The Portland Police are planning another traffic enforcement action next Wednesday (the 22nd) at the intersection of NE Knott and 7th from 7:30 to 10:30AM. They call this an “Intersection Safety Enforcement Action” and they’ll be looking for motorists, cyclists, or pedestrians who fail to come to a complete stop.
Here’s what happened the last time they did one at SE 26th and Clinton.
So mark your calendar and be aware of this intersection. If you don’t come to a complete stop (remember, trackstands are OK) you may get a $237 dollar ticket.
Pedestrians are required to come to a complete stop? I don’t believe that is correct.
Like many people, I tend to think that these things are “revenue enhancement” programs and nothing more. The proof, to me, is that these things always involve random nitpicking… did you come to a complete stop? I stopped moving. Yes, but that doesn’t mean *I* call it a complete stop. ..and so on.
I think it might also be evidence that we have more cops than crime and they are getting bored.
Chriss Pagani
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http://www.chrisspagani.com
Something to keep in mind:
As Bill Sinnot, commander of portland police transportation div., said on the KBOO Bike Show in Jan., a sizeable cut (is it all?) from the newly-increased traffic violation tix goes to the portland transit safety account. directly. which pays for better paint, road design, and who knows what else to get motorists to treat cyclists more safely.
These enforcement actions are performed in locations where people have complained…so while some of those complaints of cyclists blowing stopsigns might count in the ‘yeah, so what?’ category, you can bet that someone on two wheels was probably unsafely cutting someone else off.
That said, i think the law should be changed so that cyclists don’t have to come to a complete stop at stop signs. Track stand or not, super legal rides over the last couple months have shown that a moderate volume of bikes following the law slows down traffic at a four way stop enough that motorists will just flag the whole group through to get them out of their way.
Too bad we cyclists can’t give cake to the po-po and let the hurried but reasonable drivers eat it too.