New Haven Independent

Posted by: V is for Viking | September 30, 2008 7:28 PM

My wife got a ticket for driving while talking on her cell yesterday. It hurts a little, but she shouldn´t have been talking on her cell. I hope this initiative stays strong. Keep writing those tickets!

Posted by: Josh Smith | October 1, 2008 12:33 AM

This is awesome. Great work, NHPD and Chief Lewis. This is a good start. I can't wait to hear about someone who gets pulled over for cutting off an undercover cop on a bicycle. If you're a reporter for the Independent and you're reading this, please post a story the first time that happens. I'm going to print that story, frame it, and hang it in my living room. :)

Posted by: sciencehill | October 1, 2008 7:51 AM

this is a great idea. cops can't be everywhere at once, this allows the public to give them some direction on problem areas. go go, chief lewis and the new haven PD!!

Posted by: citizen | October 1, 2008 9:03 AM

Great Job Chief keep up the good work you have turnd this Dept. around for the good.

Posted by: Westvillian | October 1, 2008 9:06 AM

Does this mean that police officers will start obeying traffic laws now too? Or will they be receiving tickets as well? Honestly, I rarely get road rage except for when I see a cop car swerving in and out of lanes, running red lights and generally scoffing the laws they're meant to uphold. It drives me freaking crazy. I wonder if I reported police plates to that hotline if they would receive little postcards with a note that "people are watching them." I think that would be great.

Posted by: David Streever | October 1, 2008 9:18 AM

This is amazing. Chief Lewis is a hero in my book if for no other reason than consistently keeping his promises!

Westvillian,
you should report them!

The reality is that there are always going to be individuals who misbehave out of a false sense of entitlement: but report them.

Posted by: anon | October 1, 2008 9:26 AM

If you see a police officer violating the law, you should definitely get a detailed description and vehicle number and call it in. If officers start getting a "record" of speeding, not stopping at stop signs or red lights, the chief can discipline them.

Posted by: JP | October 1, 2008 11:57 AM

I see a police officer violating the law in the photo for this report.

Posted by: Alphonse Credenza | October 1, 2008 12:19 PM

Be fair!

Cops should also be ticketing the bicyclists who run red lights, fail to signal a turn or ride in the middle of major thoroughfares, etc.

Posted by: cedarhillresident | October 1, 2008 12:54 PM

Is thsi the point were we raise Chief Lewis on our shoulders and scream hip hip hooray? It really makes you wonder what the hell was going on prior to him coming? He has made so many positive changes. And is slowly change the department in to a proactive dept. I tell you so far he gets an A+ Keep up the good work!

Posted by: Allan Brison | October 1, 2008 1:59 PM

Alphonse Credenza - I'm sure it has happened, but I can't remember a single news story of someone being killed by a bicycle.

Yes, bicyclists should obey the traffic laws but the priority must be to ticket cars because that is what will save lives.

Posted by: Fairhaven Dave | October 1, 2008 4:09 PM

We need to get our city officials to require stricter punishments too.

For example if a person is caught doubling the speed limit he/she gets to spend the night in jail, pay the speeding fine, AND get the vehicle sent to the tow yard. Nothing stops crime like making it expensive and inconvenient!

Posted by: anon | October 1, 2008 5:06 PM

Good suggestion, Fairhaven Dave. Can that be done through a new city ordinance?

Posted by: tom | October 1, 2008 6:01 PM

Let us not forget the police officer turning right on red, stop signs, red lights and any other traffic law may be responding to your home and can't always have his/her lights and siren on. This may warn the bad guys they are coming. The bleeding heart liberals may want this,hmmmm. If the officer is violating the traffic law report them.

Posted by: Streever | October 1, 2008 7:01 PM

Alphonse,

if you follow anything that happens you'd know that most of us are pushing for that too, but as Allan points out, let's bear in mind that spending money/police time on something that hasn't killed anyone is probably less of a priority.

Posted by: greg | October 2, 2008 8:17 AM

I'm glad the new chief is restoring some order to the town. For too long the streets were a dangerous speedway with no regulations. I am a little concerned however that this effort may die out due to lack of money.Let's see what happens in a few months. It will be intersting to see the progress or lack of, that is made on this major problem. I also hope the cops show a good example by stopping at lights, and driving normal speeds. Wirhout their participation in following the rules, why would anyone else!

