B'klyn cops target 2-wheel scofflaws
Last Updated: 9:57 AM, January 7, 2011
Posted: 2:45 AM, January 7, 2011
Comments: 43
PrintBrooklyn bikers, beware!
Officers throughout the borough are under orders to target rogue cyclists flouting city traffic laws -- particularly those riding on sidewalks, running red lights and zipping down streets the wrong way, police sources said.
The juiced-up enforcement, which quietly kicked off this week, is an expansion of an already-ongoing operation to rein in lawbreaking cyclists that began in Manhattan.
Patrols will especially focus on Downtown Brooklyn, Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn Heights, Park Slope and Williamsburg, where cycling has become a primary means of transportation for many hipsters and other residents.
A police source in Williamsburg called the effort "prolonged enforcement" -- not a "crackdown" with quotas.
"It's from now until forever; there is no set time," he said. "Bicyclists should travel like vehicles and must obey the same laws. The department and the people are sick of it!"
In Carroll Gardens, cops are regularly flooded with complaints of cyclists riding on sidewalks and heading the wrong way along main roads like Smith and Court streets.
Most complaints, a source said, have come from stroller moms saying they've been hit or cut off by two-wheelers riding on sidewalks.
Fines are set at the discretion of the judge -- but they usually begin at about $50 for first offenders.
Caroline Samponaro, a spokeswoman for Transportation Alternatives, said the bicycle advocacy group welcomes the increased enforcement but hopes cops will concentrate on preventing "the most dangerous behavior on city streets -- car speeding."
"Bikers don't want any special treatment. We have a responsibility to follow the rules like everyone else," she said.
Some Brooklyn cyclists polled yesterday said they'd follow the law -- but others questioned why they should be pulled over for "minor infractions."
"People who bike the wrong way should be ticketed, but if we're talking about fining people for not signaling before turning or equipment violations, then I have a problem," said Robert Ghedini, 29, of Park Slope.
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