By Julia Lawrenz | Broadcast Reporter
Reckless bicycling can be dangerous, but now it can also be expensive.
Chief of Baylor Police Brad Wigtil said Baylor police aren’t just looking for drivers breaking laws, they are cracking down on bike laws as well. Bicyclists can now potentially get tickets and fines for neglecting to follow the Texas State bike laws.
“At the Baylor Police Department we are worried about all safety issues, as well as safety for our bicyclists,” Wigtil said.
Dedicating their main focus to bike safety, four officers on bicycles are on the lookout for law breakers. However, whether an officer is in a vehicle or on a bike, both have the authority to administrate tickets.
Baylor officers can issue students a Baylor citation if they are not following the rules of the road on campus. If a student is off-campus and an officer sees a violation, a student can be given a ticket which can be resolved in court.
Although there have been no horrific events for Baylor police to increase enforcement of these laws, Wigitl said they would rather be proactive than reactive.
Roulette senior Justin Ritter said he was surprised that bike police even existed. Ritter said if he was pulled over by an officer on a bike, he “would probably try to beat them in a race.”
Many students ride their bikes to and from class everyday. As of right now, there are 400 bikes registered but that number could be higher, which Wigtil said increases the importance on focusing on bike safety.
Baylor police encourages students to come to their third annual National Night Out on Oct. 2 to learn more about bike safety. For more information, reach out the the Baylor Police Department or the Department of Public Safety.