Posted by: Ellsworth | October 2, 2008 8:20 AM

"An officer may pose as a bicyclist, with colleagues waiting in the wings to arrest whoever may violate that bicyclist's rights. They may set up a similar sting with a pedestrian"

Do they intend to pose as the moronic bicyclists that I often see riding in the middle of a lane against opposing traffic?

Perhaps they should also act as pedestrians nonchalantly jaywalking in the midst of busy traffic, then flip off anyone who honks.

It'll be a dead giveaway for the trask force if we see pedestrians and bicyclists actually observing laws and using common sense in our neighborhood.

Posted by: Daveena sydnor | October 2, 2008 8:48 AM

Dad,
go ahead and do your thing and make sure you keep the streets safe, and stay safe too, but I want to watch the video to and I can't find it??? and my friend Jacky said hi im at school right now.

Posted by: anon | October 2, 2008 9:51 AM

According to the police chief, cops must follow all traffic rules and regulations - including the 25 mile per hour speed limit - unless they have their lights AND sirens on. So it should be pretty easy to tell when they are breaking the law.

Cops are NOT above the law.

Posted by: Streever | October 2, 2008 10:59 AM

Tom, Anon:

Tom is right, actually, police officers are allowed to break traffic laws in order to get to a crime scene without alerting the suspect.

So, don't be too overzealous. When you see them race a red light & then stop at Starbucks on Chapel, double-parked, well, call away :).

Posted by: anon | October 2, 2008 12:00 PM

Given how rarely officers "break traffic laws in order to get to a scene without alerting the subject", I'd say call away if you see something illegal and aren't sure if there is an extenuating reason for it.

Even if you're wrong a small part of the time, the police can track what was going on at the time and you'll be doing your fellow citizens a favor by helping to save lives.

I doubt that more than 10% of the violations that residents here are constantly witnessing and being inconvenienced by (by buses, fire trucks, ambulances, taxis, city vehicles and other officials, not just cops) are due to extenuating circumstances. Do you think otherwise?

Posted by: William Kurtz | October 2, 2008 5:12 PM

Is this Sgt. Sydnor's day, or what? A cool new position, good press in the Indepdent, and a doting daughter who shows him off to her classmates. Congratulations, and yes, please stay safe.

Posted by: tom gogola | October 2, 2008 8:42 PM

One point about bicyclists running lights -- when it comes to a question of my safety versus the law, my safety is going to win out every time. And one key to my and your safety, especially on busy streets, is to beat the auto pack -- and the best way to beat the pack is to safely go through a red light and get out in front of the pack. By safely I mean, don't be an asshole--wait for your spot and zip through.

Are new haven cyclists REALLY stopping at red lights on bikes out of some sense of legal responsibility? If you think you are modeling good road behavior for scum drivers--you're wasting your time and putting yourself at undue and unnecessary risk.

It is flat-out MORE DANGEROUS FOR BICYCLISTS TO FOLLOW THE RULES OF THE ROAD AS THEY APPLY TO AUTOMOBILES!!!! They are driving around in a deadly weapon--your job is to thwart their ability to flatten your ass. Which is why you want to get BETWEEN the pods of automobiles, leave that danger-pod behind and then pedal your ass off to beat them at the next light. The added bonus is that you can then you can ride in the middle of the street, flapping your arms like a goddamned chicken if you choose, and singing the Internationale at top volume --safely and with nothing but space behind and ahead of you. You've created a temporary auto-no-mas zone!

Posted by: Edward_H | October 3, 2008 12:02 PM

Will City officials and other Friends of Destefano be let "off the hook" if pulled over?

How long before someone cries "racial profiling" due to this new enforcement push?

Maybe we will be lucky enough to get both done in one shot?

http://www.newhavenindependent.org/archives/2007/06/public_safety_c.php

Posted by: Josh Smith | October 3, 2008 11:49 PM

Tom, I respect your opinion and I think I understand where you're coming from, but I have to disagree with you on the issue of where to ride. It's been my experience that if you try to get ahead of a line of cars, this will increase motorists' frustration, knowing that they're "behind the slow bicyclist again" (I believe that's what most of the idiots are thinking out there.) They then wind up laying on the gas pedal and cutting you off at well over the speed limit so they can go 30-40 mph or so (for a few seconds and then they have to stop at a light again). It doesn't matter to them that you're stopping at all the same lights they are; it only matters that it feels like they're getting somewhere fast (even if , in reality, it's not taking much longer at all).

