1-23-14 fdl council postpones vote on lifting citywide sidewalk bicycle ban

The Fond du Lac city council has postponed a vote on a proposal to rescind a citywide sidewalk bicycle ban.   The council voted unanimously to push off the issue until the council’s first meeting in March to provide more time for public outreach.   Council president Sam Meyer says his initial reaction is a safety concern if bicycles are allowed on sidewalks.  City manager Joe Moore says under state law bicycles are banned on sidewalks unless municipalities enact their own ordinance.  The issue has been focused on downtown sidewalks where  Fond du Lac Downtown Partnership director Amy Hansen says downtown there’s not

enough room for a bicycle lane on Main Street.   Hansen says several business owners don’t want to discourage people from coming downtown.  Hansen says the bike ban was implemented for safety reasons, but she says police could still ticket a bicyclist who is riding in an unsafe manner.