For Immediate Release
January 13, 2016
Contact: Dane Eifling
Bicycle Programs Coordinator Sustainability & Resilience
deifling@fayetteville-ar.gov479.575.8211
New Bicycling Ordinances to Take Effect on Saturday
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. —Two ordinances affecting bicycling in Fayetteville are set to go into effect on Saturday, Jan 16, 2016. City Code sections 73.04 RIDING ON ROADWAYS AND BICYCLE PATHS and 73.04 RIDING ON SIDEWALKS were both repealed and replaced by the Fayetteville City Council on Dec. 15, 2015. The new regulations are designed to clarify rules for bicyclists.
City Code § 73.04, now titled RIDING ON ROADWAYS AND BICYCLE FACILITIES, no longer requires bicyclists to use side paths as opposed to riding in the roadways. The new ordinance authorizes bicycling in the roadways and provides clarification on when it is acceptable for bicyclists to leave the right lane (turning left, passing a vehicle, avoiding hazards, etc.).
The revised language in City Code § 73.04 RIDING ON SIDEWALKS requires bicyclists to yield the right-of-way to pedestrians on a sidewalk and to give an audible signal before passing a pedestrian. Bicyclists are prohibited from riding on sidewalks that abut buildings or when operation would endanger pedestrians. The code also clarifies language about crosswalks – a person bicycling through the crosswalk must yield the right-of-way to vehicles and pedestrians. To earn the protections of a pedestrian, the bicyclist must dismount and walk the bicycle in the crosswalk.
“Riding on congested sidewalks or sidewalks next to a building is prohibited under this ordinance,” stated Sergeant Craig Stout of the Fayetteville Police Department. “The Dickson Street and Downtown Square areas are examples of sidewalks that are right next to buildings and are congested with pedestrians. We encourage bicyclists to dismount and walk on the sidewalk to their destination.”
The American League of Bicyclists website presents tips on riding your bike in the road with traffic. The ordinances take effect on Jan. 16. The full text of the new ordinance has not yet been codified (entered into the City Code document); in the interim, visit the City’s website here.
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