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Road Warrior

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Results of SRPD’s motorcycle crackdown / Petaluma’s is Saturday

Friday, at 11:02 by

Tuesday’s Santa Rosa crackdown on motorcycle traffic violations resulted in 24  motorcyclists being stopped by officers. Sgt. Lance Badger said 15 were ticketed for such things as helmets, mechanical and failing to yield. The remaining nine were given warnings. The all-day enforcement, funded by a grant from the state Office of Traffic Safety, involved five officers whose main focus was motorcycle safety, although they handled other traffic enforcement issues as they came up, Badger said. The grant is funding eight… Read More »

Motorcycle ‘lane splitting’: Some drivers try to block it

Friday, at 6:50 by

It’s known as “lane splitting” or “splitting lanes.” It’s controversial, and it’s legal. Now, the state Office of Traffic Safety has issued a survey of motorcyclists and drivers about their reaction to lane splitting, in which bikers snake their way between cars on Highway 101 or on local roads with two lanes going the same direction. Here are some of the survey’s findings: –77.6 percent of motorcyclists say they lane split, with 30.9 percent saying they do it all the… Read More »

DUI/license checkpoint Friday in Santa Rosa

Monday, at 6:52 by

Santa Rosa police on Friday plan to hold a DUI/license checkpoint. The checkpoint, the location of which wasn’t being disclosed, will be from 7 p.m. Friday to 1 a.m. Saturday. Funding for the operation comes from the state Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Safety Administration. —————- Follow the Road Warrior on Twitter via @PDRoadWarrior

Study: Traffic deaths dropped after cellphone ban

Monday, at 4:04 by

Fewer people have died on California’s roads and highways since a ban on drivers using hand-held cellphones took effect in July 2008, according to a study. The state Office of Traffic Safety on Monday reported the number of deaths of drivers who were using hand-held cellphones dropped 47 percent in the two years after the ban compared to the number of similar deaths during the two years before the ban. The study, commissioned by OTS and conducted by UC Berkeley’s… Read More »

57 tickets in Petaluma bicycle-pedestrian crackdown

Friday, at 7:16 by

A crackdown Friday on bicycle and pedestrian violations in Petaluma resulted in the city’s traffic officers handing out 57 tickets and 18 warnings. A similar enforcement in January in Petaluma prompted 32 tickets and 83 warnings. Police Sgt. Ken Savano said in a statement that bicycle violations included riding without a helmet, riding on the wrong side of the road and running stop signs.  Pedestrian violations included vehicles not yielding to pedestrians in a crosswalk, pedestrians in the roadway impeding… Read More »

Petaluma crackdown Friday on bicycle, pedestrian violations

Thursday, at 10:24 by

Petaluma’s traffic officers will be out in force Friday looking for bicyclist and pedestrian violations — whether they’re committed by bicyclists, pedestrians or drivers. The officers will be out on the streets from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. The state Office of Traffic Safety, which has provided Petaluma with a grant for Friday’s enforcement and others, found that in 2009 Petaluma ranked 8th worst in bicycle collisions out of 104 California cities based on daily miles traveled and populations, Police… Read More »

140 tickets in Petaluma traffic crackdown

Friday, at 10:00 by

The results are in from Friday’s speed enforcement campaign by Petaluma police. Seven officers made a total of 171 traffic stops and issued a total of 140 tickets from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. A similar crackdown last month yielded 45 citations. “It was a very busy day for all of us,” said Sgt. Ken Savano, who heads the Police Department’s traffic unit. “Lots of violations were right in front of us.” Here’s the breakdown of tickets: –77 for unsafe… Read More »

115 traffic stops in Petaluma bicycle/pedestrian safety crackdown

Friday, at 12:16 by

                    The results are in from Friday’s bicycle/pedestrian safety enforcement by Petaluma police. The seven traffic officers who worked from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. made 115 traffic stops, with 83 ending in warnings and 32 in tickets. Police Sgt. Ken Savano said that among the bicycle violations were riding without a helmet, riding on the wrong side of the road and running stop signs. For pedestrians, they included jay walking,… Read More »

Extra attention on intersections Tuesday by SRPD

Tuesday, at 10:32 by

As part of a year-long, extra traffic enforcement program, Santa Rosa police will be focusing on specific problems. Tuesday, it’s intersections. A team of officers will be moving about the city, specifically looking for right-of-way violations by drivers, such as running red lights and California stops, but they’ll hand out tickets for other violations that they come across, such as hand-held cellphone users. The enforcement program is funded through the state Office of Traffic Safety. ————— Follow the Road Warrior… Read More »