Blog
St. Charles Co. ban off the table, work remains for fair treatment
Big news on the proposed St. Charles County bike ban.
County Councilmember Jerry Daugherty has removed his support for Bill 3620, which would ban bicycling on key routes through St. Charles County, MO. With that, the threat of a bicycle ban is essentially over. Thanks to everyone who took action to help stop this ban including St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation, Missouri Bicycle& Pedestrian Federation and TrailNet. Extra special thanks to local cyclists and bike shop owners who spoke out in public meetings against the proposed bans. Your hard work not only benefits other local cyclists, but the cycling community as a whole.
Though the proposed ban may be behind us, the fight for fair treatment in St. Charles still remains. Since the introduction of the bike ban bill, other bills have been put forth calling for items such as flags, mirrors and other non-standard equipment for bikes; a requirement to ride 20 inches from the fog line; and a low cap on organized rides unless a special permit is acquired. Like the proposed ban, these requirements would only be along specific state-owned roadways within the county, are inconsistent with current state codes and have been proposed with little to no input from the bicycling community. Missouri Bicycle & Pedestrian Federation has put forth its own set of changes to St. Charles County law. Action is still needed from local St. Charles County cyclists! Please attend the next County Council meeting Monday, Sept. 27 at Council Chambers at 7:00 p.m.
Jeff Peel
State and Local Advocacy Coordinator
Peel joined the League in March 2008 as a Program Specialist for the Bicycle Friendly Communities program. Peel has a BA in American Studies from the University of Southern Mississippi.
Subscribe
September 24th, 2010 at 1:21 pm
“other bills have been put forth calling for items such as flags, … a requirement to ride 20 inches from the fog line”
That might work if the flagpole is mounted perpendicular to the bike.
Do we know why this particular county keeps coming up with anti-cyclist ideas? What’s the backstory?
September 26th, 2010 at 8:18 am
SUV loveland in which driving 55+ mph is a God given right due to massive sprawl. On weekends, school buses are used to transport heavy drinkers between wineries-bars before they get back into their parked behemoths to speed home.
Connecting road routes are favored by cyclists as they are hilly, curvy and scenic (but no shoulders). Locals were originally against the Katy Trail but now want to use it reduce the rights of cyclists.
October 6th, 2010 at 7:33 pm
How will we ever be green, if we can’t ride? How will we ever have a healthy life style if we can’t ride? All we really need is a decent shoulder to keep everyone happy.
October 7th, 2010 at 8:22 pm
There’s no such thing as a ‘decent’ shoulder. Shoulders are inherently dangerous – you may as well propose riding on sidewalks. A bicycle belongs in the travel lane, where it can be seen.