Below is an article that I wrote last week for the Bombay Bicycle Club Newsletter on stuff going on in Western Dane County.
An update to the article from last night's Town of Vermont board meeting: The Town of Vermont granted a permit to the Horribly Hilly Hundreds and to the Blue Mounds Classic...under the condition that a $250 deposit be paid by each group in addition to the $100 application fee. Atkins also has to get their Dane County Highway Permit with the Dane County Sheriff's ok on it to the Town asap. The $250 deposit was a compromise down from the original town request of $500. An agenda item to discuss prohibiting bicycle racing in the Town entirely was tabled.
This was a compromise to prevent collapse of the negotiations entirely, in my opinion, as we were starting to see the Town becoming more willing to work with us on the issue. It is not ideal, because bicyclists have gathered strong legal opinions that the entire permitting process is basically not consistent with state law nor is it enforceable. However, an agreement was made to refund the deposits provided that the groups clean up after themselves...and a meeting will be scheduled in the fall to reevaluate the policies. We will push for the meeting to be held with representatives of the Town of Vermont, Town of Berry, Village of Black Earth, and possibly Town of Cross Plains all present so we can get some consistency. There will also be a Town Board meeting in July that HHH is encouraged to attend to hear any citizen complaints (likewise, I suppose in August for the Blue Mounds Classic).
If you are riding in the HHH or the Blues Mounds Classic (or if you are out there training or riding for fun), please be aware that, justified or not, bicyclists are under the microscope. Let's all take the high road and prove their concerns unfounded. If these two events go well, we may be able to come back to the table in the fall and get rid of these policies or alter them to be more reasonable.
Thanks, as always, to the large number of volunteers (including non-bicyclist but bike friendly Town of Vermont residents who came out last night to support us) who are spending hours and hours of their time to assure that we all can continue to enjoy the scenic roads of Wisconsin in peace.
-Marjorie, BFW
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Western Dane County: Towns �vs--Bicycles
Many of you may be aware of some recent discussions of motorist/bicyclists conflicts in Western Dane County. Since last summer, the Town of Vermont and the Town of Berry have developed policies to regulate bicycling events and the Village of Black Earth has developed an ordinance.
Last summer a small working group of bicycle event organizers, bicyclists, and concerned citizens joined with the Bicycle Federation in a series of peace talks with the Towns of Vermont and Berry and the Village of Black Earth. We hoped that those discussions would lead to better communication amongst the groups.
Bicycle Federation does believe that communication has gotten better, but unfortunately we were also dismayed to learn of the newly developed regulations. The regulations SEEM to be an attempt to discourage bicycle events in the area in question. The working group from last summer reconvened and has been diligently examining the new regulations to see if they are enforceable and trying to work with the jurisdictions to make the policies more reasonable. Bicycle Federation and many of the other interested groups have asked a team of volunteer attorneys to review the regulations in question and make some recommendations. BFW thanks all of the tireless volunteers, including many members of the Bombay Bicycle Club, for their many hours of work on this issue.
Two test cases of the new regulations will be the Horribly Hilly Hundred in June and the Atkins Citizen Racing Club Blue Mounds Classic Bicycle Race in July. Both groups are working with the local jurisdictions to get their event applications approved while challenging and trying to improve the regulations. At the end of the season the working group will review the events of the summer and evaluate if further work with the Towns and Village needs to be undertaken.
To be fair, the local residents have some reasonable beefs. SOME bicyclists are less than courteous on the roads. SOME bicyclists break the law. SOME bicyclists litter or urinate in public. This is, to some extent, a case of a few bad apples.
Some of their concerns are due to lack of understanding of the legal rights of bicyclists, or due to plain impatience (we all know that passing a bike in a car on a winding, hilly, narrow road can be an inconvenience, not unlike having to pass a tractor, but it need not cause road rage).
The Bicycle Federation hopes that all bicyclists will behave lawfully and courteously on the roads and trails. We also hope for that same behavior from motorists. Let�s all be good neighbors. For our part, we would like to try to educate as many people as possible about the laws and encourage people to practice common courtesy. The Bike Fed will also be working this summer on a print media public relations and education campaign aimed at sharing the road. Club riders can play a big part in that education campaign by encouraging their friends to behave well.
Dane County is growing and the popularity of cycling is growing. Motorists and bicyclists have to learn to share the road. It may take a while to get the message across, but bicyclists are not going to back down. We are here to stay. Through productive discussions with local jurisdictions, self-policing and education, and public education bicyclists can be part of the solution rather than part of the problem. Organized clubs like Bombay have an opportunity to be leaders in the community. You already are and the Bicycle Federation values your on-going active voice.
To view the current regulations, visit:
Town of Vermont: http://www.townofvermont.com/chapter6.htm#license
Town of Berry: http://www.townofberry.org/pdf/Cycle%20Guideline%20Policy%208.19.04.pdf
State of Wisconsin Bicycling Laws at: http://www.bfw.org/new_bfw/projects/bicycle_laws.php
Information for Bicycle Event Organizers at: http://www.bfw.org/new_bfw/projects/local_contacts.php
Let�s all get out there and have a great summer cycling season and share the roads safely, legally, and courteously!
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Executive Director
Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin
106 E. Doty Street, Suite 400
P.O. Box 1224
Madison, WI 53701-1224
Phone: 608-251-4456
Fax: 608-251-4594
Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Web: www.bfw.org
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