Government wants to ban bicycles on roads what would you do?

[toaster]

Let's just say all the holier than thou motorists truly got sick of bicyclists and decided to make it political. One party in particular, I won't say which, has the hare-brained idea that they will protect the cyclist by curtailing their use of the road and thereby making everybody safer.

What would you do?

[markie]

go back to living in the home of the brave and the land of the free.

[Louis]

Organize and fight it. Make a fuss.

Get local cyclists, from the area in question, to fight it. If it's just guys from outside who ride through the area it will tougher to win hearts and minds. Does the area benefit in any way from the cyclists? (LBS, tourism, whatever) If so play that up.

We had something similar around here, where some politicos in St Charles County tried to pass laws restricting cyclists on certain roads. Folks got all worked up about it, went to the town council meetings, and in the end, I don't think anything passed. You have to fight back, otherwise they'll do whatever they want.

[akelman]

Douse the politicians with Big Gulps, that great symbol of American freedom.

[majorpat]

Agree with this. When people become complacent things are done to them not for them. You have to care enough to get involved.


Organize and fight it. Make a fuss.

Get local cyclists, from the area in question, to fight it. If it's just guys from outside who ride through the area it will tougher to win hearts and minds. Does the area benefit in any way from the cyclists? (LBS, tourism, whatever) If so play that up.

We had something similar around here, where some politicos in St Charles County tried to pass laws restricting cyclists on certain roads. Folks got all worked up about it, went to the town council meetings, and in the end, I don't think anything passed. You have to fight back, otherwise they'll do whatever they want.

[dumbod]

Isn't there enough to worry about without dreaming up hypotheticals?

[bikinchris]

It has already happened in small areas. There is at least one highway in Texas that has banned bicycles. Google "bike bans" for an eyeful from across the country. There are also many bridges in the US that ban bikes.

Everyone needs to join the League of American Bicyclists. Thye are the reasosn why bicycles have the right to use the roads today. Without a strong group to defend that right, it might get stripped away.

[cdimattio]

The government does not do well with banning road related behaviors.

Texting and driving is banned in most States and it has not had any meaningful impact on behavior that I have noticed.

[LO^OK]

Let's just say all the holier than thou motorists truly got sick of bicyclists and decided to make it political. One party in particular, I won't say which, has the hare-brained idea that they will protect the cyclist by curtailing their use of the road and thereby making everybody safer.

What would you do?

AFAIK this is exactly how it works in Germany, I gather due to the all powerful car lobby; cyclist are supposed to share the sidewalks with pedestrians.

[cnighbor1]

Mount a fake motor cycle engine in your frame along with a digital sound player that make motor cycle noises and keep riding has your on a motor cycle

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . skateboarders have dealt with for years. Municipalities around here ban them from streets AND sidewalks, effectively denying their use pretty much anywhere in any practical manner. But because their main users are teens who don't vote and have no money, the attitude seems to be who cares.

It won't work with bikes because there are too many adults, including lawmakers and other government people, who ride and would not let it happen. Cyclists around here include assistant AG's, former mayors who are now in governor's cabinet, and local police chiefs.

But there are some roads where I actually feel ban would not be that bad. My parents lived in Johnson County KS before they passed on in 2007 and one small community there, De Soto, had banned bikes on a stretch of 83rd st. Here's a story about the ban being overturned . . .

http://mobikefed.org/2011/09/de-soto-ks-bicycle-ban-overturned

I visited yearly and read and listened to local cyclists rant and rave about the ban and I agreed with them--until I actually drove on that stretch of road one time. The lanes were narrow, absolutely NO shoulder with a drop off into dirt mere inches beyond the white line. Small rollers effectively obscured the view of drivers repeatedly and it was a main commuter route with high traffic volumes at rush hour. But even at other times it was road I immediately decided I would never, ever ride on.

