DENVER — The gambling town of Black Hawk has prohibited touring bicyclists from pedaling while in town, becoming what's thought by cycling advocates to be the only city in the nation with such a restriction.
Bicycle advocacy groups are gearing up to challenge the law, which they say is illegal.
"The danger here is the precedent," Dan Grunig of Bicycle Colorado, an advocacy group, said Thursday. "We don't believe it's right or legal and we want to make sure it's addressed before it's spread any further."
Black Hawk began enforcing its ordinance and issuing $68 tickets on June 5, five months after it passed the law requiring bicyclists to dismount and walk their two-wheelers through the town of about 100 residents. Black Hawk City Manager Michael Copp said eight citations have been issued so far. cont
9 comments:
And I thoght Albert Lea was on the bottom of the list of bicycle respecting cities!
Debb
Fort Collins has several national awards for bike-friendliness. Most streets and streams have bike lanes. Of course bikers still ride on the sidewalks and drivers still drive in the bike lanes while applying makeup and talking on cellphones – several injuries and recent deaths from the latter. It’s a free-for-all on campus with 25,000 students, staff, and profs riding in all possible states of consciousness. Old JVK Wagar, professor for 45 years, five foot two, and distinguished – there is a building named after him, carried an oak cane between classes for protection. Last time I saw the cane it looked like it had been run through a food processor.
Butch
"They Ride Horses don't they?"
Sound like Black Hawk needs a Critical Mass meeting. For the plebes in our ranks see link.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_Mass
JG
I'm BACK!
A one horse town is a one horse town -- casino or not. Banning bikes is nowhere enough to give that place the faux veneer of a prosperous destination resort.
More importantly, how's AL doing in the movement for bike lanes?
The A.L. city fathers are being dragged, kicking and screaming, into the 19th century. There is a bike lane being constructed on Front Street and there is talk of a bike lane on Fountain Street. Much resistance. The Front Street lane will give me safer access to the Blazing Star trail which runs out to Helmer Myre State Park. This will eventually run the 20 miles over to Austin. I'm not certain that will be in my bicycling life though.
In fairness to the A.L. city fathers, there is now a paved path on the backside of the Catholic Cemetery and Lakeview Cemetery (long the lake and channel), which completes the loop around Fountain Lake. There are a lot blind corners so you can't ride a bike at speed without cutting a swath through the walkers and joggers. It's still a nice leisurely ride.
The Fountain Street lane would seem to be a natural. What's the problem -- loss of on-street parking? Is that old rail line on the west end of Fountain still operational? Could it be converted to a rails-to-trails route clear up to Waseca?
Parking and whining. "Ohhh, this is change and it might hurt." They project terribly inflated costs. According to the feasibility report the Front Street project would cost an initial estimated $47,000. The report states there would be annual costs of between $20,000 and $25,000 for paint striping and bike lane symbols.The project would also require the installation of about 75 “No Parking” signs and 40 bike lane signs. The signs have an estimated cost of $10,000 and would need to be replaced every 10 to 12 years. -per A.L. Tribune
This was approved and they are working on it. Obviously they're sandbagging the cost numbers. I can get a lot of lines painted on the street for $25,000, when 15% of our workers are unemployed. Fountain Street will be in the future, if ever. The councilmen don't relate to bicycles and in general only give lip service to health and lifestyle issues.
The rail line is still operational, particularly during harvest.
It seems there's nothing that the death of a generation can't achieve. Unfortunately, I think we're looking for our generation to furnish that progessive stimulus.
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