Jan. 9, 2009
Q: I was pleased to see several weeks back a great article in the Seahawk about bicycle safety and to see it printed in Japanese as well. Although great strides have been made to increase safety for everyone, it appears that the lack of enforcement causes many to become complacent about many of the regulations. Two areas which have the potential for a serious accident are as follows: In the morning, bicyclists entering the pedestrian gate (main gate) will ride their bikes on the right side of the road causing a serious hazard particularly at the first intersection as one enters the gate (by the bus stop). Another area is the one way street that runs behind the Afloat Training Group building as it empties out on the main street directly in front of the Chief Petty Officer’s Club. In the morning bicyclists are not stopping at the stop sign, rather they merge directly into the bike lane without much care. In the evening, bicyclists are traveling the wrong way on this road causing close calls with cars leaving this area. To add to the danger, I have seen very few wearing reflective gear as required at night, let alone brightly colored clothing (required at all times) and many times they do not have or do not use their lights as is also required. With the sun going down well before quitting time, bicyclists are not very visible. I know that if we have a serious mishap (and they have occurred in the past on this base) we will quickly find the time to enforce the rules. Let’s use Operational Risk Management (ORM) now to avoid such a happening and enforce the regulations.

A: Thank you for your comments and suggestions on bicycle safety. Security will continue to enforce bicycle regulations at all locations, paying particular attention to the two areas which you have mentioned. Safety will continue to conduct surveys and make recommendations on their findings. As a reminder to everyone, bicyclists must: • Walk their bicycles in the vicinity of all gates in accordance with signs posted and in all crosswalks. • Adhere to all traffic regulations, such as obeying stop signs and traffic lights. • Never ride against the flow of traffic, except in designated bicycle lanes. • Wear brightly colored clothing or preferably reflective gear.