Detroit cyclist gets a ticket and possible child endangerment charges
On September 2nd, Sean Harrington biked to the Detroit RiverWalk with his twin sons in a bike trailer. On the way home, he took the sidewalk north on Park Avenue, which is a one way side street heading south.
When pedestrians and construction scaffolding blocked the sidewalk, he rode on the road for about four car lengths.
That was apparently too much for Detroit Police who issued Harrington a $110 ticket and now may face charges of child endangerment.
What’s even more ridiculous is Park Avenue is a very low volume road. A 2005 study found an average of 280 cars per day on this section of road, which is lower than most residential neighborhood streets. North bound Clifford just west of Park carries ten times more traffic, and Woodward even more still.
Impeding vehicle traffic? Seriously?
This story has gotten a great deal of press locally (Free Press, Crains, mLive, ClickOnDetroit) and is starting to get some national attention as well.
MyFoxDetroit’s coverage includes this video which helps highlight the ridiculousness of this story.
Father Charged with Child Neglect after Bike Ride: MyFoxDETROIT.com
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Tags: Detroit, Detroit Police, impeding traffic, Sean Harringon, ticket
October 7th, 2011 at 10:16 am
[…] Scott at M-Bike.org has this report: On September 2nd, Sean Harrington biked to the Detroit RiverWalk with his twin […]
October 7th, 2011 at 11:00 am
The TV news clip was preceded by an ad for Chevy cars when I viewed it. The “pattern” Mr. Harrington refers to is larger than he might suspect — the police see their job as making the streets safe for what brings in the big bucks, and to hell with a family trying to get around by healthier and more sustainable means. People in cities where biking is more the norm are no doubt having a good laugh (or cry).
October 7th, 2011 at 11:09 am
The “pattern” Sean is referring to is not related to the Detroit police harassing cyclists, but between the police and himself.
http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2009/11/owner_of_town_pump_tavern_comp.html
October 7th, 2011 at 3:56 pm
Todd, is there a defense fund or anything we can contribute to? Any other action that a concerned local could take?
October 7th, 2011 at 4:05 pm
I’m not aware of a defense fund. If I learn of one, I will definitely pass along the information.
And as I (too) briefly mentioned in a previous comment, I don’t think this incident represents a widespread Detroit police vs. cyclist issue. I’ve not heard of many other such incidents. The one exception perhaps were the tickets written for one cyclist during the bike registration fiasco. That said, I have been harassed by police while cycling in other communities, including Auburn Hills, Ferndale, and Highland Park — just not Detroit.
October 9th, 2011 at 12:46 pm
Never ride on the sidewalk and NEVER against traffic. Shit is mad dangerous yo.
October 15th, 2011 at 3:01 pm
[…] Read the full article and commentary by visiting the M-Bike page. […]
October 19th, 2011 at 1:30 pm
As much as I support cycling, I cannot feel any sympathy for the man. He did ride on the street the wrong way. Nobody would say a word if it was a driver who drove the wrong way down a road “for only four car lengths.” On top of all this, he was riding on a sidewalk prior to riding the wrong way down the street. Sidewalks are for pedestrians, streets are for vehicles, motorized and human powered. Far too often I see fellow cyclists blow by me as I sit at a red light, ride the wrong way down the street or endanger pedestrians as they ride down sidewalks. What Mr. Harrington did was illegal and the lack of traffic on the street is not a reasonable excuse, just as “But officer, there was no one else on the road,” is not an acceptable excuse for speeding.
October 19th, 2011 at 2:44 pm
[…] Detroit cyclist gets a ticket and possible child endangerment charges [M-Bike.org] On September 2nd, Sean Harrington biked to the Detroit RiverWalk with his twin sons in a bike […]
March 15th, 2012 at 1:12 pm
[…] Detroit, a man was issued a ticket (please note that the original link for this post is broken at this time. This article is […]