Cyclists lobby for motorist penalties
Cyclists lobby for motorist penalties
Photo by Jacob Geiger.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
In the wake of two recent vehicle accidents in which cyclists were injured, New Haven cyclists are pressuring the city to take a stronger stance against reckless drivers.
Local cyclists said drivers received only warnings after police found them to be at fault in recent accidents injuring cyclists and pedestrians. In response, the cycling community is protesting by directing their complaints to Mayor John DeStefano Jr. in hopes of seeing him issue a policy memorandum in the near future that would order more severe penalties.
“When these motorists can get off without anything more than a warning, it sends a message to the rest of the community that driving carelessly is okay, even when you end up crippling someone,” said David Streever, a member of the Elm City Cycling board of directors, an organization that advocates for cyclists’ interests in New Haven.
In one of the two recent accidents, according to the New Haven Register, a truck struck cyclist William O’Grady on Whitney Avenue on Aug. 23, leaving him with injuries that cost him his job. The driver was issued a verbal warning, the Register reported.
Streever said current city policy leaves penalties up to the discretion of the police in these kinds of accidents. Streever said he hopes the cyclists’ pressure will prompt DeStefano to order mandatory penalties for drivers found to be at fault in such accidents.
But New Haven Police Department public information officer David Hartman said warnings are more suitable in these situations than penalties such as infractions. Warnings are effective deterrents for drivers, he said, because drivers cannot contest them. “People think the only way to learn is to be hit in the pocket book,” Hartman said. “But we know that people who violate motor vehicle laws aren’t much more deterred by infractions than by warnings.”
The NHPD will meet with the bicyclist advocacy groups and will be open to their concerns, said Hartman, though he warned that most relevant traffic laws are governed by state law, and “it’s entirely up to the patrol division whether they wish to further the effort.”
Mark Abraham ’04, a coordinator of the New Haven Safe Streets Coalition and a member of the Elm City Cycling board of directors, said that although the state sets traffic laws, the city has jurisdiction over police tactics, and can do more to protect cyclists from reckless drivers.
Abraham said he hopes that his and other organizations can lobby state lawmakers in Hartford to pass a version of the Vulnerable Users Law already implemented in many other states, which mandates traffic infractions against “drivers who act in a manner that endangers or would be likely to endanger a pedestrian or cyclist, thereby causing physical injury or death.”
Streever said Elm City Cycling has been publicly criticizing the lack of a explicit traffic violation policy for the past five years.
When they first brought the issue to the DeStefano’s attention in 2006, Streever said, they were disappointed with what he called his minimal response. The police department assigned temporary officers to attend Elm City Cycling meetings, but the assignment of officers rotated every few months, preventing any meaningful progress.
The New Haven Safe Streets Coalition is meeting with the Board of Aldermen this evening to discuss pedestrian and cyclist safety.
The Community Development Committee of the Board of Aldermen is holding a public hearing tomorrow evening to discuss a resolution from the New Haven Safe Streets Coalition asking the city “to design the new Route 34 project to knit the city together and improve pedestrian and cyclist safety.”
CLARIFICATION: Oct. 18, 2011
An earlier version of this article paraphrased New Haven Police Department spokesman David Hartman as saying that he believes cyclists disobey traffic laws far more frequently than vehicles. He later clarified that he believes cyclists are generally more responsible than not.
Comments
Quals 7 months, 2 weeks ago
"Hartman added that he believes cyclists disobey traffic laws far more frequently than vehicles."
No kidding! I agree that NH motorists are pretty lousy, but nearly ALL cyclists violate plenty of laws, going through reds, weaving through traffic, etc. Cyclists need to get their own body under control before pointing their fingers at others.
cjzurcher 7 months, 2 weeks ago
I'm always amazed at how many people ride their bikes around New Haven in the middle of the road and not wearing helmets as if all automobile drivers expect to be sharing the road with bicycles. Blacktop -- hard. Skull -- relatively soft. Protect your noggin folks. One mishap, reckless driver or not, and you'll be very sorry you didn't strap that funny looking thing on your head.
redman 7 months, 2 weeks ago
@Quals, You must be kidding. Vehicles are exceeding the speed limit constantly, drivers are texting and talking on cell phones contantly, cars are making right turns on red without stopping, making right turns on red where they are not allowed. The issue is not finger pointing but equality when it is the drivers fault. If someone hits a car they get a ticket, if they hit a bicycle they don't.
streever 7 months, 2 weeks ago
David Hartman must not spend much time in New Haven.
I challenge him--and Quals--to spend 30 minutes at Elm and York today at 5 pm.
I did cyclist counts for the city at that intersection. Every signal change was accompanied with a half dozen motorists flagrantly running the red light for a half hour. I saw almost 300 cars break the law.
I absolutely saw bikes break the law too. They were still outnumbered 10 to 1 by the motorists.
Try Orange and Trumbull at 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm. Tell me you don't count over a hundred cars break the law.
Heck, try Orange street at 8 pm--any part of it. I see routine speeds in excess of 40 mph on Orange.
THIS is why we need a clear policy. Officers like Hartman who do not demonstrate good judgement should not be allowed to exercise judgement with neither oversight nor consequence.
As redman points out: ride on the sidewalk, you get a ticket. Run down a cyclist, you don't.
Someone tell me how that is fair.
This isn't about "which group is bad people"--neither group is, and most cyclists also drive cars for that matter. It is about building a safer society for EVERYONE.
If people like Mr. Hartman are unwilling or unable to see that, perhaps they should look into a new line of work.
Sara 7 months, 2 weeks ago
I agree with Streever. Hartman is completely out of line in this case, though I'll give him the benefit of the doubt in case (and hoping that) he was misquoted by the YDN.... If not, maybe the city needs to provide him with more training.
streever 7 months, 2 weeks ago
I have spoken to Hartman and I believe he was misquoted, or at least taken out of context.
He is a lifelong New Haven resident and a cyclist himself.
He clarified to me that he was trying to talk about a broader point (that many cyclists don't realize they are breaking laws when they do) and not trying to say that MORE cyclists break laws than motorists.
I'm sorry for attacking him and asked him to sit down and clear the air, which he was more than happy to do.
Thanks Officer Hartman!
CrazyBus 7 months, 2 weeks ago
I don't live in New Haven anymore, but cyclists are some of the most irresponsible road users I've seen. Here, there are bike lanes that are a meter wide, and cyclists swerve into the road, run lights, go the opposite way on one way streets, and do not use hand signals to turn. Also, no helmets. I think that motorists should receive a penalty for hitting a cyclist, obviously, but cyclists should also get tickets for basic safety violations. If not wearing a seat belt is ticketable, so should not wearing a helmet. And seriously, a bike should not be swerving around on the road and making illegal turns; if you're on a bike you should be MORE cautious, not more reckless.
Quals 7 months, 2 weeks ago
As I said before, the motorists are dangerous here!
BUT cyclists are also dangerous, and some of the folks here want to avoid that fact.
As a pedestrian (I don't own a car or bike) I am frightened of BOTH cars and bicycles.
Both should be ticketed for violating the law. End of story.
Or login with:
OpenID