Bainbridge Island police hope to start motorcycle patrols in the coming year in response to continuing traffic complaints.
Police Chief Matthew Hamner said his department is already shopping for a motorcycle that will be shared by officers who have been certified for the job.
The department has gotten consistent feedback from residents wanting greater traffic enforcement, he said, especially near school zones and for cyclists.
“That’s probably been my number one complaint since I’ve been here: traffic. Whether it’s speeding, whether it’s respect for bicyclists and pedestrians and vice versa,” he said.
“It just allows us to be more flexible,” Hamner said. “A motorcycle can go places and do things that cars sometimes aren’t able to,” he said.
Highway 305 sees more than 6 million commuters annually, Hamner noted, so traffic remains a prime concern.
“There’s a lot of traffic down the 305 and we’ve got to make sure to keep a good handle on safety. That is an issue,” he said.
City officials expect the number of traffic accidents to be higher this year than last, though the total number of traffic infractions are expected to be lower by year’s end.
Bainbridge police reported 202 traffic accidents in 2013, and expect 220 accidents by the end of this year.
The number of traffic infractions, however, is expected to fall from 755 in 2013 to 642 this year.
The city council approved money in the department’s capital budget for the purchase of a motorcycle when the council OK’d its biennial spending plan last month. The capital budget was bumped up by $34,000 to $184,000 in 2015. (The city’s total public safety budget is $4.1 million next year; a 3 percent increase over 2014.)
The purchase of the new motorcycle will be partially paid for by grant money.
There has also been some discussion of buying an electric motorcycle.
Nothing’s on order yet, Hamner said.
“We haven’t purchased the motorcycle yet; we are looking for what would be a good fit for our department,” he said.
Hamner said the motorcycle would be used on an intermittent basis, based on the availability of officers, traffic concerns, time of day, and other issues. There may be possibilities to do coordinated patrols with other jurisdictions, Hamner said, and noted that Poulsbo began motorcycle patrols several years ago.
While some officers in the Bainbridge department already have civilian motorcycle endorsements, the department will have its riders police-certified, and that will take additional training.
The hope is to start patrols in six months, Hamner said.
“By summer, that’s my goal,” he said.
Hamner also said the department is also looking into lower-cost speed signs that alert drivers about how fast they are going.
Newer, more-portable models than the city’s trailer-mounted speed board signs cost thousands of dollars less. And they work, Hamner said, without someone getting a ticket.
“We have found that it does lead to people reducing their speeds. If we can accomplish that without issuing citations, that’s a better bet. It isn’t just about enforcement,” he said.
