# Law enforcement in Los Altos HIlls



## ratpick (Jul 31, 2008)

Passing on a PSA.. Sheriff bringing the heat to cyclists on Los Altos Hills.. sounds like a city that needs a budget cut 


From: jon richards <[email protected]>
Date: Mon, May 9, 2011 at 10:07 PM
Subject: [SCCC] Warning: Don't get ticketed!
To:


Got ticketed this AM on PMR on my way to Foothill Park. The deputy sheriff said that they are on a "no-tolerance" campaign, citing bicyclists for running stop signs, not riding single file and obstructing traffic by riding too far away from the right side of the road (my infraction, he claimed). The campaign will go through the summer, perhaps beyond. So be forewarned and post a warning to any clubs and list-serves you have access to.

The deputy told me that the crack-down has been requested by the town of Los Altos Hills. He said that the mayor (I think he said the mayor) is an avid cyclist so this is coming "from one of your own". I intend to send a letter to the mayor and to Sheriff Dept. Captain Carl Neusel, who oversees law enforcement in Los Altos Hills. If you feel inspired to write a respectful letter of your own, write to: Ms. Ginger Summit, Mayor, [email protected]; Captain Carl Neusel, c/o [email protected] (not sure about this).

Wikipedia has a must-read synopsis of Bicycle Law in California, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_law_in_California.

I intend to offer the following for Los Altos Hills policy consideration:

* The law says the bicyclist "shall ride as close as practicable to the right-hand ... edge of the roadway ..." but gives the bicyclist significant discretion to judge how close is practicable, especially "... when the lane is too narrow for a bicycle and a vehicle to travel safely side by side within the lane" (usually at least 14 feet wide).
* Nothing in CVC 21202 nor in any other California law requires bicyclists to ride single file, or prohibits them from riding two abreast.
* "No-tolerance" is a polarizing policy that discredits the judgment of the trained law enforcement professionals. It is antithetical to fostering a bicycle friendly community where people talk with one another and learn how to get along.


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## Rhymenocerus (Jul 17, 2010)

No, sounds like a city that received a lot of budget cuts and needs easy revenue.


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## rox (Jul 7, 2009)

I know the mayor. I will talk to him tomorrow if he shows up to our meeting. and an obstructing traffic ticket is easy to beat in court


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## grrrah (Jul 22, 2005)

rox said:


> I know the mayor. I will talk to him tomorrow if he shows up to our meeting. and an obstructing traffic ticket is easy to beat in court


This. Especially on PMR with little shoulder, poor pavement, and overhanging vegitation.


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## rox (Jul 7, 2009)

I brought this up tonight during the announcements item of the vta bpac meeting, but our member from los altos hills (former mayor) was not there to comment. I believe he has spoken in the past about the need for greater enforcement, but targeting cyclists for nonexistant violations while ignoring motor vehicles is simply harassment. I would advice everyone to write or email the los altos hill mayor and city council with your thoughts regarding this.

theres not really any action the vta committee can take but at least all the cities and some major cycling orgs will be aware.


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## SystemShock (Jun 14, 2008)

If someone were to contact the Western Wheelers and have them bring this up in their next meeting (and put it in the newsletter), I bet you'd get like 50 letters to the mayor and assorted parties.

Does indeed sound like a city in need of easy revenue.
.


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## filtersweep (Feb 4, 2004)

I would be furious for being ticketed for riding too far from the gutter.


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## Dr_John (Oct 11, 2005)

Recall the "no bikes on El Monte" near Foothill College campaign? Isn't that in Los Altos Hills too? How much money was wasted on that? I'd really appreciate if law makers and law enforcement understand the law as it pertains to bicycles before they start their 'no tolerance' campaigns.


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## Gee3 (Jan 31, 2006)

We need to get actual cyclists that live in the Los Altos Hills to write the mayor. Otherwise I'm sure they could care less what a non-resident with no vote has to say about their city.


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## mohair_chair (Oct 3, 2002)

An obstructing ticket on Page Mill is absolutely comical. It should be really easy to beat in court, but what a hassle to have to do it. I would make it my mission to turn that hassle around. Take pictures and measurements, and make charts and drawings showing how ridiculous it is. I would do a presentation in court with all my materials showing how obviously bogus the ticket is, and it should be embarrassing for the sheriff to stand there and defend it. I would also complain to everyone I could about it, including the Palo Alto city council, the county supervisors, the county sheriff and the sheriff's supervisor.