Hit & run waiting to happen . . . and I understood why the town council may have done it. Of course, it would have been better to add shoulders or a separated bike trail, but if you're a small town without the resources to do that and you want to protect against liability and you do have the $$ to do it and put up signs, then what else are you going to do? Seemed like at the time I drove by--2006--a ban at least during peak hours would have been OK by me.

But those circumstances are rare, and unfortunately that becomes an easy way out for local government officials to exercise their easy way out or their outright prejudice. It's a slippery slope and if one town does it and gets away with it in this area you can be sure others will take notice and the skateboard solution will be pursued unless we as cyclists and citizens organize and protest--loudly--any time it's done.

BBD

[tiretrax]

.I visited yearly and read and listened to local cyclists rant and rave about the ban and I agreed with them--until I actually drove on that stretch of road one time. The lanes were narrow, absolutely NO shoulder with a drop off into dirt mere inches beyond the white line. Small rollers effectively obscured the view of drivers repeatedly and it was a main commuter route with high traffic volumes at rush hour. But even at other times it was road I immediately decided I would never, ever ride on.


Outright bans seem studid, like the town in Colorado that banned bicycles in favor of pedestrians going to the casinos.

However, there are plenty of places that probably should be automobile only because of poor planning in construction. I was disheartened to see a number of rural highways redesigned from 2 lanes with wide shoulder on each side. The new design has a middle turning lane, two lanes and no shoulder. It's ridiculous to have a turning lane for miles AND no shoulder for break downs.

I don't understand what's going on in highway planning departments.

[gdw]

"Outright bans seem studid, like the town in Colorado that banned bicycles in favor of pedestrians going to the casinos."

Sorry but bans make sense sometimes especially in Black Hawk. Ever been there? Do a image search on Yahoo and you'll see that the roads which are closed to bikes are very narrow with no shoulders.

[zap]

It has already happened in small areas. There is at least one highway in Texas that has banned bicycles. Google "bike bans" for an eyeful from across the country. There are also many bridges in the US that ban bikes.



Bicycles are permitted on some highway's in Texas :eek:

[cmg]

Government wants to ban bicycles on roads what would you do?

let'm ban all they want. spent the day running stop signs (got honked at) what's another un-enforceble law?

[drewski]

I guess Miller from Repo man was right. Driving does indeed make you stupid.



Miller: I do my best thinking on the bus. That's how come I don't drive.

Otto: You don't even know how to drive.

Miller: I don't want to know how. See? The more you drive, the less intelligent you are.

[Louis]

These folks consider cyclists as the other. They don't identify with us, they don't like us, and they are annoyed by us. Most of them have at least one anecdote, maybe apocryphal, maybe true, of cyclists behaving badly. If they can make us disappear from "their" roads they will.

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . backing up rights of all to use public roads. Traffic codes of (I'm pretty sure) all 50 states specifically define bicycles as vehicles having full rights and responsibilities of usage. Banning bicycles from public roads would entail passage of all sorts of laws by all sorts of legislative bodies that, even if they passed, would then be tied up in courts over constitutional questions for many, many years.

BBD

[JeffS]

. . . backing up rights of all to use public roads. Traffic codes of (I'm pretty sure) all 50 states specifically define bicycles as vehicles having full rights and responsibilities of usage. Banning bicycles from public roads would entail passage of all sorts of laws by all sorts of legislative bodies that, even if they passed, would then be tied up in courts over constitutional questions for many, many years.

BBD

And yet, when they are banned, little is said and nothing is done, to stop them. Count the number of people in this thread that have defended the closures.

We are a country that has come to value money (business, tourism, etc) over all else and as a group are willingly handing over everything in the name of it.


It's a road. Publicly held land.

I won't even argue the "improperly built" argument. That's a blatant lie, as is the liability argument. This is solely about pacifying motorists, speeding along tourist buses, etc.

That road is the only way in and out of a place is all the more reason NOT to restrict traffic, not justification for doing so.

