Bicyclists and pedestrians aren’t usually the ones targeted for citation during police safety enforcement operations.
Well, those tables turned on Monday when the Fresno Police Department cited dozens of them for multiple violations. Yes, jaywalking was included.
In total, police issued 73 citations to bicyclists, pedestrians and some drivers between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Not the Right Direction
14 bicyclists were cited for various violations of the California Vehicle Code.
The code? “Must ride in the same direction as traffic.”
The 14 riders were caught riding against the flow of traffic.
A Signal to Pedestrians
51 pedestrians were having a tough time obeying signals and staying in their own lanes.
18 of those bipedal scofflaws were caught outside of crosswalks failing to yield. Another 13 didn’t obey the pedestrian signal at a crosswalk.
Drivers Weren’t Totally Off the Hook
One driver failed to yield to a pedestrian at a crosswalk.
Another driver just failed to yield altogether.
17 other drivers were cited for a variety of other unspecified vehicle code violations.
Crash Statistics
In 2019, 3 bicyclists have been killed and 75 injured in Fresno, according to police. In addition, 20 pedestrians were killed and another 148 injured that same year.
The Fresno Police Department plans to conduct another bicycle and pedestrian safety enforcement operation in January 2021.
Funding for the effort came from a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
