[Originally published at datelinedecatur.com, Sept. 2011. I recently learned that Decatur, Ga., attorney and tireless safe cycling advocate Ken Rosskopf died in a bike accident. Ken was a source for subsequent reporting and a beloved Decatur resident and he commented on the original post. May his memory be a blessing.]
I had my first contact with Decatur’s law enforcement community this morning. I wasn’t working on a story; I was cited for violating §40-6-72 of the Georgia Code: I failed to stop at a stop sign.
Under Georgia law, bicycles are considered vehicles and bicyclists must adhere to the same rules of the road as drivers. When police officers observe violations, like my failure to stop at the intersection of Oakview Road and Adams Street, they are required to enforce the code. It doesn’t matter that I was wearing a helmet or that I am a Decatur resident who pays Decatur taxes. I broke the law in Decatur and I am now $212.50 poorer because of it.
I am a strong advocate of multi-modal transportation options and I avoid driving my car when walking or biking will get me where I need to go. Before this morning I knew that bicyclists are subject to the same laws and enforcement actions as drivers but I irregularly applied that knowledge while biking.
R. Lindsey, the traffic officer who saw me run the stop sign and who issued the moving violation, agreed to be interviewed after he finished generating my citation. “I can understand their frustration but also they also have to look at it’s a state law,” he said as he tore the ticket from the thermal printer mounted on the back of his motorcycle.
In his decade on the Decatur force Lindsey has witnessed a lot of cyclists riding unsafely, as I was this morning. “I’ve seen bicyclists running red lights, running stop signs,” he said. There are ways around that in the sense that when it comes to taking different routes or just taking the time to stop and make sure you are looking.”
I asked Lindsey what my take away from our encounter should be. “That’s really up to you. That’s not for me to decide,” he replied. “We know what we are supposed to do and not supposed to do. I wouldn’t want to put my life in jeopardy — Just because a bicyclist is not seeing anything, it doesn’t mean there’s not something there. Just the same with a car driver.”
He added, “Even if you go through a stop sign or a red light, you don’t think it’s horrible but if a car does hit you, when you committed the violation, that person’s never going to forget that.”
After discussing my infraction and bike safety in general, Lindsey told me that Decatur police officers will be getting some training on bike safety issues. I contacted his supervisor, Sgt. Tim Karolyi, who said that Decatur officers will be attending sessions where they will discuss some of the common violations cyclists make and where experts will clarify gray areas in older laws as well as the new law requiring motorists to pass cyclists at a safe distance.
Karolyi was unable to identify the advocacy group working with the city and he referred me to Lt. Maddox, the force’s training officer.A call to Maddox was not returned in time for this post. Stay tuned for a follow-up on the Decatur Police bicycle safety training.
Updated (9/21/2011): Read the follow-up to this post on the October 11, 2011, Decatur Police Department cycling training session.
Shortlink for this post: https://wp.me/p1bnGQ-8r
Perfect. I hope they ramp up enforcement against the regular disregard bicyclists display in Decatur. (and glad he was up for the discussion)
This city is soooooo ! OVER policed !
+1—SOOOOOO over policed!
Interesting story and great blog. I found you from Decatur Metro.
Great post. Thank you! I’m looking forward to hearing more about the advocacy group. Will the officers be briefed on the challenges cyclists face in navigating an infrastructure based on automobiles? Will they be urged to be lenient in cases in which, for example, pressure sensors aren’t sensitive enough to change lights for cyclists, who must therefore either run a light or wait for an automobile to come? Sometimes there’s no good alternative to riding on a sidewalk for a short time, for example.
Here’s hoping that all of the officers pay attention in class. Just within the last month I had an “almost” run in with a Decatur officer who was breaking more than one bike rule. As I was exiting the parking deck behind the courthouse, a uniformed City of Decatur officer and I almost collided as she was a) on a sidewalk ON the bike (not walking the bike) and b) traveling AGAINST the flow of traffic. As I was exiting the building, it was necessary for me to pull my car up to a certain extent to allow the arm/barrier to go down….and as she was actively pedaling, she was moving MUCH faster than a pedestrian would have been. Was I startled and apologetic? Heck yes! But I wasn’t breaking any laws—she was.
