Student works with CMU Police to enforce bicycle safety on campus
Cyclists on campus may find themselves being pulled over and ticketed for violating bike laws in the near future.
Lt. Larry Klaus of Central Michigan University Police said it's not the tickets they're after, though.
"Our primary goal is to have a safer campus,” Klaus said. “We want to accomplish that through an education component, training and enforcement."
Klaus said he was excited about a month ago when Brighton graduate student Samantha Fiani came to the police department. Fiani approached the CMU Police with the goal of educating students on proper cycling.
"Mostly what we talk about is how to develop a mutual respect between cyclists, motorists and pedestrians,” Fiani said. “The best way we've come up with is to educate everyone.”
Fiani said she is willing to donate her time to handle the daunting task. To instruct bicycle safety courses, she has to get certification from the League of American Bicyclists. She said certification is the biggest cost she is planning to incur.
She wants to make pamphlets from the League of Michigan Bicyclists available to students, which they provide at the cost of postage. Fiani said she can get 300 pamphlets for as low as $20. She plans to instruct for free once she is certified. Fiani said she wants to educate students, community members and anyone else who is willing to listen.
"It's really important because the kamikaze style of cycling that we currently have at this university is not sustainable,” she said. “Someone is going to get seriously injured.”
Since August, three bicycle accidents have been reported to CMU police. In two of these cases, the cyclist was transported to the hospital by ambulance. Lt.
Klaus said he believes accidents involving cyclists are more common than they know.
“Unless somebody gets hurt, those aren't getting reported to us,” Klaus said.
He said he sees unsafe practices all over campus. Cyclists darting into intersections, not stopping at stop signs and not yielding to pedestrians are common ways to get into an accident.
A cyclist breaking the law on campus could face penalties ranging from a warning to a $100 ticket, he said.
Klaus said he doesn't expect every student to be happy with the enforcement of bicycle laws, but it wouldn't have been possible without the support of students. Fiani has collected about 300 signatures from students and faculty for a petition to enforce these laws. Not all students are as excited as Klaus and Fiani, though.
Andy Innis knows bicyclists have to abide by laws similar to those of drivers, but would not be happy if he was pulled over.
“As long as I'm not endangering others, I don't think I should be harassed,” the Traverse City senior said.
Some of the behaviors Fiani and Klaus want to enforce include the need for cyclists to cross roads at crosswalks, pay attention to drivers who may not see them and avoid using cell phones and music players while riding.
Fiani is hoping to start instructing bicycle safety courses this spring or next fall. Until she can start instructing, she is supporting bicycle safety through Critical Mass events. These events are held on the last Friday of every month.
The Critical Mass is Oct. 28 and is Halloween-themed. Participants will meet between Anspach and Pearce halls at 5:30 p.m. with their bikes, long boards, roller blades and Halloween costumes.
