Bike Walk Twin Cities is providing essential educational materials and training in April and May to help Twin Cities-area law enforcement agencies with enforcement efforts related to pedestrian and bicycle safety.
The Bike Walk Twin Cities Toolbox of Enforcement Resources for Safe Walking and Bicycling is part of a federal pilot program to increase bicycling and walking as forms of transportation. Since 2007, Twin Cities bicycling increased by 52 percent and walking by 18 percent, according to data from Bike Walk Twin Cities, a program of Transit for Livable Communities.
Officers from the Saint Paul Police Department will be participating in the training. "While Saint Paul Police Department trains officers on issues that guide pedestrian, bicycle and motorist traffic, we support education efforts that supplement our training and reinforce the importance of everyone understanding the laws that guide our community members' travels," said Saint Paul Police Senior Commander David Mathison.
"Officers don't enforce laws that they do not know and they don't enforce laws that they cannot defend," says Peter Flucke of WE BIKE, LLC, who developed the training materials. Flucke, a former Minnesota law enforcement officer, has trained officers around the country in predicting and preventing pedestrian and bicycle crashes.
The instructor-led sessions will be held on April 18-19, and again on May 3-4, at the MnDOT transportation office in Saint Paul. Twin Cities-area law enforcement departments interested in any of the Bike Walk Twin Cites Toolbox components listed should contact Roz Barker of We Bike, Inc ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ). The deadline for signing up for the training sessions is April 13.
The training sessions are targeted to communities involved in the federal nonmotorized transportation pilot program administered by Bike Walk Twin Cities, including Minneapolis, Saint Paul, Roseville, Falcon Heights, Lauderdale, Saint Anthony, Columbia Heights, Fridley, Brooklyn Center, Robbinsdale, Golden Valley, Saint Louis Park, Edina, Richfield, and Fort Snelling. Additional information is available at www.bikewalktwincities.org/news-events/news/public-safety.
Training available for local law enforcement agencies
• Most law enforcement officers have received no specialized training to enforce laws protecting pedestrians and bicyclists
• Since 2007, Twin Cities bicycling is up 52 percent; walking up 18 percent
• Resources provided in the training package include statutory reference guide, materials for safety outreach, roll call videos, computer-based trainings and workshops (April 18-19, May 3-4)
