Cycling Cop Creates Space for Cyclists on Tennessee Roads

New technology and one dedicated bike cop are changing the face of cycling law

“Rob Simmons is one of those cops who loves cyclists. He has been a recreational rider for years and is currently a bike patrol cop in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where police officers have been using groundbreaking new technology to explain cyclists’ rights to oblivious drivers.

More than 20 states have a law requiring drivers to allow at least three feet of clearance when passing cyclists, yet those laws are rarely enforced. However, in Chattanooga, Simmons spends chunks of his day chasing down lawbreakers on his bike, showing them just how close they came to him on his bar-mounted GoPro camera and explaining the law.

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Thanks to a device called the C3FT, developed by Codaxus, LLC, Simmons knows to the inch exactly how close drivers come to him. All of the drivers who he pulls over are given educational pamphlets, and those who haven’t learned their lesson get tickets and can be sent to a 90-minute “Cycling 101” class with Outdoor Chattanooga for re-education.

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Read the full article here: http://www.bicycling.com/culture/people/cycling-cop-creates-space-cyclists-tennessee-roads