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As the school year swings in to motion, Chief of Police Jim Bodine has some safety updates for the Wellsboro community. The logistics of student pick up are a bit different this year, which leads to new precautions to be aware of.

The school schedule has shortened to an early dismissal, which Chief Bodine attested to the better flow of traffic after dismissal. However, there are an increased amount of students on the sidewalk as they commute to their pick up areas. The Police Chief urged drivers to slow down and practice extra vigilance, as the crossing guards have a larger amount of students to account for.

In addition to the focus on extra safety when school lets out, Chief Bodine brought awareness to another safety issue occurring in town. The number of bicyclists is increasing. “There is a State Law in the books on bicycles. You can not ride a bike on the side walk in a business district,” explained Chief Bodine. In Wellsboro, this area refers to the space between East Avenue and Central Avenue. The purpose of this law is to avoid accidents and injuries that would occur as customers coming out of a business may step right in front of an oncoming bike. The Police Chief reported that cyclists may walk their bikes on the sidewalk in that section of town, but if they are riding they must move down to the street itself. “That is a vehicle code, state law,” urged Chief Jim Bodine.