St. Charles County, MO, will try to ban bicyclists from using some state highways, as reported in the Suburban Journals, Bill would ban bicycles from some highways in St. Charles County. How wrong can you get? In the year 2010, amidst all the hue and cry about poor health, obesity, and greenhouse gases from automobiles, Councilman Joe Brazil, R-District 2 is seriously proposing that,
The bicyclists need to stay on the trails that were made for bikes and off the roads in southwest St. Charles County.
Why, Joe?
I get more complaints about this single issue than any other issue. The speed limit is 55 mph. You come around a corner and there are two bikes in your lane. You can’t pass them, and it becomes a hazard.
This sounds like an opportunity for education on sharing the road and respecting all persons’ rights to use the roads within the limits of the law. 55 mph is the speed limit; there are no minimum speeds on the proposed county roads. It is perfectly legal to drive a car or ride a motorcycle at 15-20 mph; so why ban bicycles? If you are in a car behind two bikes, or any kind of slow vehicle, I would hope that a polite toot of the horn or flash of the headlights would encourage the slower vehicle to move over and let you by.
We live in the 21st century, Joe. Segregation is “out.” Coexistence and cooperation are “in.” There is plenty of room for all of us here in St. Charles County. Won’t you join us?
If you live in St. Charles County, I encourage you to contact your council representative.
I too am a cyclist, probably one of the few if only conservative cyclists in the world. I disagree with Councilman Brazil’s solution not just because I’m a cyclist. Rarely would I risk the roads in SW St. Charles county myself. In my opinion these roads are too risky. They do however present an attractive challenge to many serious cyclists.
I disagree with the ban because every time we have something that pisses us off we have this knee jerk reaction “Oh my God! That is too dangerous! It must be banned.” And every time any government agency enacts a ban, we all lose another bit of our freedom and are thus diminished.
For their part, most of the cyclists bring this on themselves by flagrantly ignoring traffic signs and often being discourteous to others on the road. I know. I’ve been out there too and ridden through stop signs. It’s easier to keep rolling when there are no cars coming or they are clearly too far away to be affected. Nonetheless it doesn’t make the act right and reflects poorly on all cyclists. At the beginning of this year I resolved to make a better effort myself. Many of my riding partners have not. I’ve watched them cut in front of oncoming traffic and nearly get hit on multiple occasions. So, although I disagree with the ban I understand their frustration.
The other main reason I’m against this is once the precedent has been established, it won’t be long before bicycles are banned in more areas.
I would oppose such an act for any recreational activity including ones in which I do not personally wish to participate. I do not personally care for sport of hunting yet I would oppose a ban on that as well. As I said before a loss of freedom diminishes us all.
Thanks for posting this Art. I agree that cyclists bear part of the blame for not sharing the road. However a ban is not the solution.
While it’s enjoyable to ride side-by-side, it is cyclists’ responsibility to be aware of approaching traffic and move to single-file to make it easier for cars to pass. Missouri State Statute 307.190 states “… Bicyclists may ride abreast when not impeding other vehicles.” Given the speed difference, cars come up quickly. Cyclists need to watch well behind themselves and stay aware of approaching traffic.
That said, I agree that bicycles are vehicles, and should be allowed on the roads. The long-term solution is to consider cyclists and pedestrians as an integral part of any transportation plans. In the short term, I believe education and respect can go a long way.