If you're from the School of the Rolling Stop, tomorrow morning would be a good time to fully hit that brake. Long enough to spell S-T-O-P, as I tell my preschooler. But in Seaside, for a few hours at least, you can tag on an extra P.
The Monterey Regional Strategic Traffic Operations and Prevention Program (STOPP) will swarm on Seaside from 7am-noon Thursday, July 10, bringing cops from various law enforcement agencies together to issue a flurry of traffic tickets in designated "problem areas."
STOPP's official goal is "to promote and enhance motorist safety, educate our motoring public and reduce traffic collisions," according to a Seaside Police Department press release. "The program will focus on primary collision factors of these commuter routes through the city of Seaside."
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Three Feet for Safety Act became CA law 9/16/14. Confusion abounds, including about the appropriateness of people who bike sometimes "taking the lane," and more. This post provides some answers: http://marilynch.com/blog/not-a-pretty-picture-when-bikes-and-cars-collide.html
Thanks for bringing up sidewalk riding, biking on the wrong side of the road, and running stop signs. These are important topics.
Most experienced bicyclists know that sidewalk riding is usually less safe than biking in the street. Among reasons why is because, at driveways and intersections, drivers aren’t typically watching for a bicyclist to be coming off a sidewalk.
Nonetheless, in many situations, it makes sense that a person who bikes may decide that the sidewalk is their safest option. Some such cases may be where there are no bike lanes, or when a child is pedaling, or at nighttime when biking in isolated area.
To learn much more about sidewalk riding pros and cons, along with the laws about sidewalk riding, refer to BicyclingMonterey.com / BikeMonterey.org’s "Riding Skills, Safety, and CA Bike Laws--Tips for children, teens, and adults" Short link is: http://bit.ly/CABikeLaws
Regarding legality of sidewalk riding, CA law leaves this up to local counties or cities. In Seaside, municipal code states: “No person shall ride a bicycle upon a sidewalk when doing so interferes with pedestrian traffic in any direction.”( Ordinance 10.40.010.) In other words, sidewalk biking is legal in Seaside if you don’t interfere with people who are walking on the sidewalk.
As Bicycling Monterey's http://bit.ly/CABikeLaws reminds people who bike, if riding on a sidewalk (in cities where that is a legal option), be a good ambassador for biking! Ride slowly on sidewalks, yield to pedestrians, don’t block business entrances, etc.
In some local cities, including Salinas and Monterey, it is legal to ride on sidewalks EXCEPT WHERE POSTED (such as, not legal on Main Street sidewalks in Oldtown Salinas, or on Alvarado Street sidewalks in Monterey). For more info--including sidewalk biking ordinances for Carmel, Del Rey Oaks, Gonzales, King City, Marina, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Salinas, and Seaside, see Bicycling Monterey’s http://bit.ly/CABikeLaws
With regard to bicycling on the wrong side of the road, that is dangerous. However, it is often not a matter of carelessness but of mistaken understanding by people who bike. Many people mistakenly think that they are supposed to bike as if they were a pedestrian (against traffic, instead of with traffic). In a kind manner, help educate them. That is a topic highlighted in BikeMonterey.org’s sidebar widget leading Spanish-language biking resources: http://bit.ly/espanolBICI
And the final topic you brought up was running stop signs. A reminder to all people who bike: Same roads, same rights, same rules. Be a good ambassador for biking!
I had a guy start to chew me out because he ran a stop sign on his bike, had to brake hard and fell. Half way through his screaming at me I finally got out, "you ran the f'ing stop sign!". He paused and then said "you are in a car, you should assume I am not going to stop and let me cross". With that, I just walked away. It is a shame that some bicyclists know the law...but ignore it anyhow.
Wonder if they'll stop & ticket any of the bicyclists riding on the wrong side of the road, running stop signs & red lights or riding on the sidewalk?
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