Police ticketing bicyclists on 11th Street for running red lights

Better be careful if you're a biker. A reader sent me an email today saying that at about 8:45 am this morning, he saw MPD ticket about 4 bike riders on 11th Street for running red lights. He mentioned that another friend saw it too, and apparently this isn't the first time it's happened too.

For a bit of context, the reader added this "Yes, there was traffic, but I don't think anyone was doing anything reckless. I think everyone stopped at a red light, looked for traffic, and ran the light (without cutting anyone off)."
Of course, running a red light is illegal, though I must admit I do it occasionally if there isn't any traffic around. That's still dangerous, and certainly not recommended as there could be a car or pedestrian you don't see or one going fast that comes out of nowhere. Plus 11th Street has the big hill (like 14th and most others in our city) which always makes me nervous to ride down.

But in general, it seems that bikers need to be careful and obey traffic laws. I'm guessing this was the goal here by MPD, getting bikers to think twice.

And needless to say, that goes for cars and pedestrians too -- nobody is without fault in our area. I've seen bikers riding wildly but have also frequently seen people crossing in the middle of the block, Frogger-ing their way through traffic. I've also seen (and experienced) cars speeding through crosswalks, turning through them while pedestrians are crossing and the like.

I think in general, let's all be a little more careful out there.