La Crosse Police Bike Patrol urges summer safety

By Ginna Roe, WXOW, June 2, 2016

As summer approaches, the La Crosse Police Bike Patrol is getting back out on La Crosse streets.

The patrol officers primary focus is to keep bikers safe. They are also working to make La Crosse bike friendly, but say that can only happen with bikers participation, especially when comes to following the rules of the road.

Bike Patrol Officer Kurt Weaver said failing to stop at stop sign or yielding to pedestrians causes the majority of bike accidents in the city. 

"Either one person or another was not obeying the right of way or not following the rules they should," Weaver said, "Just because you're on a bike, doesn't mean you are exempt from stopping at a stop sign, for example. You still have to follow all the rules of the road like a vehicle would."

Weaver said in La Crosse, bikers can ride on the sidewalk except when they are downtown. Because of increased sidewalk traffic in the area and past bike pedestrian accidents, bike must be off sidewalks downtown. 

Patrol Bikes have also played a role in a number of arrests in La Crosse, some that otherwise might not have been made. 

"We've made some pretty good arrests by riding up to somebody and saying, 'Hey, what's going on here?' They don't expect us. We can get into places quieter. It's a lot more stealth so there are a lot of advantages to what you see versus being in a car driving 25 miles and hour," Weaver said. 

The Bike Patrol has been around since 2008 and has 15 trained officers on board.

Watch the video: http://www.wxow.com/story/32128316/2016/06/02/la-crosse-police-bike-patrol-urges-summer-safety

---