Holly,
I’m an avid cyclist. However, one day I stepped out of ThumbsUp to be almost hit by one of the police cyclists. He didn’t stop when I yelled so I called the department. I was told that there is no state law about riding on sidewalks but that the city of Decatur has one. However…their cycle police are granted immunity to it so they can pursue people. Since then, I’ve checked with various friends and advocacy groups and it’s true, cyclists of any age may ride on sidewalks.
Jerry, According to the Georgia Code (§40-6-144):
Oops…I forgot they updated the laws as of July 1. My mistake…that was one of those that was clarified and legalized my recumbent.
So what about the en masse cyclists that pass through Decatur and Avondale on a regular basis, often blocking intersections so that their entire peloton can pass through? I get the whole safety in numbers deal, but even as an avid cyclist, I see it as arrogant and illegal.
Also arrogant are the cyclists who ride right next to the PATH on Dekalb Ave.
No. The cyclist has the right-of-way on DeKalb Avenue. State law does not provide that a trail, when available, must be used. For pedestrians this is not the case ergo runners not using the PATH may be ticketed as “street walkers”.
F: Did I say anything about right of way? My point is it would be the courteous (and sensible) thing to do.
I am not an “anti-cyclist/cars must rule the world person” but I am tired of being stopped at red lights around Decatur and having a cyclist blow past me and through the red light. I slow down and move as far over as possible when I pass cyclists trying to “share the road”. It scares the crap out of me because if I end up being the one to take out a cyclist it’s really not going to make me feel any better that they were the ones at fault. Same thing goes for the pedestrians who dodge in and out of traffic (between two perfectly good crosswalks) on Church Street to get to Java Monkey.
As another avid cyclist, I too hate to see this. It is against cycling ‘code’ to pass people near a traffic light. The proper action for a cyclist is to move to the middle of the lane and be a part of the line awaiting the light. There are lots of safety reasons for doing this along with the fact that I wouldn’t want the same people passing me over and over again…sooner or later they might just get too close.
I wish this were true for cyclists. I ride about 30 miles a day and also drive. On my bike, I do exactly as you have described in your post but I rarely see other cyclists doing this. I’m not sure what the solution is but I find it pretty aggravating to pass a group of 10 cyclists in my car who then cut in front of me at the red light, then barely pull out in a timely manner with the light causing me to actually miss the light when I was first in line to pull out… so usually when people are telling me how much they hate cyclists, I have to agree with them…
People’s responses about cyclists are waaaay out of proportion to the actual inconvenience and safety concern they actually pose. Y’all act like the streets are overrun with cyclists and the poor drivers are driving in white knuckled fear of hitting these aggressive ne’er-do-wells. Instead of throwing out anecdotal observations, why not do some real research on who is causing more hazard on the roads. I’m guessing people on bikes won’t be the top of the list.
“tired of having a cyclist blow past” you at the red light? really? really???
Cyclists are generally super alert, watching every way at once, at every intersection, every street coming into another, every pedestrian walking down the sidewalk, and listening for cars at their back, perfectly aware that they, the cyclist can be hard to see/hear and so has to take their safety and others’ into their own hands. when we “fly through intersections” we’re not trying to outdo you in your car, we’re not racing you, we’re not saying “ha ha suckers!” as we zoom on by, no, you’ll catch up in the next block–usually it’s a very practical reason, like, you have to keep your momentum to get up that next hill, remember, bikes are man-powered, nothing but our own steam and gravity to keep us going. anyway, we’re watching when we run those lights and stop signs, and–usually–we’re being very careful.
hmmm… I am assuming your post is satire? Sorry, couldn’t help laughing out loud when I read it. You might also add that you don’t need to wear a helmet and helmets are for stupid people who don’t know how to ride.
so if a motorist (living by your rules) runs a red light or stop sign and hits you and cripples you, will you simply be content that she/he was being careful or simply didn’t want to stop on a downhill?…
Have you ever been hit by car? It hurts. Several years ago, I was hit on my bike by an off duty police officer in a crosswalk over by the Carter Center. The police officer had ran the red light and hit me when I was simply crossing the street. I was paying attention & alert and that still happened.
