Crosswalks unsafe for all users

By Brian Bernhardt

As a frequent bicyclist and driver in Gunnison, I am disappointed that both the Gunnison Police Department and the Gunnison Country Times are endorsing a policy that would make it illegal for bicyclists to ride through crosswalks.

According to the Sept. 21 edition of the Times, Police Chief Keith Robinson “opined … that crosswalks are an extension of the sidewalk,” and that, as a result, the same laws should apply to sidewalks as to crosswalks. This is a problematic analogy given that cars do not regularly drive at high rates of speed through sidewalks. That the police have taken an approach to downtown safety that focuses enforcement on pedestrians and bicyclists has already been evidenced by their use of increased foot patrols this summer.

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