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Entries tagged: Black Hawk

Blog contributed by Alliance intern, Camie Rodan

When the small town of Black Hawk banned bicycles from its streets, it prompted an international outcry from cyclists and active transportation advocates. This week, Colorado advocates will continue a legislative push to protect the rights of bicyclists on their public roads.

According to the Active Outdoor Recreation Economy, cycling is the second most popular activity in Colorado and a major contributor to a $10 billion dollar economy. As the advocates at Bicycle Colorado rightly point out: “Colorado can’t afford to ban bicycling in its communities.”

Unfortunately, the Centennial State made headlines for stifling bicycle tourism when the city of Black Hawk passed an ordinance that outlawed bicycles on the alleged grounds of rider safety. Even though the main thoroughfare is part of the popular Great Parks South Route, no alternatives were provided, causing cyclists to go 55 miles out of the way. Bicycle Colorado led the charge in raising awareness about the dangerous precedent and even participated in a lawsuit to have the measure overturned (their motion was denied in October).

Now, they’re taking their efforts to the state capitol.

Last week, Bicycle Colorado alerted its members about the Open Roads Act (HB 1092). Sponsored by State Representative Andy Kerr, the Open Roads Act aims to provide bicyclists relief by restricting bicycle bans like the one in Black Hawk, helping to ensure bicycle access to public roads across the state. Under the act, limited bicycle prohibitions are allowed only if local authorities provide a nearby alternative route. According to Bicycle Colorado: “The goal of the bill is to provide Colorado citizens and visitors with the ability to travel to jobs, schools, stores and attractions by bicycle without restriction from using public streets.”

“Banning bicycle travel on every street in a community penalizes people that choose healthy, affordable, pollution-free transportation,” says bill sponsor Representative Kerr.

“People travelling in Colorado by bicycle shouldn’t be turned back by ‘Road Closed’ signs at every entrance to a community,” adds Senator Greg Brophy, another co-sponsor. “Americans should have to the freedom to travel.”

The bill is now in the Transportation Committee and could come to a vote this week.

But, the Open Roads Act isn’t the only bill bicycle advocates are advancing this session. The Mountain Bike Safety Act (SB 36) aims to define the innate risks of mountain biking and to reduce the liability of landowners. State Senator Greg Brophy sponsors the bill and says, “I hear from landowners around the state who want to open trails, but are concerned about liability and insurance. This bill protects them while providing more opportunities for people to get outdoors and enjoy all that Colorado has to offer.”

Because landowners fear potential lawsuits due to the dangers presented by mountain biking, they are refraining from hosting trails on their land. As a result, mountain biking is often limited to multi-use trails. By barring lawsuits that can result from these inherent dangers, the act will help expand mountain biking areas, easing the use of multi-sport trails and inviting residents and tourists alike to bring their bikes for an exhilarating ride on Colorado trails.

Stay tuned for updates on both these bills on Bicycle Colorado’s legislative priorities page.

UPDATE: The Missouri Bicycle and Pedestrian Federation reports, “A St. Charles County proposal to ban bicycles from shoulderless highways around the Katy Trail town of Defiance was tabled at a County Council meeting last night, but will be reconsidered next month with the possible addition of more roads on the banned list.” Click here to stay up-to-date as the issue develops.

When officials in the small town of Black Hawk banned bicycles from their streets earlier this year, Colorado advocates worried the absurd prohibition would spread to other locales. “Bicycle Colorado is very concerned about it, because we don’t want it to set a precedent that other cities would follow,” said executive director Dan Grunig.

Unfortunately, it appears Grunig’s fear was well founded.

A bicycle ban is now rearing its head in eastern Missouri.

Joe Brazil, a Republican councilman in St. Charles County (which borders the big city of St Louis), will likely introduce a measure at a meeting tonight that would make it illegal to ride on a handful of two-lane highways in the southwest portion of the county. His argument sounds eerily similar to the rhetoric out of Black Hawk: Brazil insists his intent is to protect cyclists, who allegedly are endangered by high-speed motorists on highways with no shoulders.

“You’re going 55 (mph) and there’s absolute limited sight distance,” Brazil told the St. Louis Dispatch late least week. “You come around a corner and come upon a bike in seconds and you have to react.”

“This is a problem we’ve had out here for years,” he added, suggesting that he gets more complaints about the issue than on anything else.

Advocates in Missouri are gearing up to push back against the proposed ban.

Meanwhile, in Colorado, advocates are keeping the heat on Black Hawk officials. On June 29, Bicycle Colorado held a rally that drew more than 100 bicyclists and several state policymakers, calling for a repeal of the ban. “This is a basic freedom issue,” state senator Chris Brophy told the crowd of bicyclists.

Get the latest on the Black Hawk campaign at Bicycle Colorado and stay tuned for updates from Missouri.

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.