This was an article published in the Coloradoan, a Fort Collins newspaper on Saturday.

Larimer deputies to start ticketing cyclists riding two abreast

Bicyclists who ride Larimer County roads, consider this your warning: Sheriff’s deputies are about to start ticketing riders who ride two abreast.

Under state law, cyclists must ride single file if “riding two abreast would impede the flow of traffic.”

Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden said many bicyclists on Larimer County roads are unaware that his office will enforce the two-abreast rules.

He said his office interprets the rules to mean that cyclists must move into single file if a vehicle is approaching from behind, and riding two abreast “could” impede the flow of traffic.

“If you ride double file we’re going to give you a ticket,” Alderden said.

In Boulder County, it’s common to see packs of bicyclists taking up the entire lane, forcing vehicles to swing wide around them.

“So far, the deputies have been issuing warnings. That is going to stop in the very near future,” Alderden said. “Every spring, this comes up.”

Alderden’s longstanding policy has prompted at least one formal complaint from a Boulder County cyclist, who was stopped and warned last weekend while riding two-abreast in Larimer County.

In an e-mail message distributed widely to the Boulder County cycling community, the rider called the deputy “hostile” and said she felt unwelcome on Larimer County roads.

“He ran our IDs and then told us we had the choice to turn around and go back to Boulder or get a citation if we continued to ride in Larimer County,” wrote the woman, a teacher who asked not to be identified by name. “He stated several times that he does not appreciate people from Boulder choosing to ride in Larimer.”

Alderden said the deputy “could have been more tactful,” but largely confirmed the rider’s account.

“We have had a number of confrontations between our agency and bicyclists, particularly from Boulder,” he said Friday. “A number of them cop an attitude. Basically, what we have is a disagreement between some bicyclists and our agency’s interpretation.”

See www.coloradoan.com for updates.

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