Since May 16, Philadelphia Police have stopped 803 motorists and cyclists as a part of their “Give Respect, Get Respect” campaign. The new initiative is aimed at promoting safety on the roads between bikes and cars.
Of the 803 individuals stopped, 600 were on bikes. “Cyclists seem to be where the educational focus needs to go,” Captain Alan Clark of the Philadelphia Police Department told the Daily News. Clark continues, “[Motorists] don’t need education. If they ran a red light, they know what they did.”
The Daily News reports that 590 of the bikes stopped were issued warnings and ten were given citations. Three bikers were cited for moving violations which included running red lights or riding against traffic which has a $120.50 fine, the same for motorists. Despite the expansion of several bike lanes throughout the city, seven bikers received violations for riding on the sidewalk which carries a $50 fine.
Andrew Stober, chief of staff of the transportation office told the Daily News that he expects the number of tickets given to bikers to increase.
One biker told the Daily News, “As cyclists, we do have equal rights, and I do think equal rights come with equal responsibilities. [But] there is a big difference between a 30-pound bike and a 3,000 pound car.”
