Shinyville

A great blog post about sharing the road from the Lincoln Police Chief: https://lpd304.blogspot.com/2008/07/share-road.html Very cool. Thanks, Tom!

kwrides

Very nice!

corripio

Great suggestion and a good post from the Chief. Now if only we could get the standard media to run a piece like this.

I also posted the link on digg...definitely worth digging to get to a wider community (although I'm sure every comment will be "but cyclists always run stop signs").

https://digg.com/autos/Share_the_road_2

Febs

Excellent article.

Ka_Jun

That is cool.

aidanpryde18

Dude, your police chief rocks.

Good candor.

bdinger

I printed out a copy, and threw it in my pannier. The next time I have an encounter with a JAM, I'm just going to hand it to them. It's like.. solid gold.

Yeah, I used to be on the fence about Casady, but that's changed. And yes, I realize I'm turning into a one-issue-environmental-hippie.

markhr

That's cool. Doesn't your state have a "may ride no more than two abreast" law? If so, the single file thing he mentioned might need correcting.

one_beatnik

Great perspective. I'm glad he didn't favor anyone. He put car drivers and bicyclist both in their place...SHARING the road.

bdinger

I've been told by cops and cyclists alike that such a thing doesn't exist, and they heavily frown on two abreast situations. As far as the law, though, I have no clue.

Shinyville

I'm not sure about the state, but I think there is a city ordinance about single-file for Lincoln.

I'm just super happy about having a practical and rational interpretation of "as close to the right as practicable" in some form of print! That seems to be a real sticking point around here, and it would be great if drivers were able to see that cyclists aren't trying to be jerks when they "take the lane." This certainly has the potential to help out.

gronk40

Sets the standard for fair and balanced.

We all need to respect the laws of the road - motorists and cyclists included. It is cool that he says that he cycled for years as well ... apparently cyclists are not all poor or on DUI suspensions.

Kudos!

no motor?

+1

steelbike

i wish this was a nationally televised commercial. it would be really helpful if cities would do some public service commercials regarding how motorists should treat cyclists.

maddyfish

They do. I have only seen one bike stop at a light/sign this entire year. That includes travels all over the U.S.

Nice article by the cop. At least he gets it. My local police Lt. is one of the nuts that attacks you from the car when you are riding.

ItsJustMe

That is just about the best description of proper shared road use I've ever seen. We need a lot more cops like that in the world. I'm also printing out a copy.

MNBiker

Here is a media posting (Roadguy blog in the Minneapolis online newspaper) that came from the Minneapolis police department. I really appreciated them putting this out. It seems relevant to the topic at hand.

"Bikes vs. cars: Here’s what the police say

Posted on July 14th, 2008 – 4:27 PM
By Roadguy The following news release was issued today by the Minneapolis Police Department. It’s almost as if they’ve been reading our recent conversations:
SHARE THE ROAD, SHARE THE TRAIL
The truth about seven common bike safety myths
Jul. 14, 2008 (MINNEAPOLIS) More people in Minneapolis take to the streets and trails on bicycles during summer. This year the cost of gasoline has made biking to work and biking for fun more attractive than ever. But with more people on bikes on our City streets and trails, it’s really important to separate truth from myth when it comes to bike safety and laws. Some biking accidents can be avoided when you know the facts. Here are seven common myths about bike safety and laws — dispelled!
MYTH: Bikes must use the right lane on the road.
FACT: Cyclists are required to stay to the right in most cases, but may ride in the lane that is appropriate to their destination. That means bikes may use the left lane to turn left, to pass, and to avoid road hazards or parked cars.
MYTH: Bikes don’t have to stop for traffic lights or stop signs.
FACT: Cyclists are responsible for following all traffic laws on the road and on trails, including signaling for turns, stopping for lights and stop signs, using headlights and rear reflectors, and yielding to pedestrians at corners and crosswalks.
MYTH: Cars have the right of way at crossings.
FACT: Both drivers and cyclists are required to follow all signs and pavement markings at each trail crossing. Cars have to stop for a bicyclist or pedestrian in a trail crossing.
MYTH: Bicyclists have to ride in the bike lane, or on a trail when provided.
FACT: Cyclists do not have to ride in a bike lane if it is not safe due to surface hazards and parked cars. Cyclists also do not have to ride on trails. Most Minneapolis trails have a speed limit of 10 mph. As a result, many bicyclists who want to travel faster use the road.
MYTH: Cars can drive as close as possible to a bike lane without entering it.
FACT: Passing cars must provide a minimum of three feet clearance from a bike at all times even when a bicyclist is in a designated bike lane.
MYTH: Bikes must use the street.
FACT: Cyclists may ride on sidewalks except in business districts or where posted. Studies have shown that it is often safer to ride on the street.
MYTH: Bikes and pedestrians don’t mix.
FACT: It’s easy for cyclists and pedestrians to share trails and sidewalks when everyone is respectful. Cyclists should slow down when passing pedestrians. Bicyclists, be sure to give a polite warning and pass on the left with as much clearance as possible. Pedestrians should stay or move to the right when being passed or use a designated pedestrian path when available.
Minnesota biking law gives cyclists the same rights and responsibilities as motorists. Minneapolis is one of the most bike-friendly cities in the country. How bike-friendly are you? For questions about traffic laws concerning bike riding and safety call 311. To find more information on biking in Minneapolis online, explore https://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/bicycles."



