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| Bicycling ban, Black Hawk, Colorado |
Black Hawk, population 100, "The City of Mills," is one of Colorado's oldest cities. It is one of a number of towns that grew up in "Gregory's Gulch," the narrow ravine where Georgia prospector John H. Gregory first discovered lode gold in the western part of Kansas Territory in 1859.
Well the times have changed. Now, this small casino town in Colorado is cracking the whip on “pedaling.” Yes, you read it right, the city is cracking down on bicycling because the casinos complain that cyclists get in the way of buses used to bring gamblers in and out of town.In January, 2010, the town approved the ordinance banning biking on nearly every street and only paved thoroughfare in town. Cyclists may still pass through town, though they are now required to walk their bicycles. According to the City of Black Hawk Ordinances 2009-20 and 2010-3 “bicycles are prohibited within the City on certain streets.” If you want to buck the ban, be willing to pay a hefty $68 fine as police are already issuing tickets.
According to the Denver Post, The City Manager Mike Copp said that due to an increase in traffic, the city has taken a proactive approach. The new ordinance, enacted in January, ”is best for its citizens, for its businesses, which in this case are casinos, and its visitors.”
The Black Hawk Bike Ban issue got a lot of international press and led to many campaigns to challenge this ban to prove that Colorado is a great state for bicycling:
