Two Cole County commissioners last week flipped a decision to install signage along county roads used as bike routes.
However, that wasn't what shocked folks in Jefferson City.
It was their attitudes indicating bicycles didn't belong on county roads, Jefferson City Mayor Carrie Tergin said.
"It was eye-opening that leadership at that level had the attitude that bikes' places are not on the roadway, because they are absolutely allowable on the roads," Tergin said. "Bikes are absolutely allowed, as long as they're following the rules of the road."
Tergin said comments commissioners made confused (and maybe shocked) her enough that -- although she hadn't watched the commission meeting -- she captured screen shots of a newspaper story quoting commissioners.
The story quotes Eastern District Commissioner Jeff Hoelscher, who voted against the signs both times the issue came up over the past few weeks, telling Jefferson City engineer David Bange, "Build a d--- trail. Don't put them on my substandard roads."
Tergin found the comment appalling, she said.
Presiding Commissioner Sam Bushman, who switched his vote from in favor of the signs to opposition, agreed with Hoelscher on Tuesday, and the newspaper quoted him saying, "Greenways I like, but I'm not comfortable with bikes on our roads." He also added that he was not certain people would even notice the signs.
Commissioners had agreed earlier this month to place the signs along parts of County Park Road and Rock Ridge Road, to be included in the Jefferson City Bike Loop. Most of the loop is contained within the city limits of Jefferson City.
Ideas for signage have been considered since the city developed the 2007 Greenway Master Plan, Bange said Friday.
"It's a 17.5-mile loop that basically follows the ridge that forms the Wears Creek Drainage Basin," he said. "It's a route that (bicycle riders) have taken around Jeff City for a long, long time. In Jefferson City terms, it's 'Jefferson City flat.' Once you climb out of the Millbottom, you're basically on the ridge."
The "flattish" nature of the ridge makes it a very popular place for people to ride their bikes, he continued.
Like many adults, Kenny Newville said, he had a bicycle when he was a child, but left that behind when he discovered driving. However, the man known as the official biking coach to the mayor found himself with time during the pandemic, and took up riding again. In the past couple of years, he's ridden thousands of miles.
He started out easy -- riding the Katy Trail. Then he graduated to trails along Edgewood, before starting some road riding with friends.
Newville said he was surprised to learn what a "menace to society" bicycles on county roads have become.
"The JC loop is just ... it's pretty short really, when you consider a lot of people who are cyclists or bike users," Newville said. "It is an existing, advertised cycling route in our community. It is a bit of an economic draw.
"This JC Loop exists, and it's being ridden. I believe our city engineer presented some ... maps that show the story of that loop that's ridden."
Newman added riders are very cautious.
He said he had to laugh, because as he drove his pickup in to work Friday, another driver almost ran him off the road. He said he found it ironic county leaders are selling a story that bicyclists aren't safe on the roads, that they create hazards.
Bushman emphasized Friday that he was not against bicycles on county roads.
"This issue probably should have gone through our traffic and safety committee first, before it came before us," Bushman said. "They usually make recommendations on our roads and signage. Then (Public Works Director Eric Landwehr) brings their recommendations before us."
Bushman said the commission needs to follow protocol in the future and if members do, he feels they won't create so much controversy.
"We have many narrow, curvy county roads with no shoulders. And some of our citizens tend to exceed the posted speed limits," Bushman said. "This request was for one stretch of road -- not all county roads -- and I think we have many roads that are wide, with good shoulders that would be safe for bicycles and automobiles."
For safety concerns, though, Bushman said he wouldn't encourage bicyclists to ride on many of the county roads.
"I like the idea of joining the Katy Trail to the Rock Island Trail, but I think a greenway would be much safer to connect these two trails," Bushman said. "I am not anti-bicycling, but I worry about the safety of riding on some of our roads."
Tergin acknowledged she has been a proponent of cycling and making Jefferson City a bike-friendly place since she became mayor seven years ago. The city continues to expand "bike infrastructure" and to make itself more bike-friendly, she said.
"There may be some who don't realize that for some people, bikes aren't only for recreation," Tergin said. "It is their preferred mode of transportation. For some people, it may be their only way to get around."
She said local leaders should also consider how having cycling routes affects tourism. It has tremendous health benefits. It's a wonderful way to stay in shape and enjoy the scenery, she said.
"(Cycling) takes me into parts of the community I've never explored before," Tergin said. "You see the community from a completely new perspective. You connect with your surroundings."
