Lodi police Officer Steve Nelson gives a ticket to a Lodi High School student for not wearing a helmet while riding a bicycle on Elm Street on Wednesday. (Casey Freeman/News-Sentinel)

Lodi police crack down on bicyclists, pedestrians

Four months ago, Lodi police officers went after motorists who failed to stop for pedestrians.

They switched tactics Wednesday, this time going after pedestrians and bicyclists -- particularly students -- who were not following crosswalk and helmet rules.

The goal was to educate youths about the laws regarding roadways and safety equipment, Sgt. Steve Carillo said. He hopes that, in doing so, Lodi's accident rates will drop.

"In 2002, we were in the top five (cities) for bicycle and pedestrian accidents, of 90 cities with similar size," Carillo said.

By the time the nine-hour operation ended at 3:30 p.m., officers had written 62 citations, most of them to those violating traffic laws in school zones, Lt. Bill Barry said.

Officers stopped 119 people, giving some of them warnings. Twenty-two juveniles who seemed to heed the warning and didn't own bicycle helmets received free helmets, Barry said.

He anticipated complaints from parents, wondering why their children were getting ticketed on the way to school, but Barry said it's part of his bigger goal to cut down on traffic collisions citywide.

"The whole idea is to try to ensure their safety," he said. "Crossing the street seems like such a mundane act, but any place where pedestrians and automobiles interface, things are bound to happen."

Officers gathered near area schools in the morning and afternoon, when students were more likely to be out on the roadways.

Lodi police Officer Steve Nelson gives an 18-year-old youth a ticket for riding his bicycle on the wrong side of road on Elm Street on Wednesday. (Casey Freeman/News-Sentinel)

At the corner of Elm Street and Pacific Avenue, helmet-less Lodi High School students bicycled down the street, where they were met by Officer Steve Nelson.

Under state law, all cyclists under the age of 18 must wear helmets. And, all bicyclists, regardless of age, must follow traffic laws, including stopping at stop signs and riding on the correct side of the street.

Most youths took the tickets in stride, ignoring friends who teased them afar.

One 18-year-old didn't have to wear a helmet, but he had been riding down the street against traffic.

Another bicyclist, who only gave his first name of Michael, said it wasn't the first time he'd been cited for not wearing a helmet.

In 2000, 116 bicyclists were killed in accidents statewide. Of those, 92 -- or 82 percent -- were not wearing helmets, according to statistics provided by the California Highway Patrol. Of more than 12,000 bicyclists who were injured in the state, more than 78 percent were not wearing helmets.

Motor Officer Larry Vietz, who is a member of the department's Major Accident Investigation Team and has seen his share of fatal accidents, said he often sees pedestrians who simply aren't paying attention. One day, he said, a girl was reading a book while crossing the street and didn't even notice that a police motorcycle had stopped for her.

"(Pedestrians) have this attitude of, 'I have the right of way because I'm in the crosswalk,'" he said. "Well, they do, but if they're hit, they're not going to be able to stand up and say, 'I was in the right!'"

Contact reporter Layla Bohm at layla@lodinews.com.