I ride about 30 miles a day in the city, have ridden for about 35 years now, raced for 13, worked as a bike messenger in Atlanta, Philly & NYC and can say that there is no truth to what you have posted. Cyclists in Atlanta are very oblivious to others, even other cyclists. Probably half the cyclists I pass while I am cycling are listening to ipods. there is not argument for it is okay to run stop signs & red lights. seriously. follow the rules. share the road. it goes both ways.
I hate people hating cyclists because it affects my safety while I am out there riding.
that said, i can’t argue with ticketing bikers for running stop signs/lights, that IS pretty steep (steeper than speeding?!!), but it will not stop me from running them because i kind of have to in order to keep going on my mode of transportation. you try coming to a full stop at the bottom of a hill.
Emily, I ride a recumbent, not the best bike for climbing hills. I don’t know of one hill in the Decatur area that’s too steep for me. Try using those lower gears; they’re there for a reason.
Law breaker!
oh i do, and plenty of hills all over atlanta.
Thanks to the blogger for blogging and to the officer for consenting to the interview. The Atlanta Bicycle Coalition and GerogiaBikes are working on the issues raised in the comments. Next month there is a Bike Summit in Athens, Georgia to address many of these issues. I urge the comment-pron to suggest solutions for consideration. Mine is to modernize our Rules of the Road toward recognizing the differences between bicycles and motor vehicles. Yours?
You can always go to court and explain to the judge that you are actively involved in the community and are a Decatur taxpayer. Hopefully you won’t get the self-loathing substitute judge who will then give you an “enhancement” on top of the existing fine. Actually, that may be a great idea, as you could further expose the inherent corruption in this entire system that makes Decatur appear primarily as a very mean-spirited Mayberry.
Carl, until the law changes cyclists are subject to the same enforcement actions as motorists. I don’t agree with the excessive fine ($212.50) for running a stop sign on a bike but that is the current law and I did violate it. I can assure you that I will be operating my bike with the same regard for the law as I operate my car.
so maybe this is a point that some fines/laws need to be revised for the variety of vehicles?? after all, a bicycle is not the same as a car, it is not a motor vehicle, the stop signs on streets were put in place for motor vehicles and the level of responsibility that goes with operating a motor vehicle, and since we all share the road we certainly do have to abide by them. However, the responsibilities of operating a bike vs. a car are very different and cannot be fully equated. ??
(by the way, i always stop at lights, it’s only neighborhood stop signs that i yield to if no cars are there)
With all the “it is the law” talk going on, can anyone explain how a motor vehicle can legally overtake a bicycle in the city? With sharrows and “three feet” safe distances, and that almost all the streets are marked double yellow, I can’t see how a motor vehicle wouldn’t cross the line. As far as I can tell, Georgia Code 40-6-46 seems specific.
I’m going to print this article and hand it to every bicyclist I see running the lights at N. Decatur Rd & Scott Blvd. & Medlock. I’ve seen way to many close calls.
Emily T…I am speaking of cyclists blowing past me at a red light that is red. I am not sick of cyclists simply passing my car. I am sick of them passing my car and blowing through a red light or stop sign. Is your argument that it’s okay to run the light or stop sign as a cyclist because your being careful?
Here is a link to a recent story about cycling in NYC
http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Bicyclists-Need-to-Obey-the-Rules-Too.html
Thanks for sharing the link. It’s an important issue.