Bicyclists traveling Benicia roadways and elsewhere in the state need to follow the rules of the road, including obeying traffic signals and stop signs.

Pedestrians need to look up from their mobile devices and make sure a motorist or bicyclist realizes they are entering a crosswalk, rather than presume the stripes on the street will protect them from being hit.

And motorists need to remember they are required to share the road with bicyclists and pedestrians, who are more vulnerable to injuries in collisions.

That is the message Benicia Police Department wants to share after a recent Traffic, Pedestrian and Bicycle Committee meeting, during which a resident aired concerns about bicycle safety on Benicia’s west-side streets.

The woman spoke in particular about bicycle traffic on West Fifth, West J and West K streets and Claverie Way, saying riders often ignore stop signs, even when making left turns.

But bicyclists weren’t the only vehicle operators that caught her attention. Some motorists have pulled out of business parking lots in that area, and others can’t tell how they’re going to turn.

A member of the Benicia Bicycle Club who attended the meeting told Benicia police Lt. Frank Hartig said she has emailed reminders to club members to observe the rules of the road.

But Hartig, who is in charge of traffic enforcement, said he realizes more public information and reminders are needed to increase safety for bicyclists, pedestrians and motorists alike.

“Bicyclists need to obey the rules of the road,” he said. “They need to stop at stop signs and at traffic signals.”

He said his department knows that at four-way stops in particular, some people on bicycles ride through without slowing down — and in some cases motorists have to brake quickly to avoid collisions.

“In a car versus bike, you know who ‘wins’ every time,” he said, adding that in many Benicia collisions involving bicycles and motor vehicles that have happened in the past two years, the bicyclist has been at fault.

City government has been encouraging bicycle traffic, and with plenty of pleasant summer days ahead many enjoy the chance to use their bicycles in the open air, rather than taking their car.

But like skateboards, bicycles are not supposed to be on the sidewalks of First Street or the first blocks on either side of Benicia’s main downtown shopping district street, Hartig said.

Not all on bicycles are members of clubs, competitive riders or those on organized excursions, Hartig said. Some are families who have decided to take their bicycles to such places as the Benicia State Recreation Area.

Benicia police have the option to issue tickets to those violating traffic and city code laws, Hartig said.

But that’s not the point, he explained.

“We want everyone to be safe,” Hartig said. “Bicyclists need to be aware of motorists. Motorists need to be aware of bicyclists, and pedestrians need to be aware of everyone.”

He said his department gets a lot of complaints about First Street traffic, particularly about drivers who don’t yield to pedestrians in crosswalks, and about pedestrians who walk out in front of cars.

Concerning the crosswalks, motorists are supposed to stop and let a pedestrian cross. If the pedestrian has started crossing the street and has to stop or make a quick return to the sidewalk, the motorist could be cited for failure to yield to a pedestrian, Hartig said.

To signal that he or she is about to cross, a pedestrian may step off the curb onto the concrete apron or buffer between the curb and the street’s asphalt. That should help motorists see the pedestrian.

“As you step off, make eye contact,” Hartig urged. That way, a pedestrian knows he or she has been seen. “If they wave, you feel a lot safer. If they don’t make eye contact, maybe you let that car go through.”

If the pedestrian steps off the curb and has given motorists a reasonable amount of time to stop or wait while the person crosses the street, those in or on vehicles are supposed to wait until the crossing is complete.

If the pedestrian has to stop midway because a car didn’t respect the crosswalk, or if the pedestrian has to hurry back to the curb, the motorist has broken the law by failure to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk, Hartig said.

But pedestrians can contribute to the problem by crossing mid-block, emerging from between parked cars to a motorist’s surprise.

Even at crosswalks, pedestrians can’t presume that a motorist sees the person about to cross the street.

“They need to stop and look both ways before they cross,” Hartig said, echoing advice some adults have heard since they were children.

But more and more, pedestrians are so busy attending to their portable devices, such as smart phones, they forget to look up before they leave a curb and enter a crosswalk.

“They cross First Street without regard for the traffic that is coming,” he said. “The pedestrian has an obligation to ensure traffic isn’t coming.” A person who doesn’t do this can be cited, he said. That includes joggers who are using the sidewalks and are crossing streets as they get their exercise.

Pedestrians also need to be cautious if they are walking in places where motorists can be blinded by sun glare, or when they could have trouble stopping because of rain.

Joggers should wear brightly colored clothing, and all pedestrians should have reflective clothing so they can be seen at night.

Consequences can be much worse than getting a ticket. No matter who is right, in a vehicle versus pedestrian accident, the pedestrian loses, Hartig said.

He said the local police department periodically uses decoys during enforcement efforts to make sure motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians are minding their manners when they travel on Benicia streets and roads.

“It’s one of our enforcement tools,” Hartig said. “I don’t like the word ‘sting.’ We want people to drive appropriately. That’s the big thing. We want pedestrians, bicyclists and the motoring public to be good citizens and play nicely.”

He said his department could write “a hundred tickets,” but instead Benicia police prefer a three-pronged approach of education, engineering and enforcement to get the point across.

Enforcement is the tickets. Engineering involves cooperating with Benicia Public Works, which might modify a crosswalk with ladder stripes or repaint bicycle lanes to make them more visible. They also are involved with making sure traffic control signs aren’t obscured by vegetation.

“But education is huge,” Hartig said. “That will reduce accidents in the future.”

Part of that education may come in the form of warnings, an option Benicia police can use instead of issuing tickets that, in addition to the fines, can cost a person in time in court and traffic school — as well as in increased insurance premiums.

Hartig said Benicia police officers hope a person receiving warnings looks at it and drives, rides or walks with greater awareness.

Police have been educating young bicyclists, particularly grade-school riders, for some time. Hartig described bicycle rodeos that give children better skills and show them the reasons they need to wear a helmet.

“We have a helmet that was in a crash,” he said. Children get to see the cracks in the outer and inner shells of the helmet, then learn that the child wearing the helmet survived a collision with only minor injuries.

Solano County Department of Public Health supplies Benicia police with helmets officers can give to children of low-income families. The helmets are bought using funds from fines.

The department also works with Solano County on the Safe Routes to School program that encourages children to walk and bicycle to class.

Now, “I see a lot more children with helmets,” Hartig said.

Hartig said his department hasn’t heard an excessive amount of complaints, but said in nearly every city the number-one cause of complaints is traffic. “That’s the number-one thing the chief will hear about,” he said.

The Benicia Police Department lobby, at 200 East L St., has a brochure printed by the travel association AAA that explains California law as it applies to bicycles. The brochure states that more than 100 people are killed and thousands more are injured in bicycle collisions annually.

The department also has copies of the U.S. Department of Transportation National Highway Traffic Safety Administration brochure about making sure a helmet fits correctly. The brochure says a bicycle helmet can reduce the risk of serious head and brain injury by 85 to 88 percent.

The East Bay Bicycle Coalition and Alameda County Transportation Commission offer free bicycle safety classes for those older than 14, including adults. The classes teach about riding in traffic and sharing the road, roadway rules, bicycle riders’ rights, necessary equipment, avoiding crashes and fixing a flat tire. Those interested may visit the website www.ebbc.org/safety.

Local officers also distribute a bookmark-sized paper from AAA that offers a series of safety tips for adults and children.

Hartig said the department doesn’t have any particular decoy enforcement operation planned. Instead, he said, he is hoping to send a message to riders, drivers and pedestrians: “Be aware. Learn to respect each other.”