HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-21-22 Public Comment - T. Harvey - Public Comment_ Bicycle Safety and Traffic Law EnforcementFrom:tim@harveyfinancialmgt.com
To:Agenda; Jeff Mihelich
Subject:Public Comment: Bicycle Safety and Traffic Law Enforcement
Date:Friday, October 21, 2022 8:51:16 PM
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City Commission and Mr. Mihelich:
First, thank you for all you do. I know you face many tough days, conflicting opinions, and probably a
sometimes thankless citizenry. I’m very grateful for your time and effort in managing so many
aspects of our city and our experience.
I’m writing to comment on the last week’s Commission discussion regarding improving bicycle safety
and traffic safety in general.
I can’t be alone in observing the public’s increasing disregard for traffic laws and the lack of
enforcement of those laws in Bozeman. If I did not experience this every day driving in Bozeman, I
would totally agree with Deputy Mayor Cunningham about reducing speed limits. But hasn’t
everyone observed that our existing speed limits are regularly disregarded as it is? This higher
prevalence of dangerous infractions is relatively new, in my observation. People used to drive a little
over the speed limit, but the roads in Bozeman seemed generally safe. But on every trip from home,
no matter how short, I regularly see people driving 10 to 15 miles per hour over the speed limit,
running red lights, disregarding pedestrians in crosswalks, even at stoplights, and talking on cell
phones. I no longer ride my bike in Bozeman. It is no longer safe. I’m not at all surprised that Mr.
Monahan documented 34 red-light-runners in the span of 60 minutes at 15th and Oak. That has
become the new normal, sadly.
The primary problem is lack of enforcement of existing laws. And I’m disappointed, at least according
to the Chronicle article, that the City management and Commission are not willing to acknowledge
this obvious truth that we all experience daily. It is unconscionable that enforcement is viewed as a
“short-term solution.” Every traffic stop, if we had them anymore, is seen by hundreds of other
drivers and serves as a reminder that we do still care about safety and law enforcement. Laws should
not just be enforced in the event of death, injury, or accident. Can’t we go back to enforcing the laws
to prevent those things from occurring?
This is important: The recent disregard for traffic safety by drivers is not just a function of Bozeman’s
growth. Like many of you, I regularly travel to much larger cities and am surprised by how much
worse traffic compliance is in Bozeman than in those larger cities. So it can’t be a function of
population size or of Bozeman’s growth. It is simply that traffic laws are no longer enforced here,
and that has become well-known. I can’t remember the last time I even saw a traffic stop in
Bozeman. It’s been a month or two, and there was probably an accident involved. I understand that
our officers sometimes have more time-urgent issues or more severe crimes to attend to. Of course
they do. But some occasional flashing lights, especially on the main arterial roads, would make a
world of difference in making a statement that we still care about traffic safety and law
enforcement. We need to do this before there are more deaths.
I of course agree with the Commission idea about increasing public education, though I don’t know
what that might look like to be effective. And I agree there could be an emphasis on structural
improvements to roads to make them safer. Again, I don’t know what that might look like. But the
obvious and straightforward solution to improving bicycle and traffic safety is to enforce the laws
that we already have, especially for the most dangerous violations like running red lights and
speeding at least 10 mph over the speed limit.
I would love to feel safe on my bike again riding the Bozeman streets. I walk to work in downtown
Bozeman, and I would love to do that again without worrying about someone running a red light
while I’m in the crosswalk. But until I see a legitimate effort (and therefore results) to improve traffic
safety, I will not feel safe again as a pedestrian or bicyclist in Bozeman.
I appreciate your ideas expressed in last week’s meeting, but I must say that I think they are barking
up the wrong trees. The straightforward solution is the obvious one: Please enforce our laws.
Thank you for listening.
Very Respectfully,
Tim Harvey
214 S 6th Ave
Tim L. Harvey, CFA, CPA
Harvey Financial Management
(406) 539-0252 (Business/Mobile)
harveyfinancialmgt.com