Date: May 9, 2022
Address: 150 E. Crosstown Pkwy., Suite A, Kalamazoo, MI 49001
Contact: Captain Scott VanderEnde, Operations Division, 337-8142
KDPS Bike Safety Week Traffic Enforcement
Kalamazoo, MI:
During Bike Safety Week, Public Safety Officers will be conducting traffic enforcement operations with a focus on unsafe passing of bicycles.
City of Kalamazoo ordinance (36-99) states that, drivers must give five feet of space when passing someone who is on a bicycle. Drivers who do not adhere to the five-foot rule while passing a bicycle will be pulled over by waiting officers. Enforcement of this violation will primarily be warnings with the overall goal being to educate drivers on the importance of allowing safe passage when passing bicycles.
The traffic enforcement operation will include officers riding on bicycles on a nearly two-mile route through Kalamazoo. Officers will be equipped with a distance measuring device that is affixed to the handlebars of the bicycle. This device will measure the distance between the bicycle and vehicle in real time.
National data showed that 18% of people who die in motor accidents were on bicycles.
“Bike Safety Week, is a great reminder for those traveling in Kalamazoo that not just this week but year-round we want to share our roadways with each other by being alert and courteous drivers and riders.” – Captain Scott VanderEnde
By Authority of: Capt. Scott VanderEnde
