All bets are off for cyclists in this town
Source: Agencies |
June 19, 2010, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
THE gambling town of Black Hawk has prohibited touring bicyclists from pedaling while in town, becoming what is thought by cycling advocates to be the only city in America with such a restriction.
Bicycle advocacy groups are gearing up to challenge the law.
"The danger here is the precedent," Dan Grunig of Bicycle Colorado, an advocacy group, said. "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 US$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.
"At this point the council has no intention of repealing the ban," Copp said. "They believe their actions are what's best for it's citizens in Black Hawk, which are casinos and their patrons."
Copp, who said he's not a cyclist, said the council passed the ordinance after the town experienced a surge in traffic -- buses, delivery trucks, and motorists -- that followed a law that increased the maximum gambling betting limits from US$5 to US$100. Copp said there were no accidents that prompted the ordinance, just concern over conflicts between motor vehicles and bicycles on streets built in the 1800s designed for horses and carriages.
Black Hawk's ban comes around the time a report by Congress found an upward trend in people walking and cycling. The federal government last year earmarked US$1.2 billion to help communities become more pedestrian and bicycle friendly.
Bicycle advocacy groups are gearing up to challenge the law.
"The danger here is the precedent," Dan Grunig of Bicycle Colorado, an advocacy group, said. "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 US$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.
"At this point the council has no intention of repealing the ban," Copp said. "They believe their actions are what's best for it's citizens in Black Hawk, which are casinos and their patrons."
Copp, who said he's not a cyclist, said the council passed the ordinance after the town experienced a surge in traffic -- buses, delivery trucks, and motorists -- that followed a law that increased the maximum gambling betting limits from US$5 to US$100. Copp said there were no accidents that prompted the ordinance, just concern over conflicts between motor vehicles and bicycles on streets built in the 1800s designed for horses and carriages.
Black Hawk's ban comes around the time a report by Congress found an upward trend in people walking and cycling. The federal government last year earmarked US$1.2 billion to help communities become more pedestrian and bicycle friendly.
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