The Southeast Precinct of the Portland Police Bureau have started a bike theft awareness campaign. Officers have been standing on the Hawthorne Bridge in the early morning and passing out forms for cyclists to fill out and return to them. According to one cyclist, who was stopped last Tuesday at 6:30 AM, the form asks … Read more
After Wednesday’s traffic enforcement action, there was some confusion about ticket amounts and whether or not a trackstand (when a cyclist stops, but keeps their feet in the pedals) qualified as a “complete stop” in the eyes of the fuzz. Traffic division Commander Bill Sinnott wants to clear up the confusion…
In response to complaints of cyclists running stop signs, the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) ran a traffic enforcement action at SE 26th and Clinton streets this morning. An enforcement action is sort of like a sting, except the cops put out cones and flags announcing it in all directions. They also publicized the location way … Read more
Yesterday I met with Bill Sinnott, Commander of the Traffic Division of the Portland Police. First, I want to thank everyone who emailed and left comments with questions for him. I printed them all up and left a copy with him so he could see first-hand what’s on your mind. You might be thinking…isn’t this … Read more
I’ve been having all sorts of internal struggles with my feelings about cops lately. Part of me is holding onto my long-held distrust of them and my feelings that they just “don’t get” cyclists and therefore treat us with negative bias. I’ve had my confrontations with them on Critical Mass and have generally not cared … Read more
At a meeting last week between the BTA, the Portland Police Traffic Division and citizen bike advocates, Commander Bill Sinnott told us about a cool new program they’ve started. In recent weeks they have carried out undercover “bike missions” that put officers on bikes in order to observe and ticket motorists that violate laws and … Read more
[UPDATE: Don’t miss this very informative comment by Greg Raisman from PDOT.] As I first reported back in September, Portland traffic cops are embarking on a new program to install free lights on bikes. This morning, the Oregonian has a more in-depth story that lays it all out. Making appearances in the article are traffic … Read more