On Monday night, the St. Charles County (Mo.) Council will consider a proposal to ban bicycles from several narrow two-lane roads in the southwestern part of the county.
According to the agenda for the council, bicycles would be banned from Highways DD, D, F and Z and on Missouri Highway 94 between U.S. 40 and the St. Charles-Warren county line until shoulders or bicycle lanes are in place.
County Councilman Joe Brazil, who will be introducing the measure, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that bicyclists on those roads are “a problem we’ve had out here for years” and that he gets more complaints about the issue than on anything else.
At least one member of Shoulders fOr Safety, a group that supports the construction of shoulders along those road, is calling for people to support the ban.
“If you haven’t heard already, at the July 12th County Council meeting Joe Brazil plans to introduce a bill making it illegal to ride bikes on these rural roads,” SOS member Debbie Dyn Keyes wrote in a note to fans of the SOS Facebook page. “It is very unsafe not only for the bicycles, but for drivers. With all the curves, hills, and no shoulders at this time, this makes a hazardous situation.”
The roads being considered for the bicycle ban are indeed hilly and curvy with no shoulders. They are popular with some cyclists because of the challenges they provide.
Brazil told the Post-Dispatch that the increased popularity of bicycling on those roads, especially in organized groups, causes a safety hazard.
“You’re going 55 (mph) and there’s absolute limited sight distance,” Brazil told the Post-Dispatch. “You come around a corner and come upon a bike in seconds and you have to react.”
Brazil said cyclists could instead ride on the Katy Trail, which cuts through the southern portion of St. Charles County. He said the ban would not apply to portions of the highway with lower speed limits that go through New Melle, Augusta and Defiance.
Monday’s meeting takes place at 7 p.m. at the St. Charles County Executive Building, 100 N. Third St. in St. Charles. To express your opinion to Brazil, you can e-mail him at jbrazil@sccmo.org. A full list of St. Charles County Council members can be found here.
Can a County put a ban on something authorized by a State Law iee..”307.188. Rights And Duties Of Bicycle And Motorized Bicycle Riders
Every person riding a bicycle or motorized bicycle upon a street or highway shall be granted all of the rights and shall be subject to all of the duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle as provided by chapter 304, RSMo, except as to special regulations in sections 307.180 to 307.193 and except as to those provisions of chapter 304, RSMo, which by their nature can have no application.”
I wopuld think the State Law would have presidence.
Comment by James Rupe — July 9, 2010 @ 9:52 pm
[...] Friday, St. Charles County (Mo.) Councilman Joe Brazil announced plans to introduce a bill at [...]
Pingback by Roger Kramer Cycling: The Blog Page — July 10, 2010 @ 1:57 am
[...] Roger Kramer Cycling blog, based across the river in Illinois, suggests emailing Brazil at jbrazil@sccmo.org; Roger also [...]
Pingback by A bike ban near my hometown | Seattle Bike Blog — July 11, 2010 @ 1:44 pm
If a road is “limited sight distance” and a driver cannot come to a safe stop before an obstacle in the road then that driver is going too fast and is guilty of reckless driving. Speed limits are a maximum, not a required speed. This is not about cyclists–there could just as easily be a deer, dog, or tree branch in the road. Drivers need to go a speed that is safe for the road they are on.
Comment by Brad — July 12, 2010 @ 10:42 pm