Earlier this month, the Cole County Commission agreed to put up Jefferson City Bike Loop signing on county roadways. However, commissioners reversed that decision Tuesday after constituents raised concerns.
In the earlier meeting, Cole County Public Works Director Eric Landwehr said the city had been working on a signing plan for the bike loop that would be 17.5 miles long.
Part of the loop was to run on County Park Road and Rock Ridge Road in the county.
Bange asked commissioners for directional signing to be placed at two locations — the intersections of County Park and Rock Ridge roads, and at Rock Ridge and Glenstone Drive — to designate the loop route. Eight signs would have been put up.
At this week’s commission meeting, Eastern District Commissioner Jeff Hoelscher, who voted against the loop proposal at the earlier meeting, said he had numerous calls from constituents who were concerned about the proposal. Presiding Commissioner Sam Bushman and Western District Commissioner Harry Otto, who voted for the proposal, said they also had been contacted.
The commission asked Landwehr to do a speed study in the proposed area for the loop in the county.
More than 1,500 vehicles travel these areas every day and travel as fast as 50 mph.
Landwehr said they already have people biking on county roads throughout the county.
“It’s going to happen, and there’s nothing that can prevent it,” Landwehr said.
He added additional signing could help warn people of bicyclists potentially riding in the area, and they usually don’t see cyclists use the higher volume roads in the county.
“I, as the public works director, don’t have an issue with bicycles on the roadway,” Landwehr said.
Jefferson City Engineer David Bange told commissioners in 2007 the city’s greenway master plan, put together by the Jefferson City Parks and Recreation Department, showed where they’d like to see bike routes in the city and county.
“This same piece we’re talking about now on County Park and Rock Ridge was part of the plan,” Bange said.
The pedestrian/bike plan was redone in 2016 by the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, which serves Jefferson City and Cole County, and this area was included in its bike route plan.
Bange showed a map taken from the app known as Strava which tracks where people run or ride using GPS. Bange said the map indicated high bicycle usage on Route NN and Pea Ridge in the western part of the county and in other areas such as Wardsville and Wade roads.
Bange then showed a map with crash statistics for the County Park/Rock Ridge area from 2006-18. In that time, he said, they found no crashes involving bicycles or pedestrians.
“Studies have shown that if you increase the number of bicyclists on a road, the road becomes safer, both for cyclists and motorists,” Bange said. “If I realize there’s bicyclists on the road, then I’m paying more attention to what is going on on the road.”
“I thankfully don’t run into that many bicyclists on Wardsville Road. That’s a substandard road, and it’s a fact we can’t stop the bikes from coming out there. But bikes using the full lanes just doesn’t make sense to me. You’ve got cars coming through at 50 mph, over hills and around corners,” Hoelscher added.
If bicyclists want to bike in that area, Hoelscher told Bange, “Build a damn trail. Don’t put them on my substandard roads.”
Bushman agreed with Hoelscher.
“Greenways I like, but I’m not comfortable with bikes on our roads,” Bushman said. “I don’t know if most people would even notice the signs.”
Hoelscher and Bushman voted to not do the signage while Otto voted in favor.
“It’s not marking it for bicycles, it is telling the people there are bicycles and we can’t keep them off the roads,” Otto said. “Whether or not there are signs, the bicyclists are going to be there, so why not alert the driver.”
“Then we’d have to mark all the roads because they can be everywhere,” Hoelscher responded.
Landwehr said he had talked with former County Recorder of Deeds Ralph Bray, who is working to get a trailhead installed in Eugene on the Rock Island Trail. He wasn’t sure if the action taken by the commission would have any effect on what could happen in that area, but there are plans to get a signed route from the Katy Trail to Rock Island.