From: Frank Gmeindl <frank.gmeindl@comcast.net>

Date: January 30, 2012 10:09:10 AM EST

To: Bicycle Board <bikeboard@cheat.org>

Cc: Christiaan Abildso <Christiaan.Abildso@mail.wvu.edu>

Subject: Re: [Bikeboard] Sidewalk cycling

I tried to schedule a meeting with Terrence but he's out of town today and tomorrow.  I propose to send the following message to him by 1 pm today unless you object.  

Dear Terrence,

The proposed amendments of the City code to control unicycles on sidewalks and streets could damage our efforts to reduce traffic congestion and to make Morgantown a Bicycle Friendly Community.  Our concern is that those who are bicycling on the sidewalks and get tickets will end up driving cars.  

The Bicycle Board recognizes that sidewalk bicycling is dangerous to bicyclists as well as to pedestrians.  Our approach to getting bicyclists off the sidewalks and onto the streets is to educate them that the law gives them same rights to the road as motorists and subjects them to the same duties.  We produced 5,000 police information cards (http://bikemorgantown.com/articles.php?str=2012/01/ticketing-cyclists.html) and gave them to Chief Preston and WVU police for this purpose.  We encourage police to give these cards to bicyclists as well as motorists that violate laws that jeopardize bicyclists' safety.  

Now, I recognize that the subject for Tuesday's Committee of the Whole is unicycles but since one of the code amendments is to article 373. Bicycles, specifically 373.08 Riding on Sidewalks, the discussion is likely to stray from unicycles to bicycling on sidewalks.  I explicitly request that you consider our points above if discussion does stray to sidewalk bicycling.  Perhaps you could even distribute some police information cards.

One element of the procedural guidelines under which the City chartered the Bicycle Board is "review and support the implementation of Article 373 on Bicycles of the Morgantown Municipal Code."  We have been working on this for years and have preliminary recommendations for updates but we are not yet ready to propose them to the Traffic Commission.  One of those recommendations is to remove 373.08 (d) from 373 since 373.08 (d) has nothing to do with bicycles.  Another reason for removing the language of 373.08 (d) from 373 is that doing so would diminish the grouping of bicycles with skateboards, roller skates, and soon, unicycles.

We need to recognize that one reason Morgantown residents may choose to bicycle on the sidewalks rather than on the streets is that they perceive the streets to be more dangerous.  Until we can educate them that they can ride safely on the streets and until we can make the streets safer for bicycling, e.g. by enforcing laws whose violation endangers cyclists, we could consider amending the 373.08 Riding on Sidewalks to make riding on sidewalks safer for bicyclists and pedestrians.  One such measure could be to amend 373.08 to permit bicycling on the sidewalks at a speed no greater than the prevailing speed of pedestrian traffic.  

I hope that we will discuss this matter before Tuesday Committee of the Whole meeting.

Frank D. Gmeindl
Chairman, Morgantown Municipal Bicycle Board
LCI #1703
491 WilsonAvenue
Morgantown, WV 26501
304-376-0446
Cyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of vehicles

What say youy?

Frank

On Jan 30, 2012, at 9:06 AM, Christiaan Abildso wrote:

A great idea. I, too, cringe when I see those on sidewalks and fear for their safety, especially if they are novice cyclists.

Thanks for including me on the discussion.

Christiaan

>>> On 1/30/2012 at 8:52 AM, <dspringston@gmail.com> wrote:

Hey guys, I cringe when I see cyclists riding on the sidewalks, but at the same time I see a potential teaching opportunity to those riding on sidewalks. Is there any way we could allocate some financial resources to make the Traffic Skills 101 class free for those folks we see riding on the sidewalks and encourage the police to recommend the course? What about giving them a ticket or warning with the understanding that attending a Traffic Skills 101 course could release the fee for the ticket? This could create an influx of educated cyclists in a best case scenario! I imagine many folks riding on the sidewalks just aren't aware of the law, and I'd hate to be too harsh on them, even though it is dangerous. After all, they are just as motivated to be out riding as we are. Thanks, ~Derek On Sun, Jan 29, 2012 at 7:49 PM, Frank Gmeindl <frank.gmeindl@comcast.net> wrote: Hugh, I'm certainly not suggesting that we advocate for sidewalk cycling. Cycling on the sidewalk is more dangerous for the cyclist than riding on the roadway. Anyone who's taken Traffic Skills 101 understands why. Our strategy has been to guide sidewalk cyclists from the sidewalks onto the roadway through education. I'm concerned that the extended outcome of Tuesday's meeting could be that those who are bicycling on the sidewalks and get tickets will drive cars. The police information cards that we developed and distributed to both Morgantown and WVU police tell people not to ride on the sidewalk. But, the cards also say that cyclists have the same rights to the roads as motorists and instructs them to drive their bicycles as they would drive vehicles. I wonder how many of those cards the police have given out? I wonder how many citations the police wrote to motorists that pulled out in front of cyclists, passed cyclists when it was unsafe to do so. If you could show me how, I'd like to direct any discussion Tuesday from penalizing sidewalk cyclists to getting more people out of the cars and on bikes on the streets. What do you recommend? Frank On Jan 29, 2012, at 7:03 PM, Hugh Kierig wrote: > Bicycles should not be allowed to be riden on sidewalks in commercial areas. In these instances the present a pedestrian hazard. > Hugh E. Kierig > -----Original Message----- > From: Frank Gmeindl <frank.gmeindl@comcast.net> > Cc: Christiaan Abildso <Christiaan.Abildso@mail.wvu.edu> > To: Bicycle Board <bikeboard@cheat.org> > > Sent: 1/29/2012 6:57:09 PM > Subject: [Bikeboard] Sidewalk cycling > > Bicycle Board Members, > > At this Tuesday's meeting, City Council will discuss riding on sidewalks. See Agenda. > > WHAT SHOULD WE DO? We have 2 days to decide. > > Primarily, in response to a request from Chief Preston, they're banning unicycles from sidewalks and streets, effectively banning unicycles. I imagine this will lead to discussing bicycling on sidewalks which I imagine could lead to police ticketing bicyclists who ride on sidewalks. IMO, that won't exactly help us realize our vision of every resident being able to bicycle safely and fearlessly anywhere, anytime for any reason or to achieve our goal of having 1 or every 20 vehicles on Morgantown streets be a bicycle by 2020. > > I would like to turn this around from being negative to some kind of positive action to support our vision, goal, objectives and recommended action but I don't know how. Ideas? > > Specifically, they're going to revise two parts of the code: 311.02 TOY VEHICLES ON STREETS and 373.08 RIDING ON SIDEWALKS, specifically 373.08 (d). Personally, I've always had a problem with 373.08 (d) because 373 is entitled "Bicycles" but 373.08 (d) is about skateboards and roller skates and soon to include unicycles. If they had asked me about this ordinance change, I would first have recommended that they remove part (d) from 373. (See Bicycle Law .) > > Frank D. Gmeindl > Chairman, Morgantown Municipal Bicycle Board > LCI #1703 > 491 WilsonAvenue > Morgantown, WV 26501 > 304-376-0446 > Cyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of vehicles > > > > _______________________________________________ Bikeboard mailing list Bikeboard@cheat.org http://cheat.org/mailman/listinfo/bikeboard -- Let deeds, not words, be your adorning. -'Abdu'l-Baha “Every time I see an adult on a bicycle I no longer despair for the future of the human race.” -H.G. Wells