Bike patrol hits the streets

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This article was published 23/06/2011 (5432 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Once again, members of the Brandon police bike patrol are ready to roll.

A summer tradition, the Brandon Police Service Mountain Bike Unit is back for the season.

Const. Tanis Basaraba and Const. Kirby Sararas took out the bikes for the first time on Tuesday. Bike duty means they have a better chance to meet people than officers who patrol in cars.

"It’s just nice to be closer to people," Sararas said. "When you’re in a cruiser, you’re a bit more disconnected."

Some people aren’t used to seeing officers on two wheels, Basaraba said.

"People have to look twice because they don’t realize you’re a uniformed officer on a bike," Basaraba said.

Despite the different look, Basaraba stresses that bike officers have all the same powers as police officers in cruisers.

In fact, they’re not shy about using their bikes to pull over motorists who break the law. Already this year, they’ve used their bikes to box in and stop a motorists who was driving onto the street while using her cellphone.

Sararas is new to the bike beat, but this is Basaraba’s second year.

They’ll be out at least four days per week and will continue to ride as long as weather permits.

The bikes allow them to patrol a wide area quickly while allowing them to get into areas, such as parks and lanes, that aren’t easily reachable by cruiser.

But the ride isn’t going to be easy, especially in the heat. They roughly estimate they’ll cover about 25 kilometres per day, all while wearing up to 11 kilograms of equipment, including their sidearms.

"The equipment that we wear will add a challenge to our biking," Sararas said.

Besides patrolling, Basaraba and Sararas will be at community events such as Canada Day celebrations. They’ll also make bike safety presentations.

On that note, here are some of the rules of the road for cyclists under the Highway Traffic Act:

* Bike riders have the same rights and duties as a motorist and shall obey all signs, traffic control devices and directions of a peace officer.

* Bicycles with rear wheels larger than 410 millimetres aren’t allowed on sidewalks. They have to be ridden on the road.

* A person riding a bike or power-assisted bike must ride as close as possible to the right-hand edge of the curb or road.

* Cyclists must ride in single file, not beside each other and there’s no doubling — one seat to each rider.

* Riders can’t use bikes to transport large objects that interfere with their ability to control the bike. That includes furniture — Sararas said she saw one rider steering a bike with one hand while holding an end table in the other.

* Police can stop a bike at any time to inspect its equipment. They can also impound any bike with an altered serial number.

* Cyclists listening to an MP3 player can’t ride with earphones in both ears at the same time, just one in one ear.

* And, while a helmet isn’t required, Basaraba and Sararas said wearing one is a good idea.

* Sararas said it’s also illegal for a bike to pass a car on the car’s right-hand side. That means it’s not up to a motorist who is slowing to make a right turn to look for bikes that have pulled up beside the car or tries to pass it on the right.

Another common collision happens when a driver, who is trying to turn right, is looking left for traffic and hits or is struck by a bicycle travelling illegally on the sidewalk.