FSgt McCabe may have been misunderstood. Our Special Services Unit, those officers that are on bike patrol, who have the most contact with the bicycling community have been distributing the cards for weeks now. We do not have the ability for all of the Operations Officers to hand out the cards because they are assigned with responding to the dispatched calls for service and are typically running from call to call.
There is no need to have any further meetings on this matter because the requested actions are being done to the best of the current ability of the department. We are in fact issuing warnings, as opposed to citations, where the handouts are also given to the riders. Eventually failure to adhere to the appropriate codes we will issue citations, particularly to those repeat offenders in the Commercial Business District and on the Rail Trail. These are the areas that our bicycle officers spend the majority of their patrol times.
The bicycle enforcement is also coupled with the enforcement on those individuals that like to ride skateboards and other wheeled devices on the sidewalks in the Central Business District.
Ed Preston Chief of Police Morgantown Police Department
(304)284-7496
"Montani Semper Liberi"
----- Original Message ----- From: "Frank Gmeindl" frank.gmeindl@comcast.net To: "Wesley Nugent" wes@wnugent.com Cc: "Terrence Moore" tmoore@cityofmorgantown.org, "Ed Preston" epreston@cityofmorgantown.org, "Damien Davis" ddavis@cityofmorgantown.org, "Matthew McCabe" mmccabe@cityofmorgantown.org, "Bike Board - Morgantown" bikeboard@cheat.org Sent: Thursday, June 14, 2012 10:07:23 AM Subject: Bicycle Safety Cards
Wes,
At last night's Traffic Commission meeting, First Sargent McCabe reported that Morgantown Police are not distributing the bicycle safety cards (see attached) but are rather issuing warnings and citations. As I mentioned last night, the Bicycle Board discourages sidewalk bicycling but recognizes that most bicyclists as well as motorists do not recognize that bicyclists have the same rights to the road as motorists and are subject to the same duties. The Bicycle Board would like the police to encourage bicyclists to ride on the road and provide them information with which they can learn how to do so legally and safely.
I would like to suggest that you and I meet with Terrence and Chief Preston to determine what it would take to get the police to distribute these cards. Attached are some talking points that Damien, on behalf of the Bicycle Board, discussed with Chief Preston last October 14. Perhaps we could begin our meeting reviewing these points.
Frank D. Gmeindl Chairman, Morgantown Municipal Bicycle Board LCI #1703 491 WilsonAvenue Morgantown, WV 26501 304-376-0446 Cyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of vehicles