(Spirit Lake)– The Spirit Lake city council Tuesday decided not to take any action on a proposal to ban bicycles from being ridden on sidewalks in the downtown area.
It followed a lengthy discussion on the issue from council members and Police Chief Jeff Hanson.
Hanson says he brought the issue to the city’s Public Safety Committee after an incident earlier this year in which a bicyclist collided with a truck in a downtown intersection. Hanson says he was approached at the time by storeowners concerned a bicyclist riding on the sidewalk could collide with a patron walking out of a business. Asked by Mayor Blain Andera when the last time a collision such as that happened, Hanson said it had been 15 years.
But councilman Clyde Ihrke said it’s only a matter of time before it happens again and said steps should be taken now to prevent it.
Fellow councilman Steve Balm said he’s concerned over any potential impact banning bicycles from being ridden in the downtown area may have on businesses. But more importantly, Balm says he’s concerned such a ban could pose an even greater safety danger by forcing bicyclists onto the streets. He suggested an alternative route be established for bicyclists that would bypass the downtown area. He says it would be much safer to have bicyclists traveling on either Gary or Jackson Avenues. However the proposed ordinance that would ban bikes from being ridden in the downtown area includes the downtown portions of those streets as well.
Another councilman, Kevin Bice, suggested an education campaign be used to encourage bicyclists to walk their bikes through the downtown area, adding it would be cost prohibitive to build an alternate route for them.
After further discussion, the council opted not to take any action on the proposed ordinance.
