Did you catch all that? Bit of a confusing headline, no? Allow me to try to explain.
There was an announcement that circulated recently about the upcoming City Council hearing taking place tonight (posted here on Columbus Underground). On CU, mostly positive casual conversation took place yesterday morning, with some chatter about a bit of the proposed legislation dealing with changing the rules regarding sidewalk cycling. The legislation left some people (myself included) feeling confused.
And then things got even more confusing yesterday evening when NBC4 rolled out this article titled New Ordinance Could Move Bikers To The Sidewalks. From the article: A proposed ordinance for the City of Columbus may soon put the brakes on cyclists riding in the streets.
If you’re unaware, sidewalk cycling is not technically allowed (although rarely enforced), and despite what many motorists may tell you, cyclists have a legal right to share the roads.
Needless to say, folks on Columbus Underground, Consider Biking, and several other cycling-oriented blogs were all very upset to hear this.
Hopefully things will calm back down now though, as Tavares addressed the issue in a Dispatch article this afternoon. From the article:
The sponsor of legislation requiring young people to wear bicycle helmets in Columbus says she does not intend to force all riders onto the sidewalks.
But in trying to make other city laws match the Ohio Revised Code, Councilwoman Charleta B. Tavares and other city officials have touched off a storm with bicyclists who say they’re being treated unfairly.
She said this morning that changes are coming that will make the proposed new rules clearer. The city attorney’s office recommended provisions dealing with where cyclists can ride and how they’re treated under the law, she said. The intent was to streamline city code and make it more compatible with Ohio laws.
The legislation would require all bicyclists younger than 18 to wear a helmet. It also would repeal city rules barring bicyclists from Columbus sidewalks, and it states that riders on sidewalks have “all the rights and duties applicable to a pedestrian.”
A running debate on local blogs has been sharply critical of the plan. Some fear that Tavares’ proposal would make everyone ride on sidewalks, while others say bicyclists are being put at the bottom of the pecking order among motorists, riders and pedestrians.