Students can often be found pedaling up the Hill or down College Avenue to Davis Square. But those heading all the way to Cambridge may want to take extra precaution.
With a recent rise in the number of bicyclists on the road, the city has come under scrutiny for its enforcement of particularly strict cycling laws.
"We have been enforcing these laws for over a decade," Sgt. Kathleen Murphy of the Cambridge Police Bicycle Unit said. "Now we're suddenly getting press for it."
Many cyclists do not consider themselves bound by the same laws as motorists, Murphy said. When such cyclists are pulled over, they frequently argue semantics with police officers, she said. The rules of cycling in Cambridge are stricter than those of the surrounding towns, and the discrepancy causes confusion.
David Watson, executive director of the advocacy group MassBike, said the discrepancy might be amplified by bureaucratic practices that prevent some towns from enforcing cycling laws.
"Under current Massachusetts law, there is a special procedure to write a ticket for cyclists," Watson said. "It's a separate process from issuing a ticket to a motorist, and it's an administrative burden, so most towns don't want to do it."
But Murphy saw no justification for such a discrepancy. "We stop the cars that break rules. We stop the bikes that break rules," she said. "We don't stop pedestrians for jaywalking because that's a one-dollar fine, but that's about it." Murphy added that the regulations "are not about the money."
The members of Tufts Cycling, a team that bikes recreationally and competes against schools in the Eastern Collegiate Cycling Conference, have not received any citations, as far as senior captain Glenn Ferreira is aware. The group is unlikely to be affected by the Cambridge crackdown, he said.
"We usually ride away from the cities," said Ferreira. "It's nicer to bike out where there are less people and less cars."
Watson believes that cycling laws and regulations are important because they greatly reduce unexpected actions on the road.
"Predictability is a good thing," he said. "The more predictable cyclists are, the safer they are because motorists will be able to better anticipate their actions."
A cyclist failed to brake for pedestrians at a crosswalk and struck an elderly woman in Cambridge last month. "You really have to educate people about the rules," Murphy said.
She encouraged cyclists to be aware of state regulations and to follow simple safety practices such as wearing helmets, attaching lights to bikes for night riding and biking on the correct side of the road.
Cyclist safety has long been an issue in Massachusetts. The Bicyclist Safety Bill, which aims to consolidate cycling and motorist violations and institute mandatory police training in regard to cycling, has rattled around in the state legislature for four consecutive sessions without a consensus.
Some cyclists are against strict regulations because they enjoy the freedom of biking, Watson said, but he argued that safety is a higher priority.
"Cyclists should be following the law," Watson said. "The law gives us the right to use the road, but it also gives us responsibilities. It's just human nature that people want the best of both worlds, but there's got to be a compromise between safety and freedom."
