Alexandria police enforcing traffic laws on Commonwealth Ave. to protect bicyclists

I got this announcement yesterday

This week Alexandria bicycle police officers are on Commonwealth Avenue at East Glebe Road during the morning rush hours to enforce traffic laws. The officers will be stopping motorists that drive in the bike lane to make right turns, creating a hazard for bicyclists. The officers will also focus on enforcement and education for bicyclists to encourage safe cycling. If you have questions, please contact Yon Lambert at (703) 838-4966 or [email protected].

Of course, as I've mentioned before, we want turning vehicles in the bike lane.

Comments

[Contrarian]

I wonder what they're going to ticket motorists for. A quick check of the code of virginia (http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+cod+TOC4602000) finds no prohibition on driving in bike lanes, in fact, no mention of bike lanes at all.

It also contains the same language as DC, that right turns must be made as far right as practicable on the roadway.

The only thing I see the cops claiming is that in VA, bike lanes are not part of the roadway (as they are in every other state) because they are not defined under state law, and that someone driving in the bike lane is illegally leaving the roadway.

I think the APD needs to get a lawyer to advise their traffic department.

I suspect that the whole bike lane enforcement thing is just a cover so they can harass cyclists anyway.

[Ren]

My disdain for Alexandria's policies never ends, but I saw mention of something Idaho is supposedly doing and thought it made some sense:
"Idaho has recognized that, passing a law that allows cyclists to treat stop signs as yield signs. It also allows those on bikes to treat red lights as stop signs."

From
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08231/905129-53.stm?cmpid=MOSTEMAILEDBOX

[washcycle]

Yeah, the Idaho law is something I've mentioned before, most recently here

http://tinyurl.com/MOTSC

San Francisco is considering it. I doubt it would be possible - politically - to get a law like that passed in DC. Arlington maybe, but not DC.