Bikes, Bills, and Bureaucrats

Robin Mero has two interesting articles in the Morning News that indicate overdue attention to the safety concerns of the bicycle crowd and those who might soon be more likely to take a hike. The regional bikeway and trails system being planned or constructed by cities in Northwest Arkansas since 2003 positions them for additional funding by the state and federal governments.

All four Congressmen from Arkansas are co-sponsors of H.R.1266, the "Butterfield Overland Trail Study Act," a bill providing a resource study for protection and preservation of the route, which is part of the local Heritage Trail project that also includes the Trail of Tears. According to the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission, any highway improvements to these routes include consideration for bike lanes and pedestrian trails.

This is important, because otherwise the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department would give no thought to trails for bicycles or pedestrians. "As far as incorporating bicycle lanes into a roadway design, we work with local entities. We don't do it here as automatic," said Randy Ort, bureaucratic spokesman for the AHTD. The car dealers and highway contractors still have much more political influence than do citizens who prefer walking trails, bike lanes, or mass transit.

State legislators do seem more responsive. Act 369 of 2005, sponsored by Rep. Lindsley Smith, secured a $50,000 appropriation for Scull Creek Trail in Fayetteville. Act 681 of 2007, sponsored by Rep. David Wyatt, requires motorists to allow at least three feet of distance when passing a bicyclist. Passing any closer can now get drivers a $100 fine, and if a serious accident occurs it is a fine of up to $1,000. This legislation was supported by all Northwest Arkansas legislators except Rep. Horace Hardwick (R-Bentonville) and Rep. Donna Hutchinson (R-Bella Vista)