Margate Police instruct youngsters on how to safely ride their bikes during a Bicycle Rodeo held in June 2019.
By NANETTE LoBIONDO GALLOWAY
MARGATE – A Downbeach.com reporter Tuesday, June 9, whose son calls her “an overly-cautious” driver, drove northbound in the right lane of Atlantic Avenue doing just under the posted speed limit – 25 miles per hour – and following the flow of traffic controlled by traffic signals.
She was grateful no one died.
The “accident waiting to happen” cliché was in play with the unexpected and sudden presence of a half-dozen middle school-aged children on their bicycles darting across the roadway from the beach block, with absolutely no regard to the red signal they faced.
The driver in the left lane, who was going a little faster and passing the reporter’s vehicle, barely slowed down enough to allow the boys to pass, while the two lanes of traffic coming in the opposite direction were far enough away to see the boys and slow down enough to allow them cross.
The boys were laughing and obviously having a great time after spending time on the beach. No problem with that. But none of them paid any attention to the bicycle rules of the road and not one was wearing a helmet.
The reporter, whose driver side window was down to enjoy the cool breeze, yelled to the children, “You must obey the traffic signals.”
The boys laughed and continued on their way.
A few seconds later, a woman on roller blades was traveling southbound in the northbound bicycle lane.
The reporter rolled down the passenger side window and yelled, “You’re going the wrong way.”
At the intersection a block away, which was not controlled by a traffic signal, a group of beachgoers heading home stepped into the roadway expecting vehicles would stop for them. Knowing the often confusing state law that requires motorists to stop for pedestrians in the crosswalk, the reporter stopped, but the driver in the passing lane did not.
For the third time within a three-block span, no one died.
A few blocks away, and elderly gentleman waited on the sidewalk until traffic cleared so he could safely cross the street, which was not controlled by a traffic signal.
Must be his age. Obviously, his parents taught him well: Stop, and look both ways before you cross the street.
Normally, reporters avoid inserting themselves into a story. But in this case, the “overly-cautious” driver was grateful she was not involved in what could have been “an accident waiting to happen.”
The parents of pre-teens and young adults are old enough to have been taught the older man’s ways: Stop, look both ways before you cross the street. That goes for bicycles, too.
So, we are re-posting here the Margate Police Department’s recommendations for crossing the street and riding bicycles. Seems a bit ridiculous that in this day an age, the police department has to tell people what parents should have already drilled into the psyche of their children at a very young age.
Have a safe summer, Downbeach.
Margate Police Department on Bicycle Riding
By request every year, here is a quick explainer of the rules when it comes to biking/skateboarding etc.
The short of it is bicyclists and people on skateboards, roller blades, etc are supposed to follow all traffic laws as if they were a motor vehicle. Once wheels are under you, the law considers you a vehicle.
The law states, “Every person riding a bicycle upon a roadway shall be granted all of the rights and shall be subject to all of the duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle by chapter four of Title 39 of the Revised Statutes and all supplements thereto except as to those provisions thereof which by their nature can have no application.” It also states the same thing for roller skates and skateboards.
Bicyclists and skateboarders are NOT PEDESTRIANS and do not have the same rights of way as they do. Now, if somebody is walking their bike through a crosswalk, then they have become pedestrians, but if they are on the seat, they are not.
As for how you should share the road, the law explains that, “Every person operating a bicycle upon a roadway shall ride as near to the right side of the roadway as practicable, exercising due care when passing a standing vehicle or one proceeding in the same direction.” It does lay out some common scenarios where you would not stay to the right such as avoiding obstacles in the road, making a left turn, etc.
With the completion of the “Safe Routes to School” project there are some new signs along several streets in town. One of those signs indicates that bicycles are allowed to “share the road.” They were placed along routes identified as those most likely to be used by children biking to school. The signs are intended ONLY to remind motorists to keep a lookout for bicycles and to give those bicyclists, especially young children on their way to school, plenty of room so that everybody gets to their destination safely. The markings on the roadway serve the same purpose. They are there to encourage bicyclists to ride with traffic and to alert motorists to keep a lookout for bicyclists, especially children.
While riding on the road as part of a group, “Persons riding bicycles upon a roadway may travel no more than two abreast when traffic is not impeded, but otherwise shall ride in single file except on paths or parts of roadways set aside for the exclusive use of bicycles.” So what does that mean? It means that if there are vehicles on the roadway, you should ride single file. Margate does have dedicated bike lanes on Atlantic Ave, but those are not wide enough for anything other than single file riding.
As for red lights and stop signs, it is the duty of those on bikes and skateboards to obey those. There have been incidents where the Margate Police have written summonses to bicyclists involved in accidents where they did not obey traffic controls such as stop signs or red lights.
