>From last night - Mike Rewey
http://www.stevenspointjournal.com/article/20111021/SPJ0101/110210590 HULL -- Town of Hull officials said Thursday they would ban bikes and pedestrians on some roads as a last resort to ensure the safety of all road users. Instead, the town will focus on education, enforcement of laws and installation of traffic calming devices. About 25 people attended the town's Public Safety Task Force meeting Thursday to talk about a proposed ordinance that included banning bicycles and walkers on some town roads. "I think it's really important that we find a compromise so that we don't take away something that is really important to people's well being," Hull resident Annie Wetter said. The proposed ordinance, drafted in September, would reiterate the town's right to restrict certain roads to biking and walking. It also calls for registration by certain groups using town roads and calls for requiring all town of Hull residents to register their bikes. The ordinance has drawn national attention from bike advocacy groups concerned that the town might be taking extreme measures in its push for safety. Town Chairman John Holdridge said at Thursday's meeting that it would be unlikely the town would require a permit for groups using town of Hull roads, but he wanted better communication with those groups. He said many groups, such as those that put on events such as the Frostbite Road Race and the Run, Bike, Unite Duathlon, already talk with the town before using town roads, and he'd like to see similar communication from the other athletic groups in the area. He said while the ordinance does reiterate state laws about the town's ability to restrict biking and pedestrian use on their roads, it was unlikely the town would ever do that. "This would be an extreme measure," Holdridge said. Task force member Randy Kruzicki said the purpose of the task force was to make the town roads safe for all users, not edge one group or another off the road. He said the task force is concerned about a few individuals who don't follow the rules. "Our issues are not with the bike organizations and bike groups," Kruzicki said. "They are some of the most respectful groups, and I respect them highly."
_______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [email protected] http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org