[gdw]

"Traffic codes of (I'm pretty sure) all 50 states specifically define bicycles as vehicles having full rights and responsibilities of usage. Banning bicycles from public roads would entail passage of all sorts of laws by all sorts of legislative bodies that, even if they passed, would then be tied up in courts over constitutional questions for many, many years."

Bicycles aren't currently allowed on the NY Thruway....how's the court battle going? :banana:

[BumbleBeeDave]

"Traffic codes of (I'm pretty sure) all 50 states specifically define bicycles as vehicles having full rights and responsibilities of usage. Banning bicycles from public roads would entail passage of all sorts of laws by all sorts of legislative bodies that, even if they passed, would then be tied up in courts over constitutional questions for many, many years."

Bicycles aren't currently allowed on the NY Thruway....how's the court battle going? :banana:

. . . then go ahead, and let me know how that works for you! :p

BBD

[zap]

AFAIK this is exactly how it works in Germany, I gather due to the all powerful car lobby; cyclist are supposed to share the sidewalks with pedestrians.

How what works in Germany?

[fogrider]

fyi, federal funded roads require bike paths if practical. http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/bicycle_pedestrian/overview/bp-broch.cfm
in sf the bike coalition is pretty strong (this is where critical mass started). I would organize two protest: first, get every cyclist get in a car and drive that road slowly at rush hour. then get on bikes and ride it slowly. then repeat.

[LO^OK]

How what works in Germany?

In my admittedly superficial impression (I don't live permanently in Germany) not very good... As a pedestrian am frequently startled and alarmed by bikes coming on me on the sidewalk; on the other hand many of the riders visibly struggle to navigate the chaos of the "two legged traffic"... that, and the on/off the pavements indeed totally ruin the cycling rhythm and flow of movement.

Of course organisation vary a bit between the cities/ provinces, but the essence is, in a plutocratic society which worship corporate might cyclists lack this sort of muscle, and consequently are treated like lower class citizens with insignificant amount of resources allocated to modify for their use the (otherwise vast) road network. The Netherlands, and the Flemish part of Belgium, although neighbouring countries feel like a different planet.

[merlincustom1]

. . . backing up rights of all to use public roads. Traffic codes of (I'm pretty sure) all 50 states specifically define bicycles as vehicles having full rights and responsibilities of usage. Banning bicycles from public roads would entail passage of all sorts of laws by all sorts of legislative bodies that, even if they passed, would then be tied up in courts over constitutional questions for many, many years.

BBD

Under the Roberts' court's commerce clause reasoning in the Affordable Care Act case, I doubt any federal legislation would survive. Individual states, different story. There is no constitutional right to ride your bike on the road.

[BumbleBeeDave]

Individual states, different story. There is no constitutional right to ride your bike on the road.

. . . but for many other reasons it ain't gonna happen.

But I am curious about the remarks here about Germany . . . bikes must be ridden on sidewalks? I have not heard of this. Is it by different local ordinance or blanket law? Difficult for me to believe . . . what are the details?

BBD

[verticaldoug]

It's part of a larger problem of the tyranny of the many onto a few.

http://www.infowars.com/ron-pauls-farewell-to-congress-speech-transcript/

I'm not a fan of Ron Paul because he gets bogged down in little sidetracks instead of focusing on the big problem. But he does have a point.

Everyone claims support for freedom. But too often it’s for one’s own freedom and not for others.

[zap]

In my admittedly superficial impression (I don't live permanently in Germany) not very good... As a pedestrian am frequently startled and alarmed by bikes coming on me on the sidewalk; on the other hand many of the riders visibly struggle to navigate the chaos of the "two legged traffic"... that, and the on/off the pavements indeed totally ruin the cycling rhythm and flow of movement.

Of course organisation vary a bit between the cities/ provinces, but the essence is, in a plutocratic society which worship corporate might cyclists lack this sort of muscle, and consequently are treated like lower class citizens with insignificant amount of resources allocated to modify for their use the (otherwise vast) road network. The Netherlands, and the Flemish part of Belgium, although neighbouring countries feel like a different planet.

