Bicyclists Banned in Black Hawk
Black Hawk is the only town in Colorado which bans bicycling through town. And this past weekend it issued the first tickets to bicyclists violating the ban. Black Hawk's new rule was actually enacted in January and prohibits bike riding on nearly every street in town, including the only paved thoroughfare in Black Hawk.
City Manager Mike Copp said safety is the reason for the ban. The roads in Black Hawk are narrow and do not have shoulders. Tour buses and delivery trucks crowd through to the local casinos. Forcing those large vehicles over three feet when passing cyclists, as required by a 2009 Colorado law , means trucks and buses must move into oncoming traffic, Copp said.
After a period of issuing warnings, police this month began citing cyclists. To date, the town has issued eight $68 tickets. Cyclists using the road to connect to the popular ride along the Peak to Peak Scenic Byway from Black Hawk to Estes Park are protesting the ban, which forces them to walk their bikes a half-mile through town. Another option is to ride over Berthoud Pass -- but that excludes most of the Peak to Peak Scenic Byway.
The opposition to the ban formed a Facebook page called "Bicyclists and Tourists Boycott Black Hawk Colorado," launched last week. The website dismountblackhawk.com is offering shirts protesting the ban. Bicycle Colorado, a nonprofit dedicated to all things cycling in Colorado, is working on a grassroots push to get Black Hawk to overturn the ban.
Black Hawk officials expected the uproar and have no plans to reconsider the ban.