Sgt. Michael Unger presented an update on bicyclists in Paradise Valley at the Advisory Committee on Public Safety meeting June 22 following complaints about speeding, riding more than two abreast and other safety concerns.
Unger presented body camera footage from Camelback Manor Drive, a 20-foot wide road where residents have frequently complained about cyclists.
The footage showed cyclists riding early in the morning no more than two abreast and traveling below the 25 mph speed limit.
“You wouldn’t expect me to enforce traffic on a vehicle at 23 miles an hour. I’m not going to enforce speeding rules with a bicycle at 23 miles an hour,” Unger said.
The cyclists were cutting corners and swinging wide in some areas, but the body camera footage also showed vehicles doing the same thing, Unger said.
“Some of them were on the wrong side of the road, cutting the corners,” he said. “But also it’s important to realize that every vehicle that I saw go through there that morning was also cutting.”
He has previously spoken with cycling groups in Paradise Valley about the major complaints residents have raised, and they agreed to be more mindful of those concerns.
“They also asked that they don’t get targeted because some of the cyclists do try to abide by all the rules and laws,” he said.
Committee member Charlie Herf said he often sees bicyclists impeding traffic or maneuvering dangerously on residential streets.
Herf said he saw children riding e-bikes faster than legally allowed without driver’s licenses, doing wheelies and other stunts on Sunday, June 21.
Unger said children younger than 16 without a driver’s licenses cannot legally operate e-bikes that exceed certain speeds because they are legally considered motorcycles, allowing police to enforce those violations.
“We have stopped a couple of kids and we can actually 20 day (tow) their motorcycle,” he said.
Police Chief Freeman Carney said it can be difficult for officers to stop children riding motorcycles they are not legally old enough to operate because pursuits can become dangerous.
Officers have to decide when it is no longer safe to continue chasing because they do not want the riders to injure themselves, and many juveniles know officers will eventually stop pursuing them.
“One of the problems is if they take off, we want to be careful if we chase them, which is our instinct, but they run a red light and get hit by a car and die that’s a major liability for the officer, for the town, but it’s not just about liability,” he said. “We just lost a life that’s unnecessary.”
Carney said one benefit of the department’s drone program is that a drone can safely follow a rider home, allowing officers to identify where they live rather than initiating a dangerous pursuit.
The Paradise Valley Police Department also has a cheat sheet officers use to determine what is required to legally operate different types of electric bikes based on the voltage displayed on the bike.
The department is also focusing on educating parents because they are the ones purchasing most of the bikes that are breaking laws, Unger said.
“We’re trying to deal with it the best way we can, which is enforcement by pulling them over, talking to parents,” he said. “The parents are the ones buying them the motorcycles. So if we can outreach to the parents, that’s our best bet at stopping it.”
Councilmember Scott Moore said the issue will be discussed at a future town council meeting when they return to session in September.
Unger said that, based on what he has observed, most cyclists are following the law, but officers will continue monitoring and stopping those who are not.
Carney said the issue extends beyond Paradise Valley, as other East Valley police chiefs are experiencing similar problems.
He said they will continue discussing ways to address the issue within the law.
“It’s on our agenda to discuss as chiefs,” he said.
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