The LAPD’s officer bicycle training module has just been made available online.
As you may be aware, this training program was developed jointly through the efforts of the LAPD and the local bicycling community, and shows exactly how LAPD officers are trained to interpret and enforce the California Vehicle Code as it pertains to bicycling.
I’ll let Sgt. David Krumer explain from his email announcing the public release of the video:
At the Mayor’s Bike Summit, a promise was made to the cycling community that there would be greater communiation and cooperation between the various City Departments and the cycling community. To that end the LAPD has recently posted the training that all LAPD officers were required to take to educate them on the specific rules of the road as they apply to cyclists. The training can be found on LAPDonline in the cycling awareness section and was also posted to youtube by Joe Linton (Los Angeles Bicycle Advisory Committee). Additionally the training may also be available soon on the Mayors website as well as LADOT.
The training was developed with input from our partners which included Aurisha Smolarski (Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition), Ted Rogers (Bikinginla/LACBC), Ron Durgin (Sustainable Streets), Enci Box (Illuminate LA), Dr. Alex Thompson (BikesideLA.org), Stephen Box (SoapBoxLA), Carlos Morales (Eastside Bike Club), and Glenn Bailey (Mayoral appointee to the Los Angeles Bicycle Advisory Committee). These activists and cycling representatives worked tirelessly to ensure your voices are heard.
Thanks to Sgt. Krumer, Cdr Villegas, Chief Beck and all the members of the LAPD who have worked so hard to improve the department’s once-troubled relationship with the cycling community.
And help make us safer and more welcome on the city’s streets.
Thanks to Rob Adams (who made the CicLAvia Streetfilm) for converting this. The original source material is not quite a video… it’s an interactive slide-show with quiz, with audio track… so this is a screen-capture of that tool.
Thanks to Sgt. Krumer for making it public!
Great job on putting this together CORRECTLY. All points of contention has been brought up and dealt with as is written in the CVC. That’s all that cyclists are asking for. Is for the cops to follow the CVC. Getting them to write up people for 21211(b), blocking the bike lane is another chapter.
If we’re criticizing the video, the announcer failed to point out at 12:58, “Many motorists believe that their rights supersede those of cyclists simply because cyclists travel at a lower rate of speed. Cyclists (and all user of the roadway) are only required to cede the road when traveling on a two-lane highway when five or more vehicles or more vehicles are impeded and only when it is safe to do so.” I’m glad this was added, but I really wish she addressed it too. (Probably didn’t like that part?)
All and all nice job on it and I hope it gets everyone on the same page.
Man…those are some hard test questions.