San Diego Police officers will be watching Sunday for bicyclists, drivers and pedestrians who violate the law.
The San Diego Police Department plans a safety operation from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday aimed at educating bicyclists, drivers and pedestrians on traffic laws, rules and responsibilities, according to Officer Mark McCullough.
“These violations include, but are not limited to, drivers speeding, making illegal turns, failing to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks, and failing to stop for signs and signals,” McCullough said.
Routine traffic patrols will focus efforts in trouble spots, while patrols will target neighborhoods from the Northern Division, including the communities of Bay Ho, Bay Park, Clairemont Mesa East, Clairemont Mesa West, La Jolla, Mission Bay Park, Mission Beach, North Clairemont, Pacific Beach, Torrey Pines and University City.
Officers will also look for pedestrians who cross the street illegally or fail to yield to drivers who have the right of way. Bike riders will be stopped when riding on the wrong side of the road, when not complying with stop signs and signals, or for committing other violations of the same traffic laws that apply to vehicles.
Bicycle and pedestrian fatalities are rising at an alarming rate, McCullough said. In 2016, 138 bicyclists and 867 pedestrians were killed on California roads. Pedestrian fatalities are up nearly 33 percent from 2012, and the number of bicyclists killed is up nearly 25 percent over the past five years.
McCullough said bike riders should always wear a helmet.
“Helmets are required by law for those under 18,” he said. “Bicyclists must travel in the same direction of traffic and have the same requirements as any slow-moving vehicle.”
Funding for the operation is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
–-City News Service