That being said, I think that rather than pissing motorists off by sneaking in between cars and illegally "whitelining" between them to get ahead, I believe cyclists should follow the laws to a T. This will create a culture in which motorists see cyclists doing predictable things, instead of the chaotic things we see every day: Riding on the lines, riding between them between lanes, popping wheelies, riding upstream against traffic, riding through crosswalks, sidewalk riding, etc.

If you're worried about getting rear-ended at a red light, check this out: "Of car-bike crashes, 0.5% are straight-line, rear-end collisions" according to MassBike (http://www.massbike.org/info/bostraf.htm , 1997) I'm not sure whether this is original research or not, whether or not it applies to anywhere but Boston, or whether the 11-year-old statistic still holds true. However, that means 99.5% of bike accidents are not caused by rear-ends by cars. Wear bright, reflective clothing if you are (incorrectly) afraid of being rear-ended, and always use a bright red rear light (preferably that blinks/flashes/strobes). The irrational fear of getting hit from behind is probably the biggest detractor to getting the average person to start riding in America, and the greatest reason why we have so many who ride on the sidewalk illegally here in New Haven.

Posted by: no2partysystem | October 4, 2008 10:28 PM

The fact that a large part of this conversation has shifted towards bicycle/car relations is evidence to the need for revamped bicycle policies. It doesn't make any sense for bicycles to share the road with cars. They are so out of balance in terms of size and speed that it makes for a dangerous situation. Instead of cutting off a section of the road that puts bicyclists right in between chaotic traffic and people trying to park/pull out of parking spaces, why not section off part of the sidewalk as a bike lane, or even move the bike lane so it's in between the curb and parked cars, which would create a buffer zone from traffic.

Posted by: Walt | October 5, 2008 7:17 AM

Good post Josh

A rare example of common sense by a bicyclist as I see it.

I am very careful and wary when passing bicyclists, but bugged by the jerks (Gogola fans) I see on Ridge Road in Hamden riding 4-abreast to taunt drivers

With ESTime fast approaching I am also very wary of the lone bicyclists I'll see on State St thru Hamden and North Haven, traveling in the dark early hours with no lights, no reflectors, dark skin, (not racist, just relevent fact) dark clothes (fortunately most obeying laws, and sticking to what I believe is a bike lane)

I fear that one morning I'll see that they did not reach their jobs along Sackett Point Road safely, a tragedy that would likely be averted if they had sense enough to light up or wear reflective jackets.

Posted by: Edward_H | October 5, 2008 9:37 AM

Allan
I'm sure it has happened, but I can't remember a single news story of someone being killed by a bicycle.

Pedestrians do get killed by bikes,sometimes the biker is at fault and sometimes the pedestrian, but these types of fatalities don't make the news unless a few people get killed in a short period of time. I remember one point in NYC when elderly peple were getting hit and seriously injured or killed quite frequently, usually by food delivery people.

So do you think the police should wait until some elderly person or child gets struck and killed before enforcing the laws on cyclists ? Why don't you care about the elderly and children?

(Just joking about the last line. I have been watching way too many political ads lately)

http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F7071EFF385F12728DDDAE0994DF405B8084F1D3

http://www.examiner.com/a-1571847~Teen_dies_after_bike_accident_during_gym_class.html

Man struck by bicycle dies
Tuesday, July 08, 2008

AUSTIN

An Austin man who was struck by a bicyclist and hospitalized last week died Sunday after being taken off life support.

Jessie McFarlin, 46, was crossing Loyola Lane at Manor Road about 10 p.m. Wednesday when he was hit by a cyclist traveling 25 to 30 miles per hour, Sgt. James Mason said. McFarlin had not been using the crosswalk, Mason said.

The bicyclist, whose name has not been released, had not broken any traffic laws at the time and stopped to help McFarlin, Mason said.

McFarlin had been on life support at University Medical Center at Brackenridge until family members requested that he be taken off. The nature of his injuries was not known.

Police do not anticipate charges being filed against the cyclist, Mason said.

Posted by: carlos verde | October 5, 2008 12:17 PM

If I recall correctly, there was a Sergeant assigned to the Traffic Unit back in the late 1980's. Capt. Jerry Antnes, was a Sergeant at the time. I recall seeing him in the Hill section riding a NHPD motorcycle. I think he is now a New Haven Alderman. Later on he became our district manager. Nice guy too!

Posted by: newhavenguy400 | October 5, 2008 7:46 PM

I have seen many new haven police officer's, who have blatantly driven through red lights or put their flashers on just to get ahead of traffic (not to mention left turns on red, the list goes on). It would be a great start for them to start respecting the rules of the road.