Resident lauds Cole County commissioners’ vote on bicycle loop

A cyclist pedals a bike during the first community bike ride of the season Saturday, March 26, 2022, at the North Jefferson Recreation Area. (Ethan Weston/News Tribune photo)
A cyclist pedals a bike during the first community bike ride of the season Saturday, March 26, 2022, at the North Jefferson Recreation Area. (Ethan Weston/News Tribune photo)

A Cole County resident went to Tuesday's regular session of the Cole County Commission to thank commissioners for deciding not to install signage along county roads used as bike routes.

Commissioners had agreed earlier this month to place eight signs along parts of County Park and Rock Ridge roads to be included in the Jefferson City Bike Loop. Most of the 17.5-mile loop is contained within the city limits of Jefferson City.

Then last week, Presiding Commissioner Sam Bushman changed his "yes" vote to a "no" vote and joined Eastern District Commissioner Jeff Hoelscher, who had voted "no" earlier, in deciding not to do a cooperative agreement with Jefferson City to install the signs after the city approached the commission with the plan. Western District Commissioner Harry Otto voted in favor of the signs being installed at both meetings.

Hoelscher and Bushman said they voted "no" due to calls they had from constituents after the first meeting, primarily believing having bicyclists on county roads was a safety hazard.

At Tuesday's commission meeting, Wardsville resident Jerry Rosslan told commissioners the vote last week "accurately represented the opinion of your constituents." He said more county residents should come out to take the time to let commissioners know they have the support in the county.

"Vehicle drivers feel that bike riders have an attitude that, 'This is my road, you will have to adapt to me,'" Rosslan said in comments he provided to the commission. "I understand that bikes are allowed on these roads and that we need to share the road, but that goes both ways."

Rosslan said he felt some of the county roads the bikers ride are "a little narrow and if they don't have a shoulder it creates an extra hazard for the rider and the driver."

"I understand they want to ride on these roads because it is fun," Rosslan said. "There's hills and curves on the county roads. It's not much fun to ride on a straight U.S. 54, but these roads are the paths to our homes, farms and work, and we know how hazardous it can be just driving them in our vehicles."

Bushman reiterated a point he made after the last vote and that was the issue that probably should have gone through the county's traffic and safety committee first before coming to the commission because they usually make recommendations on roads and signage.

"I don't think it would change anything because one of the bicyclists I talked to had an incident on Route C where they were riding on the shoulder and someone threw ice at them," Hoelscher said. "No matter what signs we would have up, it doesn't stop idiots from doing things like that."

"These bicyclists have identified the loop, and they're going to use the loop, and I think we should alert the public that the loop is being used by cyclists," Otto said.

Watch the meeting on the commission's YouTube channel.