Home > News > ALERT: St Charles County Bicycle Ban--what you can do

ALERT: St Charles County Bicycle Ban--what you can do

Submitted by Brent Hugh on Sun, 07/18/2010 - 8:03pm

Share the Road

Public hearings: September 7th, 13th, or 20th.

St Charles County is proposing to ban bicyclists from several state highways that run through the western part of the county.

If the county is successful in banning bicyclists, it will not only be terrible for St Charles County, but will set a very bad precedent that other cities & counties may try to follow across the U.S.

What can you do?

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Comments

Submitted by Walter Dreyer (not verified) on Tue, 08/31/2010 - 9:23pm.
I drove those roads a few weeks ago. I could not find a single blind 50 MPH corner that Brazil complains about cyclists creating a danger on. What I did see, was at nearly every corner I had people tailgating me. I was driving the posted speed limit for the corner, yet those drivers were trying to "push" me. If you think about it, a blind 50 MPH corner can't exist. The speed limit would be placed lower due to the small radius of the corner, as most of them actually are. Most of the turns are posted in yellow warning signs at 35 MPH. So when the residents say they went through a blind corner at 55 MPH they are actually admitting to SPEEDING. What is needed is more Police presence, possibly those speed trailers placed at the exit of corners to help make drivers aware of their true speed through these corners. The problem is not the cyclists, but the non law abiding motorists. I also take issue with Mr. Brazil's comment that his residents need to get to work and school and have limited choices for roads. I do occasionally ride those roads, on week days. I'm usually all by myself, with little automotive traffic. I also choose to ride after morning rush hour is over. I believe most of the cycling traffic is on the weekends, when most people don't have to work, or go to school. My last point is this, if the county can't arbitrarily change the speed limit of a state roadway, the council admits that they tried, how can they ban anything from state roadways.
Submitted by madmacs (not verified) on Sun, 08/15/2010 - 10:40am.
any updates on this?
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 08/10/2010 - 12:23pm.
Cyclists block vehicle traffic to a crawl on some local county roads and delay people getting to work and other business they have. There are roads such as Hepperman Road where an auto cannot pass for miles and there is no way for a cyclist to get out of the way far enough to avid considerable risk. The taxpayers have provided miles of bike trails in parks and the Katy Trail exclusively for cycle enthusiasts and these facilities should be used instead of blocking necessary auto travel.
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 08/18/2010 - 9:52pm.
There are not enough miles of trails for serious bikers. The katy trail is also not an option. It has ruts and its surface is not acceptable for road bikes. Riding on 10 or 15 mile trail is like walking around the block to most bikers. Bikers should choose wisely on which roads they bike and obey all traffic signs. Motorists should be friendlier on the roads they drive and have patience. Maybe if all motorists tried riding a bike every now and then, not only would they be more alert to bikers but they'd probably drop a few pounds and save a few dollars of gas each month.
Submitted by Mike Hahn (not verified) on Wed, 08/11/2010 - 11:00pm.
Missouri State law provides for bicycles to have the same rights as a motor vehicle on the road. If the issue is bicycles impeding traffic by operating illegally, then you need to call the sheriff on your cell phone and insist that he enforce the law. The KATY trail is not a good alternative to most cycling 'enthusiasts', and most bicycle trails do not provide a good transportation opton.
Submitted by Mike Hahn (not verified) on Wed, 08/11/2010 - 3:23am.
The State of Missouri has a law on the books giving bicycles equal rights on the road as a motor vehicle. Most bicycle trails do not actually go anywhere, and the KATY trail is a poor riding surface for most 'enthusiasts'. There is plenty of room on these roads for on car and one bicycle in a lane. If there are groups of cyclists blocking the road, you need to call the sheriff on your cell phone and make them do something about it. What about motorcycles that take up the whole lane, and only doing 45 mph because they are doing a leisurely ride through the wine country? Are you going to ban motorcycles on these roads also?
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 08/10/2010 - 2:56pm.
"exclusively for cycle enthusiasts " Really? I suppose we should ban walkers/runners on the trail to have your statement be true. BIKES ONLY ON TRAILS, WALKERS AND RUNNERS ARE TOO SlOW AND DELAY WHERE WE ARE GOING...
Submitted by Brent Hugh on Tue, 08/10/2010 - 1:00pm.
where an auto cannot pass for miles There may be roads around where one automobile cannot pass another (taking the full width of the lane and going 55 MPH or more) but there just isn't a road in Missouri where it is actually impossible to find a spot where you can reasonably pass a bicyclist--which is much narrower than a car and going 10-15 MPH.
Submitted by Donald L. Livengood (not verified) on Fri, 08/06/2010 - 7:17pm.
