The Two Rivers leadership group is discussing some changes to the bike laws in the Cool City.
During yesterday’s Two Rivers City Update, City Manager Greg Buckley explained that the City Council had received public feedback regarding the bike laws, which led to a nice discussion during Monday’s work session meeting.
“We reviewed the existing ordinance, areas where perhaps signage could be improved,” he explained. “No action [was] taken, but the consensus was to consider an amendment to our existing city ordinances that would specifically allow children 12 years of age and under to be able to ride their bicycles on the sidewalks.”
This change would also allow parents or responsible adults riding bikes with children to be on the sidewalk.
The current ordinance is a bit vague, as Buckley explained it disallows any bike riding on sidewalks with the exception of “individuals riding a bicycle with wheels 20 inches or less in diameters who are learning to ride. I’m not sure how you determine whether someone is proficient enough or not that they should or shouldn’t be on the sidewalk.”
So, in the interest of safety and clarity, the Council is working on a provision that would allow younger people to ride their bikes on the sidewalk, while still yielding to pedestrians.
Bikes are allowed on sidewalks in a few areas of the city, namely on bridges, and along Riverview Drive.
