3-13-14 bike sidewalk ban survey

An informal, unscientific survey has mixed results on a proposal tp lift a citywide ban on riding bicycles on sidewalks.  Fond du lac Public Works Director Jordan Skiff sys the issue was first brought to his

attention by police who were ticketing people, many of them elderly, for riding their bikes on downtown sidewalks.  The city council delayed action until a community survey was conducted to see how the public feels about the issue.   Skiff says most of the downtown business owners who filled out a survey

were opposed to allowing bikes on downtown sidewalks.  "The response there was relatively low.  Out of about 500 surveys that were sent only about 40 were received back.  The majority of them did not want to have bicycles on the sidewalks,"  Skiff said.  Skiff says there were about 300 responses to the city’s online survey but only 28 responses on paper.  Skiff says the results there were more mixed.  The city council decided to keep the present ordinance in place.