I am a bicycle rider and I am opposed to the St. Charles County Bicycle Ban! I think there is a better way of solving bicycle and auto co-driving problems than banning bicycles. I am sure if you set down with local automobile drivers and local bicycle riders together, I workable agreement can be reached. I just came from Madison, WI where there were thousands of bicycle riders on the streets one Sunday morning and we had no problems getting around Madison. We just had to be more careful and more aware of bicycle riders. Surely you all are smart enough to come up with a plan of coexistence. I am praying that you do!!
Submitted by Bill (not verified) on Fri, 08/06/2010 - 2:36pm.
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Submitted by Michelle Owens (not verified) on Fri, 08/06/2010 - 1:28pm.
My husband and I bike all over the Missouri landscape; to include St. Charles County. As we are all trying to lighten our footprint on our natural resources and the impact of pollution we are having on our planet, it is difficult for me to understand why any government office would take away our privilege to make educated decisions and utilize this ecologically friendly alternative for transportation, leisure, and tourist revenue for St. Charles County. I am also concerned that as I am not from this region, any effort I make to speak out in protest will be dismissed as I do not pay taxes for this community, nor do I have an interest as a local using my primary form of transportation when I am riding on St. Charles County roads....only my bike. Am I just adding ammunition to those that want the ban to pass? Will they have solid foundation in the argument that most of the signatures on the petition had to be gathered from other Counties and States, and therefore should be dismissed as a desperate effort?
Submitted by Mike Hahn (not verified) on Wed, 07/21/2010 - 3:09pm.
I am wondering if we can put pressure at the state level to withhold funds to St. Charles County, since Missouri State law afford bicycles the same rights to the roads as automobiles and motorcycles.
Submitted by Tony M. (not verified) on Thu, 07/22/2010 - 9:16pm.
I think the only guy left that we'll have a chance to appeal to is Kenneth Suelthaus, Modot Transportation and Highway commisioner of the St Louis Disctrict (which is actually several counties) State reps Scott Rupp, Scott Dieckhaus, Chuck Gatschenberger ..are not bike friendlies, Grace Nichols I don't think is of much help as Modot District commish. Ken is probably our best hope. I think he's with Polsinelli...they have a team of cyclists that do the MS 150 so he may at least know some road cyclists personally. The commisioners at MoDot may be able to clue us in on more effective strategies available to us.
Submitted by Tony M. (not verified) on Mon, 07/19/2010 - 9:05am.
The petition is a great idea. A few suggestions: the ban is under local authority so it is important to that St. Charles residents against the ban need to be VERY active, their numbers are all important to the council decision. Our opposition has had several years and touted 2500 petitions (just in the active area) the council is also including data from motorist complaints, and factor in the citizenry wondering why their taxes on the Kati Trail...this I believe is the constituency they talk about in the TV (KMOV segment). It is growing in numbers due to the opportunity created by Brazil and can be tapped quickly by activist groups will to get them on board. Second The people in the state of Missouri should put some pressure on their state representatives involved in the release of the project funds. $2MM and a cadre of materials and other soft monies are part of the total pool (review the Video on the Shoulders for Safety site). There's a range of nice and not so nice things you can ask the. For example: Ask the MoDot commissioner to make a statement, not her engineer...Grace Nichols was part of the appropriations committee. On the other end...if the St. Chas council continues to assert that they will defend their ban in court then we need to step up the pressure at the state level and perhaps petition the state to delay the proeeds till St. Charles figures out thier local problem with bike. Lastly the cycling community needs to know who they are really with in the "constituency". There are allot of people jumping onto the "safety" bandwagon under the guise of the Shoulders for Safety folks. The SOS had many cyclists in the group before the ban came out. SOS at least needs to come out and say that opinions of some the members do not agree with the mission of the SOS. While they are at it they need to take out "our" roads from that mission statement. Scott Dieckhaus – State Representative Scott@ScottDieckhaus.com Scott Rupp – State Senator State Capitol Building Room 426 Jefferson City, Missouri 65101 (573) 751-1282 FAX: (573) 526-4766 Chuck Gatschenberger – State Representative MO House of Representatives 201 West Capitol Avenue Room 415B Jefferson City MO 65101 Phone: 573-751-3572 Fax: E-Mail: Chuck.Gatschenberger@house.mo.gov Grace Nichols Contact though MoDOT – Missouri Hwy and Transportation Commissioner former St. Charles mayor
Submitted by Brent Hugh on Tue, 07/20/2010 - 2:44pm.
Thanks, Tony, that's all good advice.

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