Bikes on the Square

Is anyone else holding his breath and just waiting for the new signs to be erected around the Square, announcing No Bike-Riding or Skateboarding on Sidewalks? How bad will the sign pollution be (how many signs?) and how large will the signs have to be, in order to warn adequately all those who might dare to ride or skateboard on those sidewalks?

And what will the cost to the City of Woodstock be to purchase the signs and install them?

Early this morning I watched a mom out for her run around the Square with her Boston terrier on a leash and her young daughter on her bicycle with the training wheels. Off they went around the Square, with the daughter enjoying her ride down the pedestrian-free sidewalk in front of Cobblestone's and around to Harris Bank and down past the bakeries.

Just imagine the traumatic experience for the youngster, if a Woodstock police officer had stopped them to warn them about the new ordinance. I can just imagine the mother's thoughts and words about such a "stop."

Now, don't get me wrong. The officer would have been doing his duty - enforcing the law. And he probably would go home at the end of his shift and begin searching the internet for a new job with a town that doesn't have senseless ordinances like this one.

After all, if the police will not keep sidewalks in neighborhoods clear of cars parked across them, why should they enforce this new ordinance? What's worse? A car parked on a sidewalk or a kid on a bicycle or a skateboard on a sidewalk?

No Bikes, Skateboards on the Square

Heads up, kids. You'll be finding new rules soon on the Square for riding your bikes and skateboards.

Tonight's City Council meeting included passage, without discussion or any notice other than mention as an Agenda item, of an expanded ordinance that prohibits skateboarding and riding bicycles on the sidewalks of the Square, including streets leading into the Square.

Celebrating with a ride past City Hall tonight were two boys, having a joy ride right down the middle of Calhoun Street in front of City Hall. Think they had any concern about the action to be taken by the City Council just yard away?

Think they care?

The ordinance itself doesn't mention any specific fine. Is it the "usual" $75.00 fine? Can the fine be paid at City Hall or do you have to go to McHenry County Courthouse? That's a long skateboard ride from the Square.

First, the City will have to install signs to warn bicyclists and skateboarders to stay off the sidewalks. Then there will probably be a warning period - maybe 30 days when the police will only issue warnings.

Let's hope their policy is one warning per kid and not 30 days' worth of warning. It won't take long for the word to get around town.

Bikes/Skateboards on the Square

This Tuesday will be a "hot time in the ol' town tonight" at the Woodstock City Council meeting.

What's up?

You can plan on angry neighbors from Fremont Street and the Dean St. School areas.

Count on opponents to the razing of Grace Hall on the former Todd School property, now the home of Woodstock Christian Life Services.

And the City Council chamber will probably be filled with kids and skateboards, because the City Council will most likely vote to expand prohibitions against bicycles and skateboards on sidewalks around the Square. (Click on the photo to enlarge it.)

From today's Northwest Herald, Page 1B. "Bikes and skateboards have not been allowed on the sidewalks of the Square for 31 years, a city official said." Oh, really? Which City official said this? Why not name him?

Thirty-one years? You don't say. I guess you wouldn't really know that from the number of bicycles ridden on sidewalks around the Square.

There might be some tolerance of 7-8-9 year-olds on bikes on the Square. But how about the 15-16-17-18-19-year-old ruffians who think they own the sidewalk? Who force pedestrians to step aside as they ride by?

Currently, bicycles are only prohibited on the sidewalks immediately surrounding the Square and not on the side streets or the extensions of the streets. How will this change?

If the ordinance is approved as proposed, skateboarding and riding bicycles on the sidewalks will be illegal on all sidewalks of the four main streets around the Square; i.e., Throop, Church, Jefferson and Calhoun Streets. But not the sidewalks of those four streets. The shaded streets shown existing bicycle restrictions on sidewalks. Solid black lines show the proposed expansion of bicycle restrictions and addition of skateboarding prohibition to all - solid lined streets and shaded streets - the sidewalks thereof.

This means that bicyclists will have to ride in the street and obey traffic laws (keep to the right; stop at stop signs; signal turns; have lights at night; yield to pedestrians.

How many tickets has the police department written on the Square for sidewalk violations? Any? Or does the police department's Community Service (non-sworn, non-armed) Officer write these tickets? Or is it a City Code violation that is not enforced by police, but instead by the Code Enforcement Officer?

The kicker in the whole deal (aside from the spelling of "activies" in the second WHEREAS) may be one phrase in the second WHEREAS paragraph, which reads in its entirety:

"WHEREAS, the City of Woodstock has previously determined that it is reasonable and appropriate to prohibit the riding of skateboards and the riding of bicycles, as well as other activies (sic), at certain locations in the Park in the Square as well as adjoining streets and public sidewalks"

Could this phrase - "as well as other activies (sic)" - be enough to cause the entire ordinance to be constitutionally vague and therefore unenforceable?