I got a bogus ticket in my car once, and I went to court to fight it. I had assembled irrefutable evidence that the cop was wrong. I had pictures, charts, measurements, etc. I was going to kick his ass. Except that he never showed up. What a coward. The ticket was dismissed, but I'm still pissed that I didn't get to prove my point.


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## ukbloke (Sep 1, 2007)

Maybe they are raising funds from cyclists for the proposed Los Altos Hills bike lanes along Fremont? Interesting that the "NIMBY" residents think that bike lanes won't make cycling safer for kids going to school, and that they are worried that the lanes will encourage more cycling.


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## D. W. Davis (Feb 21, 2007)

*Who's been bothering Ginger???*

This week's Los Altos Town Crier report on the situation included the following:

http://www.losaltosonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=24417&Itemid=46[/URL]

Los Altos Hills Mayor Ginger Summit – who has said that one of her goals is to increase safety in town – told the Town Crier that she has received “tons of emails from bikers who are irate.” But she stressed that the town isn’t targeting cyclists.

“The reason we’re doing this is because have had so much concern from residents that bikers do not pay attention to the road requirements,” she said. “We’re not trying to get bikers out of town – we just want everybody to follow the rules.”

Full Article:


Deputies patrolling Los Altos Hills wouldn’t say that they’re cracking down on law-breaking cyclists and motorists, but they have been issuing more citations lately.

Lt. Don Morrissey of the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office, which contracts with Los Altos Hills, said the department has added a motorcycle unit on weekends to patrol areas of Los Altos Hills with the most traffic-related complaints. Since the enforcement began a few weeks ago, Morrissey said the number of citations has begun to taper off.

“It’s a beautiful area, there’s no doubt about it – taking advantage of hills and the physical challenges they present,” he said. “But there’s a potential there for it to be tragic for a motorist or cyclist if they have disregard for the rules of road.”

Morrissey said that during weekends over a recent three-week period, officers issued between 70 and 90 tickets to motorists and cyclists. Violations included running stop signs, riding bicycles more than two abreast and excessive speed. The fines range from $100 to $400.

Carl Cahill, Los Altos Hills city manager, confirmed in an email, “The Sheriff’s Office has been asked to step up traffic enforcement. This request is in response to lots of complaints received from residents all over town about some cyclists not obeying traffic laws.”

Hot spots for violations include the intersection at Page Mill and Moody roads as well as Arastradero Road, according to Morrissey.

“It’s not our goal just to blanket the town and write an inordinate amount of citations,” he said. “We don’t issue a citation on every stop we make. We take the opportunity to educate on bicycle safety.”

Los Altos Hills Mayor Ginger Summit – who has said that one of her goals is to increase safety in town – told the Town Crier that she has received “tons of emails from bikers who are irate.” But she stressed that the town isn’t targeting cyclists.

“The reason we’re doing this is because have had so much concern from residents that bikers do not pay attention to the road requirements,” she said. “We’re not trying to get bikers out of town – we just want everybody to follow the rules.”

Bikes and cars are required to follow the same rules per the California Vehicle Code, Morrissey said, and cyclists should ride as far to the right as they can unless the lane, as the CVC states, “is too narrow for a bicycle and a vehicle to travel safely side by side within the lane.”

Summit noted that the town’s newly formed Traffic and Safety Committee was scheduled to discuss the Sheriff’s Office enforcement Tuesday at its first meeting, after the Town Crier’s press deadline.


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## CoLiKe20 (Jan 30, 2006)

look at this from the other point of view.
today I was riding and came to a red light. The rider behind me barely slowed down before running the light. I looked at the motorists stopped next to me and saw them shaking their heads. This wasn't a small intersection either. It was Woodside and Alameda de Las Pulgas.
And this was not the only time I observed this.
If cyclists don't respect the laws, they don't deserve respect on the road. I hate to be lumped into the same category by motorists. We don't want to give motorist (ie non-cyclist) more reasons to dislike us.

edited for grammar


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## Dr_John (Oct 11, 2005)

Never mind...


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