The government motto of St.
Charles County, Missouri is "character, professionalism and
conscience." So how in good conscience can one of the country’s fastest-growing counties be seriously considering a ban on bicycles on some of its most popular routes?
The proposal from a local politician — via Jonathan Maus at Bike Portland
— is being touted as a safety measure: shoulderless rural highways in
St. Charles are too narrow for anything but cars. So rather than figure
out a way to accommodate bicyclists and improve safety, Councilmember
Joe Brazil wants an outright ban.
Maus found the above local TV news video on the story "scary and surreal":
Have we really come to a point when we will simply give our roadsover to the fastest vehicles? This same line of reasoning could be usedto close all types of roads where there are fast-moving cars and noroom for anything else.
I feel for the young woman who was hurt trying to avoid someone on abike, but using that example as a reason to ban people riding bikes isabsurd. How many deaths and injuries have occurred on those same roadsbetween two people in cars? Rural roads are the main cause of trafficfatalities in America. We should do more to ban speeding than to banpeople using a vehicle that is incapable of it…
Everyone frames this as "motorists" and "bicyclists" — but this isnot about mode labels, this is about people and mobility. Our sharedroads (being different from interstate highways and biking trails) arebuilt to move people from one place to another. It’s anextremely slippery slope to even consider policy that would ban onetype of user simply because they travel more slowly than another andare seen as an inconvenience to maintaining a certain speed.
Fortunately, a voice of reason has emerged, but St. Charles County officials are vowing to push ahead and defend the proposal.
Elsewhere around the network, Spacing Toronto celebrates the recent arrival of on-street bike parking while Greater Greater, Washington
finds WMATA employees blocking bike racks with their cars. And any
transit rider who has fumbled for change will appreciate a new
sculpture in St. Louis featured on nextstop.
