At one point the police chief suggests taking an alternate (off-road) route in preference to the Coastal Highway. This might 'seem' safer than the highway, but statistically it is NOT. The road is always safer. Highways are especially safe, since they have fewer intersections and the intersections are usually more likely to be controlled. Boardwalks and parks have a lot of pedestrian traffic that can cause collisions and there is often debris and sand that can cause falls. The police chief makes the common mistake of assuming that less traffic means more safety. This is usually not the case. She implies that cycling on Coastal Highway is unsafe. This is not the case.

Coastal Highway is a perfectly safe road for bicycles, with high visibility, multiple wide lanes and controlled intersections. It even has a barrier between traffic going north and traffic heading south. As such, it is more suited to cycling than many smaller roads. Cyclists have a right to use the road, and the police have a responsibility to know what is actually safe. When a police chief urges cyclists to use unsafe routes, it makes me wonder what kind of training the police use in terms of cycling issues. Clearly the police chief in this video is basing her opinion on fear and prejudice rather than reality.