The law also states that everybody under the age of 17, including those in child seats, riding a bike or skateboard on a public roadway should be in an approved helmet, “A person under 17 years of age shall not operate, or ride upon a bicycle as a passenger, unless that person is wearing a properly fitted and fastened bicycle helmet.” Also, all bicycles are supposed to have a white colored light on the front and a red colored light on the rear along with reflectors and, “No person shall operate a bicycle unless it is equipped with a bell or other device capable of giving a signal audible for a distance of at least one hundred feet.”
As for riding a bike on the sidewalk, there isn’t a specific provision of the law prohibiting that and in some cases it’s probably the safest thing. For younger children the less time they are on the roadway, the better.
Hopefully this answers some of your questions.
A great resource is the state’s page on biking http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/commuter/bike/
As always, feel free to ask any officers you see if you have any questions.
Margate Police Department Crossing the Street
It’s the time of year when the roadways get more crowded our officers start getting many questions regarding the rules for pedestrians in the roadway. So, once again, we’ll try to answer a few general questions here.
Let’s get the big one out of the way first:
Q: Do I have to stop for every person crossing the street?
A: In general, yes it’s a good idea to do so. The law specifies that you MUST stop for all people crossing in marked crosswalks. It also designates when pedestrians should use those crosswalks. Even if they are crossing at a time when they shouldn’t be, the law directs officers to make an assumption that the driver wasn’t driving carefully if they hit that pedestrian. If they are out of a marked crosswalk but still at an intersection, pedestrians are supposed to wait for the road to clear before entering. If you happen upon a person crossing at such an intersection, you have stop for them if they are in the roadway. If they are crossing outside of a marked crosswalk or outside of an intersection the law states you have to yield, not stop for them. But again, in general, if there is somebody in the roadway already, it’s a good idea to let them pass.
Q: I’m a pedestrian so don’t cars have to stop for me in any crosswalk no matter what?
A: No, there are rules to when you can cross and when vehicles have to stop for you. Specifically, the law states “No pedestrian shall leave a curb or other place of safety and walk or run into the path of a vehicle which is so close that it is impossible for the driver to yield or stop. “How close is too close for somebody to stop is open to interpretation and depends on dozens of factors. Basically, it’s a very bad idea to just walk out into the roadway thinking that vehicles have to stop for you. We’ve seen quite a few pedestrian accidents and it’s no fun for the person hit by a car. It’s generally a lot more fun, and less painful, to wait until the driver stops for you or until the road is clear.
As for the rules in a crosswalk, they are pretty simple. If there is a light at the intersection, you are legally allowed to cross when the signal governing your direction of travel shows green. As the law states, “Pedestrians shall not cross a roadway against the “stop” or red signal at a crosswalk, whether marked or unmarked, unless otherwise specifically directed to go by a traffic or police officer, or official traffic control device.” If you start on green and the light changes, the pedestrian still has the right of way until they finish crossing.
If there is no signal at a crosswalk, the rules are that once you enter the roadway a driver is supposed to stop for you. Remember though, according to the law, drivers need to see you and have time to react to your crossing. Walking out and getting upset that a driver 50 feet away didn’t come to a screeching halt to let you cross isn’t the proper way to cross the street. That isn’t safe for anybody.
Q: Outside of a crosswalk or intersection do I need to stop for pedestrians? / As a pedestrian do I have the right of way outside of a crosswalk or intersection?
A: Once they are in the roadway you should yield for them. If they are on the side of the road outside of a crosswalk and not at an intersection looking to cross, you don’t have to stop and let them and pedestrians shouldn’t just walk out. If they are in the roadway already, allow them to cross.
Q: On Atlantic Ave do I have to stop for every pedestrian in the crosswalk at intersections with no lights if the next block up there is a green light.
A: Yes. We know it’s sometimes frustrating to see a green light at the next intersection and be stuck waiting for pedestrians to cross, but that is the law.
What the Margate PD would like to see pedestrians do is to look out and see when the nearest lights turn red before crossing. There are very few stretches on Atlantic where there are not lights within two or three blocks. It’s a good, and safe, idea to wait for traffic to come to a stop due to those lights instead of having a stop and go traffic pattern. While it’s not the “letter of the law” it’s probably the safest way to manage the street and that’s what it’s really about, safety.
In short, both drivers and pedestrians should use their heads and common sense. The laws governing pedestrians and crosswalks say the same thing in a few places: “Nothing contained herein shall relieve a driver from the duty to exercise due care for the safety of any pedestrian upon a roadway. Nothing contained herein shall relieve a pedestrian from using due care for his safety.”
In short, the law lays out a series of rules, but makes a special note to tell people to use their heads and not be unsafe.
We hope this answered some common questions you may have.
Feel free to speak to any officer and ask about how to safely navigate the roadways as both a pedestrian and driver.
***Because it’s a FAQ, ALL crosswalks count as crosswalks, both the ones WITH and WITHOUT the additional lines painted on them. The federal manual recommends adding additional, thicker, and more visible lines in some crosswalks at an intersection to increase visibility and to alert drivers to lookout for pedestrians.
Copyright Mediawize, LLC 2020
