AJC LTE's 2/8/2007

AJC Letters to the Editor:

Cobb Opinions: READER RESPONSE: Bike 'cruising' law criticized
Only lawyers stand to benefit here

By Timothy Carroll, Frank Jewell
For the Journal-Constitution
Published on: 02/08/07

At a Feb. 1 meeting to discuss the proposed Columns Drive "No Cruising" ordinance, Commissioner [Joe Lee] Thompson reported that lawyers for Cobb County brought up the ordinance and said that they believe it is fully legal, although this type of restrictive ordinance singling out bicycles has never been passed anywhere else in the country.

Are these the same lawyers Cobb County depended on for the decision that it would be legal to paste labels inside biology textbooks?

Are these the same lawyers Cobb County consulted who thought it would be legal to spend tens of millions of taxpayer dollars on laptop computers, even though that was not why the taxes had been approved?

How many millions of Cobb County taxpayer dollars in legal fees have been spent trying to defend these ill-thought-out "legal decisions"?

How many more millions are the people of Cobb County willing to let be spent to defend decisions that cater to a small minority of residents?

How much of this money will end up in the pockets of lawyers recommending these legal decisions and strategies?

I would rather see our tax dollars benefit the residents of our county, not lawyers.

TIMOTHY CARROLL

Marietta (Columns Drive resident)

Common sense on all sides is best solution

As usual, our community leaders are proposing legislation without determining the root cause of the actual problem.

If restrictions are put on cyclists, they also should be placed on runners and walkers.

As a bike commuter, I often use Columns Drive as part of my route to work. On mornings when I want to get a little more exercise, I make five or more loops on Columns. It is hard for cyclists to use the "bike" lanes when walkers and runners use the lanes as sidewalks.

If only everyone used common sense, the problem would solve itself. Walkers, runners and cyclists should always keep as close to the curb as safely possible and when approached by oncoming traffic (any type of traffic) they should always form a single-file line to pass.

FRANK JEWELL, Marietta

AJC Article 2/1/2007

Article in the AJC:

Not all cyclists, residents at odds

By CRAIG SCHNEIDER
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 02/01/07

Cobb County's proposed "cruising" ban on cyclists who use Columns Drive has ignited debate among residents and riders. Yet some say the debate misses a huge point — that the road for the most part is a safe and courteous place to ride and drive.

"All you hear is the bad stuff," said resident Bonnie Fishman, who also rides on the 2 1/2-mile street in east Cobb near the Chattahoochee River. "You don't hear all the good stuff."

She said cyclists say "Good morning" to her as she waits with her first-grader for the bus, and that while there may be the occasional flare-up between rider and driver, the atmosphere is largely peaceful. Indeed, the mix of residents, riders, runners and walkers is part of the social fabric of Columns Drive, which the proposed ordinance would damage, she said.

"This is not a normal place," said Fishman, who said she is among about a dozen homeowners who cycle on the street. "Why make it normal?"

Some residents and riders say the proposed ordinance is too severe a way to address problems created by a few cyclists. The ordinance would prohibit a cyclist from passing a certain point on the road more twice in an hour. Many cyclists ride up and down the street several times, and they say the anti-cruising ordinance would effectively bar them from the road.

The controversy has polarized some riders and residents. As the two sides have dug in their heels, they've been largely talking at each other, with homeowners saying cyclists are stealing their roadway and cyclists saying they have a right to ride.

A community meeting set for tonight may reveal the depth of animosity and whether the two sides are ready to start talking to each other. The meeting is set for 6 p.m. at the Atlanta Country Club at 500 Atlanta Country Club Drive in east Cobb.

Concerns out in the open

People on both sides say they hope they can craft a solution without the county commissioners adopting the proposed cruising ordinance, which would impose fines of up to $500 on riders who loop around and around on the road.

Columns Drive runs off Johnson Ferry Road and dead-ends in a parking lot by the Chattahoochee River. It draws dozens of cyclists to its long, wide shoulders. Many have made the road their training track, doing fast laps around it.

Cyclist Jim Hunt said the public discussion, much of which occurred at a public hearing last week, has helped to narrow the problem. In his eyes, the homeowners' major complaint is that some speeding cyclists ride three or four abreast and jut into the road with little regard for cars.

If those cyclists could limit themselves to two abreast, it would calm tempers, said Hunt, a 26-year-old Marietta man who rides there several times a week in nice weather.

"If the cyclists could be a little more respectful to the drivers, and the drivers could be a little more patient, I think we can work together," he said.

Cyclists have the most to lose should the Cobb County Board of Commissioners adopt the ordinance. At the same time, some residents insist they want dangers removed from their neighborhood.

"Nobody who lives in this neighborhood wants to run over a person on a bicycle," said resident Larry Savage.

Hunt hopes publicity will highlight the need for more cycling spots in north metro Atlanta. Cycling places there are rare, he said, aside from Columns Drive, the Silver Comet Trail and some riverfront parts of Roswell.

Hope and skepticism

Resident Lawrie Jordan also said he hopes the debate leads to solutions, but added that he's not sure talking to a few cyclists will make a big difference.

"I'm not sure if they can exist in harmony with the pedestrians and cars," he said.

Tim Carroll, a neighborhood resident who also cycles there, said he thinks the problems have been blown out of proportion by a handful of residents who don't want the bikers there.

He said a "cruising" ban would embarrass many people in Cobb, much as the evolution stickers in school textbooks did.

Cobb County officials say neighbor complaints have been building for 10 years, and the officials want a solution before tragedy strikes. Yet they may not want to adopt a measure perceived as anti-cycling, because cycling is considered a healthy recreational activity.

Commissioner Joe Thompson proposed the cruising ordinance, which would not apply to cars or other motor vehicles, but he has not publicly said whether he supports it.

