Police Focusing on Education and Enforcement of Bicycles

During last week's Board of Selectmen's meeting, Brookline Police Chief Daniel O'Leary presented a grant from the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security's Highway Safety Division (EOPSS-HSD) for pedestrian, bicycle, and moped safety. The grant is for $7,500, and while accepting it, the Selectmen also had a few comments and questions about bicycling in the town. 

Selectwoman Jesse Mermell said that some cyclists "feel the laws around cycling are not meant to keep them safe. Obviously, the Police have to enforce the law, so is there communication or recourse about examining the laws about bike safety?"

Mermell added that one of the big concerns for bikers is red light situations. Referring to what bikers call the "Red Light of Death:" a situation where a driver and biker are stopped at a red light, the driver makes a right turn, and accidentally hits the bicyclist (or the cyclist hits the car). 

This situation may have lead to the outrage Selectwoman Nancy Daly says she'd heard about from drivers, when cyclists rid through red lights. 

O'Leary says that the Police see both sides of these interactions, and that they have been stopping and educating both cyclists and drivers. The Police Department does have cards with information about cycling law which they pass out during stops. The Police have also set up a lighted sign in Coolidge Corner which reads "Bicycles and Cars. Same roads, same rules."

Enforcement, O'Leary says, is more difficult. Cyclists are not required to keep identification on them, making it difficult to follow through on tickets.

By-laws could be rewritten to be more enforceable. Selectwoman Betsy DeWitt added, "this sounds like something that needs a little more research."

The Selectmen accepted the grant on a unanimous vote. 

[Edit: 1:40 p.m. Twitter user @DoctorOctothorp pointed out that the term for the bicycle conflict described is a "red light of death" and not a "right hook." It is also possible to for bikers to avoid this situation by stopping behind cars, rather than in the blind spots alongside.]