Call for police to crackdown on bikes on sidewalks
Posted September 8, 2012 11:19 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Get cyclists off sidewalks to keep them safe for pedestrians. That’s the call coming from a local MLA after several close calls.
Vancouver-West End MLA Spencer Chandra Herbert is asking the Vancouver police to crack down on keeping bikes off sidewalks. He says he was spurred into action after hearing from an elderly woman who was hit by cyclist downtown.
“She fell, broke her hip, [it] changed her life forever and the fellow kept driving down the sidewalk, didn’t even stop,” explains Chandra Herbert. “I’ve heard a number of stories like that from constituents, and myself with people whipping past me [on the sidewalk].”
He believes police have to do a better job handing out tickets to riders that jump the curb.
“I get that the streets can be dangerous for bikes, I’m a cyclist myself, but we shouldn’t be endangering pedestrians by riding on sidewalks at ridiculously high speeds.”
The VPD is now looking into doing an education campaign and enforcement blitz to let cyclists know what the rules are.
