Cyclists, motorists: Share the road
Sara Medina
Posted on: 3/10/10 Section: Opinion
If you're a bicyclist, you're in luck. Chief Charlie Beck of the Los Angeles Police Department is on your side.
During a transportation committee meeting in February, Beck vowed to better protect "our most vulnerable commuters" with the implementation of special programs for LAPD officers.
The goal is to make the roads of Los Angeles safer for bicyclists and these new programs will do that, but only if bicycle advocacy groups help the cause by educating motorists and cyclists as well.
The programs implemented by the LAPD will be mandatory for all officers and will hopefully lead to a crackdown in the negligence towards bicycle incidents. An e-learning agenda will be put into place during officer training in order to help officers better understand bicycle incidents. Also, an adjustment to department policy will outline how officers should handle situations that arise concerning motorists and cyclists.
The LAPD has already begun taking action by appointing an official liaison that ensures cycling incidents are handled by the respective traffic division and by creating a department that will work together with advocacy groups.
With roughly 53,000 traffic crashes involving bicyclists in 2008, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, these new programs will make the roads safer for all commuters, especially vulnerable bicyclists who have to ride in fear.
Marissa Raya, a former PCC student who rode her bicycle to school every day, thinks that motorists definitely take advantage of their cars.
"I never really thought about safety until I was hit from behind while waiting at a red light," Raya recalls. "I guess the driver didn't see me standing right next to the curb …I was mad and skinned my hands, but he felt bad."
It is situations like these that instill fear in bicyclists everywhere. How can we be told how much more "green" it is to make our commutes by bycicling if we have to constantly look over our shoulder to make sure a car isn't barreling down the road towards us, or if we have to worry about drivers with road rage?
During a transportation committee meeting in February, Beck vowed to better protect "our most vulnerable commuters" with the implementation of special programs for LAPD officers.
The goal is to make the roads of Los Angeles safer for bicyclists and these new programs will do that, but only if bicycle advocacy groups help the cause by educating motorists and cyclists as well.
The programs implemented by the LAPD will be mandatory for all officers and will hopefully lead to a crackdown in the negligence towards bicycle incidents. An e-learning agenda will be put into place during officer training in order to help officers better understand bicycle incidents. Also, an adjustment to department policy will outline how officers should handle situations that arise concerning motorists and cyclists.
The LAPD has already begun taking action by appointing an official liaison that ensures cycling incidents are handled by the respective traffic division and by creating a department that will work together with advocacy groups.
With roughly 53,000 traffic crashes involving bicyclists in 2008, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, these new programs will make the roads safer for all commuters, especially vulnerable bicyclists who have to ride in fear.
Marissa Raya, a former PCC student who rode her bicycle to school every day, thinks that motorists definitely take advantage of their cars.
"I never really thought about safety until I was hit from behind while waiting at a red light," Raya recalls. "I guess the driver didn't see me standing right next to the curb …I was mad and skinned my hands, but he felt bad."
It is situations like these that instill fear in bicyclists everywhere. How can we be told how much more "green" it is to make our commutes by bycicling if we have to constantly look over our shoulder to make sure a car isn't barreling down the road towards us, or if we have to worry about drivers with road rage?
Be the first to comment on this story