Sounds like the police chief in Cottonwood Heights, Utah needs to quit and run for state legislature since they seem confused about their job. Police chiefs don't make the laws, they enforce them because they are law enforcement officers.

Tf is the point of bike lanes if they can be blocked in???

Hopefully no one has anything sharp on their bikes and if they do they don't ride too close to the paint or tires of those poor cars.

Would he oppose a law stating bikes can’t be parked in car lanes?

Matches my experience trying to politely ask a local police officer why he and a delivery truck were parked in the bike lane.

It looks like they already have parks there with a trail system. Maybe some of it could be connected with dedicated trails that don't just run on the side of the road.

It looks like near Cottonwood Heights, there's the Jordan River Parkway Trail, which appears to be paved, and looks like it north-south spans Salt Lake City.

looks more

I-215 passes along Cottonwood Heights. It looks like it has a sound barrier along at least part of it, with an undeveloped area on both sides to help keep noise away from houses. If one put an east-west bike trail along that, you could use that to get from Cottonwood Heights to Jordan River Parkway Trail.

Russo wrote that the issue is not unique to Cottonwood Heights, and they're trying to better understand its intent.

The intent is for the bike lane to be clear of obstructions, dumbass.

“Why care about the safety of people on bikes? I drive a car, so I really don’t understand.”

-Police chief

The police where I live is doing prevention by telling cyclists to be careful because they could traumatize a poor car driver when hitting them.

So what he's saying is that drivers should prepare to have their mirrors broken?

Aw geez. If only there was something a person could do if they don't want to do their job anymore.

The newsletter they reference is ever funnier.

• First, the Chief looks like biking isn't an activity he does regularly, so perhaps not a well-informed opinion there.
• Second, there is a picture of a vehicle blocking a bike lane which appears to be used as an example of the problem. Of course, this vehicle is parked so far from the curb that it should probably be ticketed anyways.
• Third, the area they use as an example is in front of a high school that appears to have been widened specifically to create a drop-off area. Unless you literally parked too far over, you wouldn't interfere with the bike lane at all. Toss in some concrete bollards and this problem goes away.
• Fourth, the school has a fucking drop off in the parking lot just beyond that spot, so its not like there is no alternative!

Oh, laws are optional now? Cool.

Would he enforse bikes parked in the car lane.

OMG, I'm trying to enjoy my vacation and I make the mistake of checking the news and seeing my police chief being a complete tool... again.

Russo is also infamous for stalking a city council member by parking at her house every night. He was dismissed from his previous department for very controversial reasons. He's the reason I gag every time I pay property taxes. We'd actually have a fairly progressive district (for Utah) if it wasn't for this ass-hat and the general car-brainedness of our city council.

A few ideas:

• make it so bikelanes are in between the sidewalk and the like of parked cars. Common in Montreal.
• make the cops go on patrol on bikes
• if enforcement of bikelanes is optional, so should be enforcement of bikes on sidewalks

Imagine states restricting sidewalks and trails, and then ontop of that not enforcing laws that prevent individual instructing those same sidewalk or trails.

Infrastructure should not only designed for cars.

Usually if you publicly declare you won't do your job, you lose that job within the day.

I’ve heard of jury nullification, but I haven’t heard of police nullification.

He should quit then

Why is a law needed for this? Do they have a law to not park cars on park or school playgrounds?

Utah seems like such a cool place! /s

Soon: Utah copies New York, allowing pedestrians to report parking violations via photo for cash.

Meh, laws. Why? Like… murder yeah I guess but parking. I’m tired.

Edit: this should have been “…” -police chief

In before someone who didn't read the article calls ACAB:

an “unintended consequence” of the bill was that it made it illegal for people and their visitors to park in front of their homes.

Couple that with the super dangerous bike lane pictured with a lane of traffic on either side and I think this place is being run by dangerous idiots.