The commissioners are expected to vote on the ordinance Feb. 27.

"Both sides are taking the county seriously," Thompson said. "You have to admit I got a good discussion going on."

AJC Article on 1/23/2007

The first slanted AJC Article:



Cobb targets cyclists
Fines up to $500 considered for riders who illegally use roads

By CRAIG SCHNEIDER
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 01/23/07

Cyclists beware!

Cobb County officials are considering setting up some legal roadblocks on one of the most popular places to ride in metro Atlanta, setting up fines up to $500.

With its flat surface, wide shoulders and lack of parked cars, Columns Drive near Marietta draws dozens of cyclists on a nice day, including many who use the somewhat remote road as their training track, riding lap after lap up and down the 2 1/2 mile street.

But angry residents who live along the road in upwards of million-dollar homes say the cyclists whip along the street three or more abreast, cutting off cars, robbing the roadway and scaring people even as they step out to check their mailbox.

Tonight the county Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing on a "cruising" ordinance that would crack down on those who buzz back and forth along the road. The ordinance would fine anyone who rides past a given point twice in an hour.

Biking advocates say the new law would effectively shut down the roadway to many riders. This would be the first such law in metro Atlanta, and possibly in the country, said Dennis Hoffarth, executive director of the advocacy group called The Atlanta Bicycle Campaign. And he believes any type of anti-cycling law would be a black eye to Atlanta.

But residents who purchased homes along the Chattahoochee River say they've had enough of dangerous, inconsiderate and at time rude cyclists.

"I'm talking about the speed bicyclist," said Paul McNulty, who has lived there about 17 years. "They'll go 30, 40, 50 miles per hour down Columns Drive. They want the drivers, the skaters, the walkers to get out of their way so they can have the whole road."

Some cyclists exceed the speed limit of 25 mph, sidle up to cars and "thump" on the car to get it out of their way, residents say.

"It's not being considerate, respectful or polite," McNulty said.

The bicyclists, for their part, say they have a legal right to ride there, and that while there are a few bad apples, the groups in general try to be safe and respectful.

"The cyclists have a right to the road," said Jim Hunt, 26, who has ridden the road two to three times a week for about five years. "I know that can be hard to swallow."

He added, though, that cyclists have a responsibility to stay on the shoulder.

In a sense, Columns Drive has become a victim of its own success, he said. On warm days, the shoulders can become congested with cyclists, joggers and walkers, and sometimes cyclists must enter into the road to avoid hitting some of them. He suggested the county consider adding sidewalks.

Hunt added, "I hope everybody would be willing to compromise. Patience is a big part of it."

Columns Road is among the safest routes for bike riding in metro Atlanta, and such places are few and far between, said Hoffarth of the Atlanta Bicycle Campaign. Consequently the road draws many riders from outside the area, which piques the homeowners even more.

His group met with public officials, residents and riders in October to try to broker a resolution. He believes the proposed cruising ordinance smacks of selective enforcement against the riders.

The law would fine a person $50 for the first violation, $100 for the second and $500 for the third within a year.

Hoffarth said he has checked with biking groups across the country and none have heard of such a law. He foresees a backlash locally and nationally, asserting that metro Atlanta would look as though it were cracking down on a healthy recreational activity.

"This could actually be an embarrassment across the country," he said.

Cobb Commissioner Joe Thompson, who represents this area, said he will await the public comment before deciding on the ordinance.

Some people involved with the issue are hoping the proposed ordinance is another attempt by the county to bring the warring parties together and create more compromise.

At the same time, Thompson believes some sort of change is needed.

"Columns Drive is simply not a park. It's a street in a subdivision," Thompson said. "It creates sort of an unsafe situation."

How This Started.

A proposed ordinance by Commissioner Thompson of Cobb County, which many people find at odds with state law:


**(a**) Purpose and Intent.


The Board of Commissioners finds that traffic congestion on Columns Drive has increased significantly as a result of increased usage of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area and increased residential
development in the area. Much of the congestion is caused by pedestrians using skate boards, roller skates, and in-line skates, and bicycle traffic, a significant portion of which is repetitive and appears to have a recreational rather than a transportation purpose. Repetitive bicycle traffic, and pedestrians using
skate boards, roller skates, and in-line skates adds to this congestion and presents a safety hazard to persons who travel along Columns Drive and those who live there. Therefore, the following ordinance is enacted to mitigate the effects of congestion on Columns Drive.
**(b**) Definitions.
**(1**) Cruise or cruising means to use a bicycle, skate board, roller skates, or in-line skates so as to pass a traffic control point within a no cruising zone more than twice within any one hour period.
**(2**) No cruising zone means the entirety of Columns Drive.
**(3**) Traffic control point means any point established by a police officer within a no cruising zone for the purpose of monitoring cruising.
**(c**) Prohibited Conduct and Enforcement.
**(1**) The Department of Transportation shall mark a no cruising zone by conspicuously posting appropriate signs at each entrance to the zone.
**(2**) A police officer shall mark a traffic control point with an appropriate sign.
**(3**) A person violates this ordinance by cruising in an area marked in accordance with this section as a no cruising zone. A citation may be issued for such violation at any time after the traffic control point is passed the second time within any one hour period.
**(d**) Exclusions. This section shall not apply to:
**(1**) An official public safety or emergency bicycle; or
**(2**) Any special event as declared by the Board of Commissioners.
**(e**) Penalties. Any person convicted of violating the provisions of this section shall pay a fine as established below:
**(1**) The sum of $50.00 upon the first violation within a one-year period.
**(2**) The sum of $100.00 upon the second violation within a one-year period.
**(3**) The sum of $500.00 upon the third and each subsequent violation within a one-year period.