NOTE TO READERS: This story was updated at 12:30 p.m. after Petaluma police reported a motorcyclist had been ticketed. Initially, police said no motorcyclists were cited.

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Petaluma police on Monday held an all-day operation targeting motorcycle safety and handed out 51 tickets — but only one to a motorcyclist.

Five officers — four on motorcycles and one in a pickup — monitored traffic on Lakeville Highway from Highway 101 east to the city limits from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Police Sgt. Ken Savano said the special enforcement was scheduled because police expected a large increase in motorcyclists going through town to attend a motorcycle event at Infineon Raceway. He said the officers used lasers to check speeds of bikers and other vehicles.

At the end of the day, the 51 tickets included speeding, illegal cellphone use, illegal U-turns, passing over double yellow lines, running red lights and a pedestrian obstructing traffic, he said. Two drivers were arrested: A 59-year-old Walnut Creek woman on suspicion of DUI — her sixth DUI arrest — and a 24-year-old Vallejo man on suspicion of having prescription pain medicine without a prescription. He had been stopped for a cellphone violation and the smell of marijuana led to the more in-depth investigation.

Savano said the number of motorcyclists cited was similar to the results of previous motorcycle operations, but he noted statistics show motorcyclists are involved in more collisions than other drivers and that prompted the special enforcement.

Monday’s operation was funded through a grant from the state Office of Traffic Safety, and Savano said upcoming special enforcements will target speeders, DUI suspects, bicyclists, pedestrians as well as motorcyclists in Petaluma.

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