The link to this Roadguy blog entry is: https://ww3.startribune.com/blogs/roa...he-police-say/

sdastroguy

What a wonderful article. Too bad this kind of writing doesn't get more press or air time. It's fair to both sides and that hardly ever happens from what I've ever seen.

aszalan

Very good article. I lived in Lincoln for 10 years, riding a bike to work for 6 of them. The Mopac trail in lincoln was excellent for cyclists.

J.C. Koto

I really hope this makes the local paper as an editorial and perhaps a piece on the local news. It's cool for all of us cyclists to see this, but it will be great when everyone else does!

noteon 

I like that guy.

zac

Some states do have a lane splitting law which basically applies to all vehicles (bicycles, motorcycles, cars, etc.). Also many state's statute's also specifically require bicycles to ride single file, except when passing. So if not specifically mentioned in the bicycle clauses of your state vehicle code/law, it may be mentioned in the general vehicle code/law.

In Nebraska it appears that your Statute, specifically Ch.60-6,317 MAY addresses this issue:
https://uniweb.legislature.ne.gov/Leg...ge=s6006317000

The statute's language uses the terms "roadway" and "highway" in different parts. Specifically, Ch.60-6,317(1) uses the term: "roadway" but is silent as to single file lane use. However, Ch.60-6,317(2) uses the term "highway" and limits bikes to single file riding. I am not going to look it up, maybe someone else can pipe in as to the differences between the two terms.

It also appears that Ch.60-6,317(4) authorizes "local rule" as pertaining to bicycle use. So Lincoln itself may, by city ordinance, have rules that regulate bicycle use and operation.

HTH
zac

EDIT:
While I am sure other sites exist, here is a pretty good site with links to various state codes, laws, statutes regarding vehicle and bicycle law.

https://www.massbike.org/bikelaw/statelaws.htm

bdinger

This was bound to happen:

"Really, I have yet to see a Plate on a bicyle, registration, wheel tax, insurance, rider testing, why does none of this apply to bicycles if they are "basically the same". I am tired of bicycles beleiving they are cars until they pull up to a red light.
Why does anything "green" get a pass card.
And yes, I do ride, on the bike paths where I belong!"

Of course they question the chief of police, because of course he doesn't know the laws.

*rolleyes*

The above is why I personally fully support, and would love to see, bicycle licensing and even rider licensing. I know that's crazy talk, but the above idiot has no idea that I, a person who rides far more than he drives, pays for licensing and insurance on three (three! someone buy one!) vehicles, and also has an umbrella policy to cover cycling accidents. They just want to see a little tag that tells them that I too pay to be on the road on my bike.

The problem, of course, is that for every one of me there's another uninformed cyclist (see, I refrain from using the term "jackass..") who doesn't obey the laws. They ride the wrong way (this is a downright epidemic here lately), they blow stop signs (yup..), and they just are in general unsafe. I did some unsafe stuff when I first started commuting, but then I learned The Ways.

As such, I've said it before and I'll say it again, I'd pay to be licensed, and even sit through a class. I pay about $50/year for the two cheaper cars to be licensed, and I'd be happy to pay half that to license my bike. I'd even be willing to take an additional test to get an additional endorsement placed on my driver's license for bike operation. And yes, I would also be happy to pay for that endorsement.

Then again, even with that in place, they won't "get it".

corripio

"Really, I have yet to see a Plate on a bicyle, registration, wheel tax, insurance, rider testing, why does none of this apply to bicycles if they are "basically the same". I am tired of bicycles beleiving they are cars until they pull up to a red light.
Why does anything "green" get a pass card.
And yes, I do ride, on the bike paths where I belong!"

I hardly think the author of that comment is actually a cyclist; he/she might own a bike, but that doesn't mean he/she a cyclist.

To beat a dead horse some more: I see some cyclists blow through stop signs (and they usually almost get tanked by a car or another cyclist), but that's the minority. There is a huge difference between this behavior and say, a track stand or very slow rolling stop; seems like lots of people don't want to acknowledge this difference or acknowledge that a rolling stop might be safter. In my town, they are apparently cracking down on both cyclists and cars that don't properly stop at stop signs. In terms of cyclists, I'm assuming this is mostly the people that completely blow through the sign, because really, that isn't very smart or safe.

thebeard

We're so lucky to have such a bicycle friendly city! If anyone else besides myself and the person who posted this are from Lincoln, there is a bike swap meet coming up in a little over a month. It's Saturday, September 13th, 5300 South Folsom street. It costs one dollar to get it. You can also bring up to two bikes to have someone sell in a corral, with your price tag on it, and you pay five dollars a bike commission to the person that sells it.