Publication Date: Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Bicyclist may file complaint against officer
Bicyclist may file complaint against officer
(September 14, 2005) Chief defends officer's decision to pull over rider
by Bill D'Agostino
Members of the local bicycling community are criticizing a Palo Alto police officer who stopped a bicyclist legally riding down Alma Street.
Around 4 p.m. Sept. 1, Margaret Okuzumi was bicycling toward a train station in Mountain View when Palo Alto Officer John Alaniz pulled her over. He told her bicycling on Alma Street was dangerous and said Okuzumi should ride on the sidewalk instead.
"As far as I was concerned he was just making me late for my train," said Okuzumi, the executive director of BayRail Alliance, which advocates for improved train service in the Bay Area. "I was pretty upset."
The officer then accompanied her to the train station, riding behind her.
Okozumi plans to file a formal complaint, especially after Police Chief Lynne Johnson defended the officer's behavior.
The chief agreed that Okuzumi had a legal right to ride on the road, but argued Alaniz was acting out of concern for her safety. Automobiles tend to speed on Alma Street, bicyclists can't keep up and there is little room on the southbound side of the road, Johnson noted.
"While it may be legal, it doesn't mean it's safe," she said.
The Palo Alto Bicycle Advisory Committee plans to discuss the incident at its meeting next month.
Ellen Fletcher, a former councilwoman and a member of the committee, said Alaniz's advice to Okuzumi was poor. Riding on the sidewalk in the opposite direction of traffic would have put her in greater danger, Fletcher said.
"It's a very, very unsafe thing for him to have done," she said.
On the e-mail discussion group for the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition, Okozumi described her plight, prompting an outpouring of response.
Some pointed out that many automobile drivers don't feel bicyclists have a right to the road. That position could be encouraged by the officer's words and actions, they argued.
"I expect most of us have had occasional encounters with ignorant motorists who figure cyclists don't belong on busy streets, especially if it means you're in their way," one bicyclist wrote to the group. "Their reactions may range from blasting their horns to various dangerous maneuvers intended to intimidate us. The last thing we want to do is give them any more reason to believe their actions are justified."
Greg McPheeters, the president of the coalition, said the incident appeared to be an aberration since Palo Alto police officers tend to be receptive to bicycling issues.
"I don't think this is the norm but it definitely got our attention," McPheeters said. "I would hope to hear something a little stronger from the police chief."
Paul Goldstein, the chair of the Palo Alto bicycle committee, said there are few good alternatives for bicyclists in the area Okuzumi was riding, between Charleston Avenue and San Antonio Road.
"It's a gap, it's a known gap," he said. "To get bike lanes on Alma at that point would help."
Staff Writer Bill D'Agostino can be e-mailed at bdagostino@paweekly.com.
E-mail a friend a link to this story. | 
