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Entries tagged: Bike Ban

The Sierra Club swooned at the high-tech features. The local chapter of the Green Building Council took a field trip to see it. But the new eco-enhanced terminal at the San Jose International Airport forgot one important aspect of sustainability.

Over the past several years, officials have poured nearly $2 billion into renovations aimed at making the travel hub a model of environmental responsibility. They installed more than three acres of solar panels and a super-efficient ventilation system. But, ironically, they left out one vital component of going green: bike access.

In fact, when the new terminal opened a local cyclist pedaled over to check it out and discovered a troubling sign banning bikes from Airport Boulevard. That prohibition didn’t fly with the advocates at the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition.

“It is unlawful to prohibit bicycles on public roadways,” the group points out in its latest newsletter. “Cyclists need access to public facilities, and in this situation, access to the airport, in case travelers want to get there via bike. More importantly, the airport is a huge employer and many of its employees may want to ride their bikes to work.”

Corinne Winter, SVBC’s executive director, says the Coalition started working the issue as soon as the signs went up. “There were several others that have been removed,” Winter says. “We aren’t happy with how the airport circulation element was designed in the first place. We didn’t feel there were enough bicycle accommodations and now, apparently, they agree that it isn’t safe there because they’re tossing these signs up. So this might lead to a larger discussion.”

To put some weight behind that conversation, SVBC started an online petition, urging the removal of the “no bikes” signs. Add your signature in the next few days; Winter says the Coalition is taking it to decisionmakers as soon as this week.

Since the start of June, the city of Black Hawk has issued at least eight traffic citations to cyclists passing through the Colorado town. Their crime: simply pedaling down the street.

In January, the tiny city that banks most of its economic development from area casinos, passed an ordinance banning bicycles from virtually every street. That includes Black Hawk’s main thoroughfare, which also happens to be a road used by travelers following Adventure Cycling’s popular Great Parks South route.

Officials argue that it’s too dangerous for cyclists to share the narrow roads that carry a heavy flow of tour buses bound for the slot machines. Bicycle Colorado, an Alliance member organization, says the real danger is that this absurd measure could spread across the Centennial State — and beyond. “Bicycle Colorado is very concerned about it, because we don’t want it to set a precedent that other cities would follow,” Dan Grunig, the group’s executive director, told a local news reporter.

Grunig made a formal case for lifting the ban at the June 9th city council meeting, but Black Hawk officials remained determined to keep bikes off their streets. But their logic doesn’t add up. While the council insists the ordinance promotes safety, city staff hasn’t cited even one example of a car-bike collision. When Bicycle Colorado offered to work with the town to come up with road safety alternatives to the outright ban, city officials shot that down, too.

So, until the measure is overturned, anyone “caught riding” is subject to a $68 fine.

But the frustration of many American cyclists is starting to bear down on the tiny mountain town. Last week, a new website promoting a Black Hawk boycott went live. The Facebook page “Bicyclists and Tourists Boycott Black Hawk Colorado” has racked up nearly 1,300 supporters. Bicycle Colorado is hoping to capitalize on that momentum next week, when they rally in front of the state capitol on June 29.

You can help. Send your thoughts to the city council at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or (303) 582-2212. Or donate a few dollars to the cause by contributing to Bicycle Colorado.