Urbana police ticketing bicyclists for riding on downtown sidewalks
URBANA – It may be illegal to ride bikes on sidewalks in areas of Champaign or the University of Illinois campus, but violators in downtown Urbana face the possibility of a $100 ticket.
Deputy Police Chief Pat Connolly said there have been concerns for years about people riding bikes on sidewalks and the city posted signs with warnings that bikes are banned on sidewalks.
"It's not a pro-bike issue or anti-bike issue," Connolly said. "It's a safety issue. We're very lucky that nobody has been hurt."
Connolly said Urbana police issued 13 city tickets for bike-sidewalk violations since June 1. Half of those were before the city council raised the fine "so it's not a money issue, it's a bike-safety issue."
The ordinance against riding bikes on sidewalks in the central business district was adopted in 1996. Urbana raised the fine from $25 to $100 effective Nov. 1, 2009.
Jennifer Selby, civil engineer for the city, said Urbana first put up signs in 2006 telling bicyclists to "walk your bike on downtown sidewalks." In the late fall of 2009, new signs were installed with a red circle and a red line across a bicyclist logo over the words "not on sidewalks" indicating the ban and also notice of a $100 fine.
"Urbana is a bicycle-friendly city," Selby said.
A bicycle rodeo, a bike ride and a presentation to Urbana officials of signs officially recognizing Urbana as a bike-friendly community by the League of American Bicyclists were all scheduled Saturday, she said. Shelby is an ex-officio member of Champaign County Bikes representing the city.
"We encourage people to ride bicycles," Selby said. But, she said, "It is unsafe for everybody for bikes on the sidewalks."
The biggest risk, she said, is people stepping out of stores and not seeing a bike whizzing down the sidewalk, she said.
Gary Cziko, a bicycle advocate and member of the Urbana Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission, said bike riding on downtown sidewalks is generally not safe for pedestrians.
But he added, "Like any law, it should be enforced intelligently and with discretion. A 4-year-old girl on a bike with training wheels poses no danger to pedestrians. Riding a bike from the bike rack a few feet across the sidewalk into the street with no pedestrians in the way is also not a safety hazard. Indeed, any bicyclist riding at pedestrian speed is also not likely to pose a safety hazard."
Cziko said, "Clearly hazardous behavior should be warned or ticketed."
Rick Langlois, chairman of Champaign County Bikes, said he doesn't think the bike community has a problem with the city ordinance.
But, "most bike riders can roll along at a slow, pedestrian pace, causing no danger to themselves or others," he said. "When no pedestrian is present, there is no danger."
Cynthia Hoyle, a transportation consultant and also an ex-officio member of the local bike riders group, said it is not safe to ride a bicycle on the sidewalk in front of a business with doors that open onto the sidewalk. She said she was in downtown Urbana on Thursday afternoon when a young man wearing a headset went zooming down the sidewalk on his bike.
"No one was around to give him a ticket and he certainly deserved one," Hoyle said. "The bicycling community needs to be consistent in advocating for bicyclists to follow the law and supporting law enforcement."
Hoyle said a customer in a store cannot see a bicyclist coming and the bike rider cannot see the customer ready to leave the store.
Champaign has an ordinance prohibiting bicycles from being ridden on sidewalks in the business district.
Champaign police spokeswoman Rene Dunn said, "To our knowledge no warnings or citations have been written" for any bike-sidewalk violation.
University of Illinois police Lt. Skip Frost said there are also some restrictions for riding bicycles on campus in certain areas, but police campus officers do not generally spend time on that enforcement. The campus parking officers are in charge of enforcement, he said.
"They can ride bikes on the sidewalks anywhere except where it is prohibited," Frost said.
The prohibited areas are posted, he said.
Having been knocked to the ground on an Urbana sidewalk on more than one occasion by a bike that did not bother to check to see if I was ok, - YES! Is any one informed that if they knock someone down and leave, it is leaving the scene of an accident and carries the same penality as if they were driving? And this goes for alcohol too?
This enforcement should extend to cross walks, and intersections. Bikes suddenly appearing and not obeying the rules at "commuter" speed, safe. It is state law that a bike have a front light. However to be seen at night a front, back and side and driver reflective material is needed to be seen from each angle.
When is the city going to start ticketing to enforce state law? When is the city going to upgrade the state law to conform to car drivers safety standards? When are all freebies to students going to include reflective material like the T.I.F. bookstores bags given to new students this year? (Bravo T.I.F.)
And why did the council approve putting a bike path in front of Urbana Businesses over their objections? Are they unaware of the delivery trucks and parking taking place every 15 minutes blocking the new approved bike paths?
And why are student encouraged to ride their bikes down Goodwin from Bradley, is it ok to drive down unmarked "multi use" sidewalks?
Well more "multi use" side walks are in order. Why should anyone be forced out into the street who does not feel comfortable? If people are to be forced to do so with a new enforcement of a law, then perhaps the city should just enforce it for those riding fast and unsafely on them. Or provide some driver training for bicylists who would like to comply and enter traffic.
Riding a bike on the sidewalk? Maybe the bike riders don't feel safe on the streets. As for the same penalty for bicycle induced accidents that automobiles have...did I miss something? Have I been riding my bicycle without a license all these years? Come on. Banning bikes is not the answer...perhaps making the accidents and not the riding the crime.
Yes, it is legal to ride your bike an any sidewalks in town except in downtown Urbana, Champaign and along Green St. Multi-use paths are for all users, bicyclists, pedestrians, skate boarders, skaters, etc. Most particularly kids are encouraged to use off-road paths since they are not capable of judging vehicle speeds and distances.
The bike lane on Main St. was approved to improve safety for all roadway users and to get bicyclists off the sidewalk. It will be a benefit to the downtown stores. All you have to do to see how many people bicycle to downtown to eat, shop, and spend money is check the bike racks. It is too bad the merchants have not figured that out yet.
Could the News-Gazette publish or give a link to a map of CU that specifically shows the areas in which biking on sidewalks is prohibited? I'm somewhat afraid that my understanding of the Central Business District of Urbana (or that of Champaign or Campustown) may not cover all the places that it should. I'm one of those slow people who is more comfortable using sidewalks in certain unavoidable areas of heavy vehicular traffic (if there isn't a bike lane), and I do try to go the extra mile to be courteous and careful of pedestrians whenever I'm on their turf. The line between being safe, not ticking off drivers, and not annoying pedestrians can be thin, though! My apologies if such a map exists and I've missed it.
I can't find a map via searching. There is a map of suggested routes here: http://www.bikelib.org/maps-and-rides/maps/champaign-urbana/ (same map is online at other places, including Urbana's website) but it doesn't have official business district designations. Will check on Monday for a better answer.
I'm scared to drive my car in Champaign/Urbana traffic with all of the people who don't seem to know how to pilot a car safely. There is no way I would ride a bike in the street. I'll keep my bike riding - and business - out of areas that don't have bike lanes for the safety of all involved.
C'mon bikers - New York up! Get into the traffic lane like a motorcycle. Urbana doesn't have the money to widen roads for bikes or paint bike lanes or suffer paying a law suit from an accident for failing to protect the citizens from each other. The technology already exist with clothing, lights, etc to do what is right when you are traveling at or above the posted speeds for traffic. "Start seeing motorcycles"!
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