Word on the Streets

Merry Cycle Christmas!

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

What a great day for a ride eh? Sunny skies, no snow, 40 degrees. It doesn’t get any better here in Minneapolis on December 25th.

Where are you rolling today?

posted by | December 25, 2011

This is it Minneapolis! The much anticipated Winter Solstice. From here on out our days start getting longer ~ that means more sunshine for all of us, and that Summer riding in shorts (or in my case skirts) and t-shirts is getting closer every day.

Meanwhile, what a great year to be a winter rider in Minneapolis eh?!!

Where will you ride on this Solstice Day?

posted by | December 22, 2011

Bike-related Enforcement Meeting with Police on Dec. 15

Here’s a guest post from Jim Skoog, chair of the Enforcement, Education, and Encouragement (informally, 3E) subcommittee of the Minneapolis Bicycle Advisory Committee (BAC).

This Thursday, Dec. 15, at 4:00 p.m., there will be a meeting discussing bike-related law enforcement between bicycle advocates and the Minneapolis Police Department. You’re invited.

The Minneapolis Bicycle Advisory Committee’s Enforcement, Education, and Encouragement subcommittee will hold it’s December meeting at the 1st Precinct Police Station (19 N. 4th St., next to Gay 90s). The goal is to continue a positive dialogue surrounding bike-related law enforcement. The agenda will cover

bicycle theft/bike registry,

targeted enforcement of bicyclists,

targeted enforcement of motorists, and more. (See below for possible discussions).

How do you think the city is doing?

If you have experiences you’d like to share or specific concerns you’d like addressed at the meeting, please send them to [email protected]. If you plan to attend, please RSVP to [email protected] so we can plan accordingly (space is limited in the community room).

Possible Discussions:

1. BIKE REGISTRY: Is “MPD Property” checking unclaimed bikes through the National Bike Registry? Minneapolis Police Dept. is listed as a participant on the registry’s website. Are they following through? Has a bike ever been reclaimed in Minneapolis because it was run through the registry? How many bikes were reported reclaimed?

2. TARGETED ENFORCEMENT OF BICYCLISTS: In 2010, 194 bicyclists were cited for failing to obey traffic laws, down 20% from 2009. Is this because of a decrease in enforcement or an increase in compliance? How often are targeted bicyclists campaigns implemented? What is the total amount of police officer hours dedicated to target bicyclist campaigns? Are “education-no fee” enforcement campaigns effective? What was the most common infraction? It would be great to hear from bicyclists about the how, where, what, from a bicycle-related enforcement incident.

3. TARGETED ENFORCEMENT OF MOTORISTS: After numerous bike lanes were added in 2010, not a single motorist was ticketed for driving in bike lanes in 2010 (down from 22 in 2009). What was the reason for the decline? How often is bike lane compliance targeted? What is the total amount of police officer hours dedicated to targeted motorist compliance with bicycle infrastructure? Are “education-no fee” enforcement campaigns effective? What would cyclists like to see enforced related to bicycle infrastructure?

4. BICYCLE THEFT: How often are there bike bait enforcement campaigns? What are the challenges? Are they difficult to prosecute? Are they worthwhile? What is the total amount of police officer hours dedicated to bike bait campaigns? Did any bike bait campaigns take place in 2011? Where do bicycle thefts take place most often? How many bicycles were stolen in 2010 or 2011? Is “Downtown Improvement District” open to applying “education tags” to unsecured bicycles?

posted by | December 12, 2011