Bike Unit

The Transit Authority Police Department Bike Patrol Unit rolled out in 1996 as a tool to enhance the Department’s community policing efforts and assist with pedestrian traffic areas. The surface section of the Metro Rail system, through the heart of Main Street’s business district, is one of the Department’s foremost concerns. Bike units also do roving patrols within Metro’s two main Park & Ride lots, a bike path along the Lake Erie waterfront, the NFTA Boat Harbor, and the parking facilities at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport.

The Bike Patrol unit sets up bike rodeos to instruct the local youth on bicycle safety and the rules of the road. These rodeos allow the unit to supply bicycle safety helmets, through the help of grant money, to those children in need.

The unit was started with two bicycles and just as many officers. Thanks to ever-increasing respect for physical fitness, and the growth of community policing, more and more officers are showing interest in the unit.