Posted on 06/15/2010 6:49:48 AM PDT by MissTed
Jamie Webb thought maybe she was speeding when a police cruiser pulled her and three friends over as they rode their bikes into Black Hawk from Central City.
Actually, the crime was pedaling. She was violating Black Hawk's ban on bicycling through town — the only such ban in Colorado.
"They said we had to walk through town. I think this sets a pretty bad precedent," Webb said. "There's really no reason for it."
Webb was the first cyclist ticketed under Black Hawk's new rule, which prohibits bike riding on nearly every street in town, including the only paved thoroughfare in Black Hawk.
City Manager Mike Copp said the reason for the rule, enacted in January, is safety.
The roads in Black Hawk are narrow and do not have shoulders. They teem with tour buses and delivery trucks that feed the bustling casinos. Demanding that those trucks provide 3 feet of space when passing cyclists — as required by a 2009 Colorado law — means trucks and buses must move into oncoming traffic, Copp said.
"We saw the conflicts going on with buses and with trucks, and we decided to be proactive on this," Copp said, noting that no accidents prodded the ban. "We don't want to be the city that knows we need a traffic light but waited until someone gets killed. This is what our city believes is best for its citizens, its businesses and its guests."
But Webb said she has often ridden on shoulderless canyon roads and has had no trouble with trucks.
"To say we all can't fit on the road together is ridiculous," she said. "We are all moving so slow through Black Hawk anyway, it's not like anyone is passing anyone."
After a period of issuing warnings, police this month began citing cyclists. To date, the town has issued eight $68 tickets.
Cyclists using the road to connect to the popular ride along the Peak to Peak Scenic Byway from Black Hawk to Estes Park are decrying the ban, which forces them to walk their bikes a half-mile through town. Another option is to ride over Berthoud Pass — but that excludes most of the Peak to Peak Scenic Byway.
"This is unbelievable. We are going to do as much as we can to fight this," said Rick Melick, spokesman for the 380-member Rocky Mountain Cycling Club. "Now that cyclists have almost the same rules as motorists, the idea a small town can ban bikes is ludicrous."
Since news of ticketing began trickling into the cycling community, opposition is forming. A Facebook page called "Bicyclists and Tourists Boycott Black Hawk Colorado" launched last week. The website dismountblackhawk.com is peddling shirts protesting the ban. Bicycle Colorado, a nonprofit dedicated to all things cycling in Colorado, is fomenting a grassroots push to get Black Hawk to overturn the ban.
"They are singling out one classification of vehicle," said Charlie Henderson, president of the Rocky Mountain Cycling Club. "I wonder if motorcycles will be next."
Black Hawk officials expected the uproar. And they are not going to revisit the rules, Copp said.
"Our council looks at what they think is best for its citizens, for its businesses, which in this case are casinos, and its visitors, which are patrons that come to visit the casinos," Copp said. "We have had positive feedback from citizens, casinos and our guests."
I can tell that everything is always someone else’s fault form your posts. You have not given any specific information in your discussion. Try some facts net time.
Dude, times have changed. You'd have a difficult time finding a 4-speed. The market is swiftly moving to a 6-speed minimum. LOL
Ummmmmmm; because the government bully holds a gun to your head and forces you to.
You insist that same bully hold a gun to the bicycles head, and call it equal rights.
$70/yr is quite a bargain these days.
What information specifically do you need? I’d be happy to provide it. I can explain to you in simple English why bicycles don’t need to be insured for example. All you have to do is ask.
Dude, pedestrians use the roads too (including dogs and wild animals) yet they are not taxed/licensed incrementally. You need to go after them too.
Oh come on, you're better than that. If nothing else, I can assure you that I've never been mistaken for a sissy of any sort.
Show me your pedestrian papers for using the road (even crossing (arguably the most dangerous activity)), comrade statist.
If you aren’t one of those that rides and HOGS the shoreline roads I described, then i wasn’t referring to you.
I forgot about all the joggers who tend to block my way on the streets. Why are they not licensed and taxed?
You need to talk to your legislators to get to your vision of social justice.
I don’t have to.
What the heck are you doing spending the day on the ‘net when you should be a good tax slave and get a daytime job so you can pay plenty of taxes to the gov’t? Wouldn’t that make you happier than complaining about layabout Galt Gulchers like myself?
After you get a grip, you're just going to just have to take it up with your legislator if you don't like the status quo. Good luck with that. You only have a century of law and tradition in every country on the planet to overturn. Be sure to let us all know how that's going for you.
We'll be out enjoying our lives and our rides on the roads you have generously provided for us, while you futilely fume and fret. Give us a honk on your way to your anger management classes, eh? We'll be the thin, fit and happy ones in the spandex panties.
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