As I understand the laws in Germany, cyclists are not permitted to ride on sidewalks unless signs posted indicate otherwise.

Riders like us (not casual) do just fine riding on roads. Compared to the United States, Germans treat cyclists like revered gods.

[zap]

Let's just say all the holier than thou motorists truly got sick of bicyclists and decided to make it political. One party in particular, I won't say which, has the hare-brained idea that they will protect the cyclist by curtailing their use of the road and thereby making everybody safer.

What would you do?

This I find curious and can't but wonder if bias is at play here.

There are active cyclists from both parties in the United States. That there are fools out there who would like to ban cyclists, sure, bound to happen. Local issues and locals need to stand up.

Mountain biking was banned in county parks where I live just outside Washington, D.C. A group of us (very bipartisan as it turned out but that was not our thinking-we were all cyclists) got organized (about 15 odd years ago) and worked with park managers and local politico's to open up some parks and we helped create a mtb mecca of sorts not far from Germantown, MD soccerplex.

[Elefantino]

Before I'd worry about the government banning bikes, I'd ..


Worry about the government handing over America's sovreignty to the UN and its black helicopters
Worry about the government banning guns
Worry about the government banning the lack of guns
Worry about the government banning Twinkies*
Worry about the government banning alien conspiracy theories
Worry about the government banning birth certificate conspiracy theories
Worry about the government banning free speech
Worry about the government banning free love
Worry about the government banning freedom


In short, not going to worry.

*-If rumors are true and the administration deposited millions of dollars in secret Swiss accounts for Hostess executives if they would wreck the company and thereby eliminate the production of food that certain powerful people deem offensive, then I will immediately begin to worry about everything on this list and many, many other things.

[sailorboy]

Move to Holland

[Ahneida Ride]

Before I'd worry about the government banning bikes, I'd ..



Worry about the government banning freedom



1913 .... :eek:

[LO^OK]

As I understand the laws in Germany, cyclists are not permitted to ride on sidewalks unless signs posted indicate otherwise.

Not exactly. Here a bit more detailed info from a German site; several legislative acts authorise riding on the sidewalk/sidepath. As I said, situation varies from place to place, for example the (allegedly bankrupt) city state of Bremen is okay while in Stuttgart, the capital of the richest province in Germany, 5 years ago I don't remember a single bike line... I am sure there must be some, but the city is so dominated by the cars infrastructure (huge boulevards and motorways) that anything bike related ought to have been pretty insignificant for such level of invisibility

Riders like us (not casual) do just fine riding on roads. Compared to the United States, Germans treat cyclists like revered gods.

Never been to the States so can't comment from personal experience; from what I read here the attitudes appear to be truly appalling (riders being spat in or stuff thrown at from vehicles :eek: :mad: :eek:) so by this "standard", yes, Germany is an enviable place. Still, in my experience The Netherlands, the Flemish Belgium or Switzerland are much much better places to ride a bike.

Btw, Switzerland is one of the few places where bikes are taxed annually. The amount is symbolic, can't recall exactly, something like 5 CHF (a sandwich may cost that), but it give bicycle riders a sense of equal status in participating in society. From what I see the investment of tailoring city infrastructure to bike use in a place like Zuerich must vastly exceed the above contribution. Again, things like this boil down to civility and the ensuing societal organisation.

[bikinchris]

. . . backing up rights of all to use public roads. Traffic codes of (I'm pretty sure) all 50 states specifically define bicycles as vehicles having full rights and responsibilities of usage. Banning bicycles from public roads would entail passage of all sorts of laws by all sorts of legislative bodies that, even if they passed, would then be tied up in courts over constitutional questions for many, many years.

BBD

That wasn't in place until the LAB (League of American Wheelmen at the time)was able to get it passed in all 50 states. With some being less successful than others. Ohio coming to mind. It COULD be reversed if the efforts of LAB are overturned. Vigilance is required.