St Charles County Bicycle Ban - MoBikeFed's position

St Charles County Bicycle Ban
St Charles County Bicycle Ban
The issue of a proposed bicycle ban on certain key roads in St Charles County, and other proposed updates to St Charles County's bicycle law, have been a matter of great discussion in Missouri's bicycle community.  To help clarify the issues and move towards a positive resolution of them, MoBikeFed has summarized its position about the proposals.

This summary is available as a PDF file (click to download PDF file) that you can download, share with others, or print to take to public meetings.

UPDATE: At the public meeting in New Melle on September 7th, 2010, Commissioner Brazil introduced a new version of the proposed ordinances. The text below has been updated to reflect the Sept 7th version of the ordinances, but the PDF file has not yet been updated.

St. Charles County, Missouri, is proposing a several possible updates to the county's bicycle law: 

  1. An outright ban of bicycles on several roads in the county

  2. Additional requirements for bicyclists (requiring a mirror, riding less than 20 inches from the white line, not riding abreast) traveling on certain designated roads in the county

  3. A permitting system for group rides with more than 20 riders


MoBikeFed's position on these issues:

1. Bicycle ban on certain roads

  • The ban unfairly restricts bicyclist's liberty and freedom of travel
  • No alternative routes exist for most of the proposed routes--the effect will be making numerous destinations inaccessible to those who depend on bicycling for transportation
  • There is no data that shows a bicycle ban will improve safety; in fact, injury and fatality data over the past five years show that less than 1% of traffic injuries/fatalities on these roads involve bicyclists in any way (and those incidents involved injury to the bicyclists but none to the motorists).
  • Banning bicycles does nothing to address the core reasons these roads are dangerous to drive on
  • A court challenge to a bicycle ban is inevitable and the bicycle ban is very likely to be struck down

2. Extra requirements for bicyclists on certain routes

  • We strongly encourage the county to adopt bicycling regulations to bring the county's laws into conformity with state  bicycle law.
  • The county's proposals (mirror, no riding abreast, riding within 20 inches of the fog line) are non-standard and contradict bicycle law in other cities, counties, and states across the U.S. No other U.S. jurisdiction has any of these requirements.
  • Communicating these complex and non-standard requirements--which will only apply on certain roads in the county--will be very difficult. A simplified summary (as likely to appear on a road sign) is likely to be completely baffling--or simply be overlooked entirely--but those coming from outside the county. 
  • How will bicyclists crossing the country on the national Great River Road, Lewis & Clark, and American Discovery Trail bicycle routes as they pass through St Charles County, or those visiting the county with their bicycles, obtain mirrors?  Mirrors are not required in any other jurisdiction; many bicyclists will not have them and they are not easily available.
  • Because the proposed changes are non-standard, and not required in any other jurisdiction in the U.S., compliance will be low or nonexistent.
  • Does St Charles County really have the manpower to enforce these nonstandard requirements?  Without significant enforcement, the requirements are likely to be ignored.
  • Because the proposed changes contradict state bicycle law in several respects, they will be challenged and overturned.

3. Require permits for group rides

  • Permits and reasonable requirements for group rides (including requirements to have a safety plan, educate their riders, etc) are generally a good idea.
  • Creating better communication within the County government and with County residents about upcoming bicycle events is a very good idea and we fully support it.
  • The "20 bicyclist" limit for requiring permits is too low--it should be 50 to 100.
  • If the limit is set too low it will simply be ignored by small informal rides, defeating the purpose of the law.
  • Does the County really have law enforcement manpower enough to track down every small group of riders in the County and find out if they have proper permits?  If not, the County will be relying on voluntary compliance with the permitting requirements--which will only work if the requirements are reasonable.

In General

  • Bicycle has become an issue of importance in St. Charles County.  The County should work with residents, political leaders, business leaders, and interested organizations to craft a comprehensive, well designed County Bicycle Plan.

  • It is clear to everyone that some routes in the County are better suited for bicycling than others.  This is true everywhere--forward looking areas advertise their best, most suitable bicycle routes by creating a County Bicycle Map with color-coded routes for those best suited, moderate, and least suited for bicycling, and showing how the area's trail system connects with bicycle friendly roads.

  • Bicyclists and bicycle groups across the state will support the County's effort to add shoulders and/or bicycle lanes to narrow roads with high traffic volume. This addresses underlying safety issues while creating more space for bicycling.  Shoulders must be designed with bicycling in mind, however, including the design of any rumble strips that may be included.

  • Enforcing existing traffic laws and speed limits for motorists will address the actual safety issues on county roads.  Combined with an outreach and educational campaign about speed, distracted driving, and impaired driving, experience across the U.S. shows that this approach actually changes driver behavior and save lives.  Speed, impaired driving, and distracted driving are among the top causes of injuries and fatalities on these roads and together form the causes of the vast majority of injuries and fatalities on these roads.  

    Improving safety on these roads will require addressing the major causes of injuries and fatalities on these roads, rather than taking ineffective action on a very minor cause of injuries while completely ignoring all of the major causes.

  • Enforcing existing state bicycle law--which already requires bicyclists to operate safely and follow all existing traffic laws, stop at stop signs, single up when impeding other traffic, and keep as far to the right of the road "as safe"--will address the legitimate concerns St Charles County has had about bicyclist behavior.  In other areas that have faced this problem, simple, consistent enforcement of existing law has been proven to change bicyclist behavior for the better.

Conclusion

Bicycling is good for the county, good for county residents, good for public health, and good for tourism and economic development.

Most municipalities across the nation are now working hard to make themselves friendlier and more inviting for bicycling and walking.

St Charles County has always been seen as a healthy, forward-looking area that looks after the wellbeing of its citizens and promotes active living and its beautiful natural setting.

Creating good, carefully crafted bicycle laws in St Charles County are part of making that vision a reality.


Click to download this summary as a PDF file: MoBikeFed's Position on St Charles County Bicycle Ban - PDF file

Join MoBikeFed's Advocacy Network

MoBikeFed is a statewide group of people like you, working together for better bicycling, walking, and trails in Missouri. When you join our advocacy network you receive occasional important advocacy alerts and bicycle, pedestrian, and trails news from around Missouri.

Working together we make a real difference! Join our advocacy network:

Want better bicycling and walking in Missouri?
We rely on the support of members like you.  Please join, renew, or donate today.