Darn kids on bikes! Tooling around without a helmet, weaving in and out of pedestrians on Orange Ave, crossing in front of motorists at 8 p.m. without a light. What’s a resident to do? Council member Richard Bailey, Holland’s Bicycles, and the Coronado Police Department have teamed up for a solution – catch-’em doing good.
Starting January 1, 2016, our Coronado Police Department will be issuing “reward citations” to kids, and kids at heart, for positive bike behaviors such as wearing a helmet, using a light at night, stopping at stop signs, and walking bikes on Orange Ave’s sidewalks.
The tantalizing rewards are gift certificates from Holland’s Bicycles and other Coronado businesses. For example, the Coronado Optimist Club donated 25 gift cards of $4 each to Fuzziwig’s Candy Store.
Yes, that’s right, you might be biking along C Avenue one evening, your bike light proudly shining, and a police officer will stop and offer you a congratulations along with a gift certificate to the candy store.
Thrifty residents will be glad to know that the program does not use taxpayer dollars. All gift certificates will be sponsored by local residents and organizations.
Richard Bailey explained that the idea to reward positive bike activity came from a Coronado resident through social media or email.
Richard liked the idea a lot, but didn’t want to task the police department with a new responsibility. Looking for a solution, he approached a couple of our local non-profits and businesses to see if any of them would be willing to serve as the point group to facilitate the coordination of community sponsors, gift certificate donations, and getting the certificates in the right hands at the Police Department.
Holland’s was the first to step up and Richard enthusiastically accepted their help.
If you’re one of the many Coronado residents who care deeply about bicycle safety and bicycle issues in Coronado there is now something positive and proactive you can do to increase bike safety.
Here is what you can do: The next time you’re in town, buy a small amount gift card, or many small amount gift cards, and drop it off at Holland’s Bicycles. You can also just head straight for Holland’s and buy one or more $5.00 Fun Passes that reward recipients can use right there at Holland’s. Just tell any of the employees that your gift cards are for the “Bike Rewards Program.”
Richard Bailey explained what he liked about the program: “This is a great example of the city and the community working towards the same goal from two different angles. Positive reinforcement can be very effective in changing behavior so I applaud Holland’s Bikes for leading this program and also the Coronado Police Department for being open to the idea.”
Coronado resident and Holland’s Bicycle owner, Karl Young, relishes being part of Holland’s Bicycles’ deep historical ties to Coronado. He and his wife, Zarina, purchased Holland’s Bicycles last year and couldn’t be happier about the store’s involvement in the community: “Holland’s is proud to be a part of the community’s effort to encourage safe, responsible, and legal bicycling behavior throughout Coronado.”
When I asked Karl why he and Zarina were so happy owning Holland’s Bicycle’s, he told me that it is 100% percent about being a part of Coronado’s history and future. He informed me that, except for the Hotel Del, Holland’s is Coronado’s oldest business.
Now while the Positive Bike Rewards Program is the carrot, there is a stick. Our City Council voted to approve a more streamlined bike fine schedule that will make the fines more constant and straightforward. This clarity in fees, however, will most likely be followed with an increase in citations issued.
Under the current bike infraction fee schedule, bicycle violation fees range $5.00 – $25.00, but as anyone who has ever received a bicycle violation knows, when all taxes and additional fees have been added to the citation, the final cost can be hundreds of dollars.
At the September 2015 City Council meeting, the City Council sought to make improvements to the fines associated with infractions committed by bicyclists. The Council passed a resolution “authorizing the establishment of new fines for Vehicle Code and City Ordinance Infractions Committed by Bicyclists.” This resolution will initially raise the violation fees (which are technically bail amounts) from a maximum of $25 to the following schedule for a twelve-month period.
- $50 for the first offense
- $100 for the second offense
- $250 for the third offense
[See UPDATE and correction of fee schedule at bottom of article.]
Although at first glance this looks like a tremendous fee increase, without the current additional assessments, the overall amount paid will be less.
While city officials predict a decrease in revenue from the issuance of bicycle citations with this new schedule, they do expect an increase in the issuance of citations – which is exactly what they are hoping for. Bike citations are intended to increase compliance of bicycle laws and safety for Coronado residents and visitors alike.
The City Council of Davis, California (the bike capital of the California, if not the United States) took the same approach toward bicycle safety as our City Council did this past September, and garnered good results: “[The City of Davis has] seen an increase in citations issued and a 14% reduction in bicycle-related collisions since taking this action.”
Importantly, “[City of Davis] indicated [that] officers were more apt to issue a citation, knowing the bail amount was more reasonable.”
Please share the information about the new Bike Rewards Program with your kids. I know I’m going to make sure my bike light is mounted and fully charged. I’m hoping to be caught “doing good” as well!
UPDATE – Comments from Chief of Police Jon Froomin:
Nice article about the bike rewards. Just a couple points to ponder. The Police Department has used this type of program multiple times in the past and has done so the last three years during the first weeks of school with our students.
As it relates to the bail amounts for bicycle citations, the current bails range from $5 to $25 for City Ordinances and higher for Vehicle Code violations, but with all the court fees, the resulting fine can range from $111 to multiple hundred dollars for violations such as a failing to stop at a stop sign. The Council’s action set bail for all bicycle related violations at $5, $25, and $50 for the first, second and third violation in a year. The court adds an additional $80 in other fees, resulting in total fines of $85, $105, and $130 for the first, second and third violations in a year.
Hope this clarifies these items.
Thank you,
Jon Froomin
Chief of Police
Coronado Police Department
