http://www.insidedenver.com/news/0501bike6.shtml

Deputies send message to bicyclists: Obey rules

By Dianne Beirne Denver Rocky Mountain News Staff Writer

BOULDER COUNTY  Traffic officials here hope that bicyclists and motorists will learn to share the road  or face increased patrols and tickets.

On April 22, sheriff's deputies issued 44 summonses to bicyclists near Hygiene for disregarding traffic signals or impeding traffic. The beefed-up special patrol, prompted by motorists' complaints, was designed to head off road rage, officials said.

"We're going to continue enforcement," said Sgt. Tom McGrath, traffic supervisor with the Boulder County Sheriff's Department. "Whether we do the increased patrols hasn't been decided. If we get complaints from citizens, we are going to investigate it."

McGrath said extra officers were brought in for the operation to deal with packs of bicyclists clogging roads.

"We were specifically looking at the packs because that is where the complaints were coming from, that the packs were impeding traffic," McGrath said.

The fine for disregarding a traffic control signal is $45; for impeding traffic, $25. Both include a $10 victims assistance surcharge, McGrath said.

Sheriff's Deputy Mike Wagner said bicycle shops and groups throughout the county were notified in advance about the increased patrol.

The patrol apparently irked some bicyclists. Fliers were posted along the Boulder Creek Bike Path in downtown Boulder telling the sheriff's office to leave bicyclists alone.

Wagner said the patrol was prompted by complaints from motorists in the area, but that enforcement is a two-way street.

"If we get complaints from bicyclists, we'll continue to monitor it and vice versa," he said. "That kind of dictates when we'll take action."

McGrath said that two days before the special patrol, an officer stopped and arrested a man who was throwing bottles at bicyclists. He was charged with reckless endangerment and DUI.

"We are just trying to stop the incidences of road rage on both sides," Wagner said.

-- Maya (Maya@eck.is), May 01, 2000