Cobb Commission Meeting Tuesday Night

Please remember Tuesday evening is the final Cobb Commission meeting concerning the restrictive ordinances on Columns Drive, which effectively takes away some of our access to the road. Please attend! We need a show of force to send a signal that we will not tolerate having our access to public roads taken away from us. Sure, you could have more listening to Scott Stapp CDs, watching a Ben Afflack and Jennifer Lopez movie, or having a root canal, however we need you to take this one night and support your fellow cyclists. We need to let the Cobb Commissioners that we are watching how they vote, and we will hold them responsible the next time they are up for election. (Emails phone and fax numbers follow, and there is time for all.)

If we let this restriction be adapted, which Georgia State law clearly states they cannot do without exclusive bike lanes in place, they will surely follow with more. While we all want to allow motorists to be able to pass us while cycling, which usually means dropping to single file for a moment, we do not want to lose two abreast riding which Georgia laws allows, or the right to take the lane to avoid obstacles or to get ready for a turn.

As it stands now many motorists believe that we are not allowed on the roadway. Starting to publicize that we have to be single file or in the bike lane in any area will surely lead to more motorists believing that we are not allowed to be on the road, and will surely lead to more unsafe conditions. How many times have you been buzzed by a car with somebody yelling "Get off the road," if not had something thrown at you. Now the terrorists,. .er motorists will feel more emboldened to continue with this behavior. Two cyclists were recently pulled over intown during a ride by the police with full lights and sirens. The officer informed them that they were not allowed to ride two abrest, took their IDs, and went back to his car to write tickets. Evidently somebody on the radio informed him that they could ride two abreast. The police were not even familiar with the law.

An enforced uniform code throughout the state, which currently does stand, is the safest for cyclists. We just need to educate the citizens and police on the law, enforce it along with other traffic laws, and us courtesy and common sense around motorists. A patchwork of different laws on various streets and counties will only lead to confusion, which will be taken out on cyclists.

Following is a letter sent out by Dennis Hoffarth of the Atlanta Bicycle Campaign. They are starting to get involved because they understand the importance of protecting our access to the roads. I support them in all they do to help us cyclists and urge you to read his letter and visit his website, http://www.atlantabike.org/, for more information on his organization. Joining and donating to his group is an excellent idea to help protect cyclist's rights in Georgia.

Please get involved! Tuesday evening can be very important. The J-Lo movie can wait!

Tim

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Dear ABC Members,

This is to ask you to take further action regarding proposed restrictions on bicycling on Columns Drive in Cobb County. Commissioner Joe Thompson got an earful from cyclists and other Cobb residents when he proposed a "no cruising" ordinance for this popular bicycling road. He appears to have dropped that idea, and picked up other ideas for restricting bicycle use. The most restrictive of these is the requirement that bicyclists be restricted to use of the shoulder area, and NOT the main travel lane.

I recommend that the County focus on enforcing existing state law which already requires cyclists to keep as far to the right as practicable (meaning in the shoulder area) UNLESS there are good reasons to move to the left. The law allows, for instance, for cyclists to move left to make a left turn and to avoid obstacles in the roadway. The full reading of the law is:

Riding on roadways and bicycle paths (40-26-294)

a) Every person operating a bicycle upon a roadway shall ride as near to the right side of the roadway as practicable, except when turning left or avoiding hazards to safe cycling, when the lane is too narrow to share safely with a motor vehicle, when traveling at the same speed as traffic, or while exercising due care when passing a standing vehicle or one proceeding in the same direction, provided, however, that every person operating a bicycle away from the right side of the roadway shall exercise reasonable care and shall give due consideration to the other applicable rules of the road. As used in this subsection, the term “hazards to safe cycling” includes, but is not limited to, surface debris, rough pavement, drain grates which are parallel to the side of the roadway, parked or stopped vehicles, potentially opening car doors, or any other objects which threaten the safety of a person operating a bicycle.

There are good reasons for the law as it now stands, and rightly allows them to move out of the shoulder when staying in the shoulder would result in a collision course with a pedestrian - i.e. a hazard to safe cycling. Requiring cyclists to stay in the shoulder at ALL times as proposed in the County legislation would be contrary to safe cycling, so I hope we do not end up with a compromise on that.

Any local restrictions on bicycling that go beyond state law will set a dangerous precedent, sure to be adopted by other counties and cities in metro Atlanta that may choose to restrict bicycling rather that invest in better bicycle accommodations.

If you live in Cobb, please write to your County Commissioner and copy the other commissioners with your message. Ask them to table any legislation that further restricts bicycle use beyond state law.

If you have friends or relatives in Cobb, please ask them to write. Please see contact info and map below.

The issue is expected to be voted on at the next County Commission meeting on February 27 at 7 p.m. The meeting will be held at the County Courthouse at 100 Cherokee Street in Marietta.

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Samuel S. Olens
County Wide Commissioner/ Chairman
100 Cherokee Street
Marietta, GA 30090-9679
(770) 528-3300
(770) 528-2606 fax
solens@cobbcounty.org

Tim Lee
District 3 Commissioner
100 Cherokee Street
Marietta, GA 30090-9679
(770) 528-3318
(770) 528-2606 fax
tlee@cobbcounty.org

Joe L. Thompson
District 2 Commissioner
100 Cherokee Street
Marietta, GA 30090-9679
(770) 528-3316
(770) 528-2606 fax
jthompson@cobbcounty.org

Annette Kesting
District 4 Commissioner
100 Cherokee Street
Marietta, GA 30090-9679
(770) 528-3312
(770) 528-2606 fax
annette.kesting@cobbcounty.org

Helen Goreham
District 1 Commissioner
100 Cherokee Street
Marietta, GA 30090-9679
(770) 528-3313
(770) 528-2606 fax
hgoreham@cobbcounty.org