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• Lodi police crack down on bicyclists, pedestrians

• City of Lodi using new natural gas-powered street sweeper

• Lodi Lake to be drained one more time this year

• Woodbridge developer stands by $1,000 assessment claim

• Regional Roundup

November 21st, 2009

• Logbook

• Holiday drive spreads cheer to U.S. troops

• Galt High students want board to approve open-campus policy

• Poisoning victims remain hospitalized

• Expert: Half a mushroom cap can be deadly

• Tokay grad files claim over Lodi's Grape Bowl

• Lodi Middle School holds annual Turkey Trot

• Regional Roundup

• No motive or suspect in shooting

• Sacramento cop arrested for alleged kidnapping

November 20th, 2009

• Acampo woman killed

• Salvation Army Kettle Kickoff

• Advocacy groups sue East Bay Municipal Utility District over Pardee expansion

• Regional Roundup

• Galt plans to help residents with energy-efficient projects

• Stable southeast of Lodi approved

• One year after a heart attack, Lodi's Judy Mims thanks rescuers

• National Guard troops return home in time for the holidays

• Real estate market gets on more solid ground

November 19th, 2009

• Operation: Christmas

• Logbook

• Suspect arrested after hiding in fridge

• Chase ends in crash

• Galt Joint Union High School Distric hires new superintendent

• Sales tax hike yields dividends: 5 new officers join Galt Police

• Lodi Unified School District board votes to cancel summer school for 2010

• Water surges in Mokelumne River yield more salmon

• Lodi City Council will consider redevelopment next June

• Lodi City Council plans to cap number of taco trucks at 22

• Corrections

November 18th, 2009

• Regional Roundup

• Paranormal group conducts second investigation of building

• Congress allocates money for local water projects

• Sarah Palin's book hits the shelves: Locals react

• Lodi man finds wife's ashes during police display of stolen property

• Galt City Council rejects study on rent stabilization

November 17th, 2009

• Paying tribute to a Lodian

• Lodi Budget and Finance Committee to look into ways to save money on employee benefits

• Regional Roundup

• Decision on summer school expected at tonight's Lodi Unified School District meeting

• Clements gets free water rescue boat

• Redevelopment to be discussed by Lodi City Council again

• Court reinstates death penalty for killer of Lodi grad

• Clarification

November 16th, 2009

• Correction

• Public Meetings

• City Council 'triple-dog dared' to ditch cars, use Lodi buses

• Sierra Adventure store to close after four years in Downtown Lodi

• Lodi's First Sip event showcases area wineries' latest vintages

• Three members of Lodi-area family fall ill after eating poisonous mushrooms they reportedly found at Lodi Lake

• Regional Roundup

November 14th, 2009

• Galt school district narrows superintendent search to one

• Regional Roundup

• Despite budget cuts, some Lodi Unified School District salaries continue to rise

• Watchful neighbor in Lodi helped bust suspected burglars

• New Galt city manager juggles job, family

• Despite an increase in homeless students, school districts look to bolster enrollment, raise revenue

• A first look at 2009 vintages at Lodi's First Sip wine-tasting event

The following stories have received the most reader comments during the last 7 days.

• The country's mess is our fault (170)
• Obama is not a moderate (130)
• Sarah Palin's book hits the shelves: Locals react (73)
• Lodi City Council plans to cap number of taco trucks at 22 (50)
• Public health care is a Christian option (49)
• The haves should help the have-nots (30)
• Tokay in, traveling to unbeaten No. 3 Grant for football playoffs (25)
• Government-run health care is a bad idea (22)
• Young woman fatally shot at Acampo home (17)
• Sierra Adventure store to close after four years in Downtown Lodi (16)

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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.