Changes to Fargo's bike ordinance should improve safety for both bicyclists and pedestrians in the downtown area, city officials said Monday.
The City Commission unanimously approved the revised bicycle ordinance for a first reading.
Fargo Senior Planner Bob Stein said an increasing number of pedestrians are complaining about bicyclists riding too fast on downtown sidewalks, raising the risk of collisions.
Part of the problem, he said, is that no-biking signs aren't as visible since the Broadway Streetscape project was completed in 2004. The city is working on those signs and special "bicycle dismount zone" signs to let riders know where they can get off their bikes downtown, he said.
The revised ordinance reiterates that it's illegal to ride on a sidewalk posted with signs prohibiting bicycles. Bicyclists riding slower than the speed of traffic must keep as far right as "practicable."
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That means bicyclists can use as much of the driving lane as needed - particularly on Broadway, where diagonal parking makes it difficult for backing motorists to see bikes, said Justin Kerstin, regional bicycling and pedestrian coordinator for the Metropolitan Council of Governments.
"This creates a better setting for bikes to ride on the street," he said.
The revised ordinance also gives police the authority to impound bikes abandoned on public streets or sidewalks after providing three days' notice.
In other business Monday, commissioners:
- Voted to hire EAPC Architects Engineers of Fargo to study the feasibility of a municipally owned wind turbine near the city lagoons along U.S. 81 north of Fargo.
The city already has applied for federal financing for a 1.5-megawatt wind turbine that would supply about 85 percent of the electricity used annually at the wastewater plant. EAPC estimates the study's cost at $20,000.
- Approved a growth plan amendment for 193 acres of mixed development in the southwest corner of Interstate 29 and 52nd Avenue South, where developer Larry Scheffler is proposing "The District by the Lakes."
- Approved a schedule to build an I-94 overpass at 57th Street in 2008 and finish the interchange ramps in 2010.
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Readers can reach Forum reporter Mike Nowatzki at (701) 241-5528
