Colorado Supreme Court Overturns Black Hawk’s Bicycle Ban

On February 4, 2013, the Colorado Supreme Court struck down the city of Black Hawk’s controversial bicycle ban within the city’s limits. Black Hawk had enacted the ban in 2010 due to the rising number of commercial buses and increase in traffic in the gambling town, which has numerous narrow, shoulderless roads. The ban did not apply to locals bicycle commuters.

Black Hawk’s bicycle ban had forced cyclists to walk their bikes through the city’s casino-lined streets. The Supreme Court noted that the ban created a “ripple-effect” by effectively preventing bike access to Central City and discouraging bicyclists from visiting other nearby mountain towns. The Court held that the bicycle ban violated state law because, unlike other municipalities that ban bikes, such as Denver’s prohibition of bicycles on the 16th Street Mall, Black Hawk did not provide alternative bike routes within 450 feet, as required by state law. Bicycle Colorado Executive Director Dan Grunig praised the Supreme Court’s ruling, “The Supreme Court ruling really affirmed the share-the-road law the state has passed. This may make Colorado’s laws some of the most bicycle friendly in the nation because they have an affirmation from the Supreme Court.”

Some of the information in this blog was obtained from the Denver Post.