at red light tickets. This sort of targeted enforcement could go a long way towards protecting other road user groups, like cyclists and pedestrians.

There is no evidence that I can see that shows that any local police officer are systematically enforcing laws harder on one group of road users, in fact I would have to admit that for a long time cyclists could do just about anything and there was nothing the cops could do about it. Welcome to acceptance people, where we get to use the roads and be treated like other road users, and we have to follow the rules.

Thanks Ron for the tip.

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Somerville To Crack Down On Rule Breakers

I sometimes hear cyclist bitch about enforcement, but its a vital component in legitimizing and normalizing cycling as a part of our transportation infrastructure. Only when we are given the same respect (and responsibilities) as other road users are we going to be treated as a real viable method of transportation. You can argue about what the rules for cyclists should be, but you can’t really come up with a good argument for why cyclists shouldn’t follow the rules.

Thanks Ron for the tip.

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Somerville police are planning to step up enforcement of bicyclist traffic laws in city squares and at busy intersections in coming days, the city said.

“Bicyclists have a right to share the road and they should command respect from other drivers,” said Chief Thomas Pasquarello in a statement. ” At the same time, they need to show respect for the rights of pedestrians and vehicle drivers.”

Per state law, a police officer who views a cyclist making an infraction may demand identifying information from the rider to write a citation. Fines are $20 for a civil infraction, but if cyclists provide false information or refuse to give their name, they may be arrested and fined $50.

Pasquarello said bicyclists should familiarize themselves with state and local traffic laws, which apply equally to motorists as they do to cyclists. (A guide is available through the city’s ResiStat blog. )

“We’re all in this together, which is why we expect full cooperation from everyone on our roads and sidewalks as we work to reduce accidents and improve safety,” the chief said.

A bicyclist was killed when he was struck by a tractor-trailer truck last December in Cambridge. Another was  seriously injured in a collision with a bus in Salem April 9. (via)

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Tour Of Somerville Parks

Got this in the email, looks like fun

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The Somerville Bicycle Committee and Somerville Historic Preservation Commission team up to lead a bicycle tour of Somerville’s parks.

Many of them used to be something other than parks. Ride with us to learn more.

We’ll meet on Sunday, May 20 at 2 pm at Somerville City Hall, leaving promptly at 2:15. The 8-mile ride will go at an easy pace with several stops, and should be finished by around 4:30.

Please bring a $3 donation to support the activities of the Somerville Historic Preservation Commission.

A tentative map of our route is at http://g.co/maps/kyuzt .

This event is part of Bay State Bike Week.

Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/243519835728948/

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Tour Of Somerville Parks

Got this in the email, looks like fun

———————

The Somerville Bicycle Committee and Somerville Historic Preservation Commission team up to lead a bicycle tour of Somerville’s parks.

Many of them used to be something other than parks. Ride with us to learn more.

We’ll meet on Sunday, May 20 at 2 pm at Somerville City Hall, leaving promptly at 2:15. The 8-mile ride will go at an easy pace with several stops, and should be finished by around 4:30.

Please bring a $3 donation to support the activities of the Somerville Historic Preservation Commission.

A tentative map of our route is at http://g.co/maps/kyuzt .

This event is part of Bay State Bike Week.

Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/243519835728948/

Add to Reddit.

Tweet