She spoke as the city prepared for its first community bike rides of the season. The Jefferson City Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department event occurred late Saturday morning. The rides are intended to highlight the city's bike trails and to encourage activities. Although it didn't venture onto county roads, the ride offered a 10-mile route, which started in the North Jefferson City Recreation Area.
Riders, led by Bange and Jim Coleman, traveled east on Mokane Road and connected with the Katy Trail, before wrapping around and returning to North Jefferson City.
Gov. Mike Parson sees the Katy Trail and the Rock Island Trails as significant tourism generators. He pledged $69.3 million from the upcoming state budget to complete a 78-mile section of the Rock Island Trail from Eugene to Beaufort.
Eugene is the nearest point between the Rock Island Trail and the Katy Trail, Bange said. Construction of the pedestrian bridge (in 2008 on the Missouri River Bridge in Jefferson City) created a possible access point to connect the two trails. At that point, they are only about 30 miles apart. Cyclists salivate about the possibility of being able to ride from one trail to the other.
"We're trying to connect cyclists with places they want to be," Bange said.
To connect the trails, riders will likely have to use county roads in Miller and Cole counties, he said.
"If some of the Rock Island Trail were developed, it would end in Eugene," Bange said. "It would be great if they could jump up to the Katy and go back to where they started from. We could continue to see people traversing back and forth and spending time in Cole County. We'd have a goal of getting them to stay a while.
"There could be an economic benefit to the county if we could get this to happen," he said.
Ralph Bray, former Cole County recorder of deeds and a former Jefferson City councilman, is among leaders trying to get a trailhead installed in Eugene, on the Rock Island Trail. Bray said he spent more than 30 years as an employee of Missouri State Parks.
"I was there when they got the Katy Trail," Bray said. "There was controversy in the beginning. Once it got going, it was hugely successful, with national recognition."
Hoelscher, the Eastern District commissioner, said the issue is not whether bicyclists have the legal right to use the road. He agrees they do.
"The issue is safety," Hoelscher said. "I agree that it is, in their words, a substandard road, narrow, with moderate traffic and speeds. If we are to put signs up on every road that meets those conditions, we will have them almost everywhere. It's just not a direction I think we need to head.
"I also feel like putting signs up does not necessarily make it safer," Hoelscher added. "It gives bicyclist the false belief that it is safe when in reality it's not."
Bray said he gets the feeling riders are already riding on Cole County roads, which is their right. He said county roads aren't the same as they were 59 years ago, when he was young and his parents moved into Cole County. He became a driver in 1970.
"I tell you what, the county roads that we would drive back then are not the county roads that we drive today," he said.
Over the years, officials have straightened and flattened roads, he said. They've made roads a lot safer than they used to be.
"If they're safer for cars, maybe, they are safer for bikers, too," Bray said.
Both sides agree county roads provide different safety concerns than city routes do.
There are safety issues with farm machinery, too, Hoelscher said. Whether drivers come up behind farm machinery or bicyclists, they need to be ready and alert at all times. They also need to be alert for deer, which he said, don't just cross roads at deer crossing signs.
But farm machinery is different than bicycles, he said, because it is larger and easier to see. Machinery has flashing lights and large orange triangle reflectors on the back.
"And they are working ... not just cruising or for recreation," Hoelscher said.
Western District Commissioner Harry Otto, who voted in favor of having the signs installed both times the matter came to the commission, said a belief that more bicyclists will use county roads because there are signs warning drivers about them may not make much sense.
Otto pointed out Friday how cyclists have indicated the loop is a preferred route. It's prudent to have signage to alert drivers there may be cyclists using the road, too.
"We wouldn't be saying the bicyclists will take this route by putting up these signs," Otto said. "We'd be saying they will take it and probably will continue to take it.
"It's equivalent to putting a deer crossing where deer cross the road," he said "We're not telling the deer to cross there. We're acknowledging that's where they are crossing."
Ethan Weston/News Tribune photo: Michael Vaught fills his bike tire with air ahead of the first community bike ride of the season on Saturday, March 26, 2022 at the North Jefferson Recreation Area. “I trie to (do the ride) whenever I’m off work,” Vaught said.
Ethan Weston/News Tribune photo: Cyclists set off on a community bike ride on Saturday, March 26, 2022 at the North Jefferson Recreation Area. The group road around 11 miles.
Ethan Weston/News Tribune photo: Cyclists set off on a community bike ride on Saturday, March 26, 2022 at the North Jefferson Recreation Area. The group road around 11 miles.
Ethan Weston/News Tribune photo: A cyclist pedals their bike during the first community bike ride of the season on Saturday, March 26, 2022 at the North Jefferson Recreation Area.