A the Risk of . . . . . A Blackhawk, CO update
 

At the risk of another thread with forays into presidential competence, I am posting - - -

From a Bicycle Colorado email to members:

Black Hawk Update

The campaign to overturn Black Hawk's bike ban will reach a critical junction at a hearing on October 20. The judge is expected to rule on the Motion to Dismiss charges against three bicyclists ticketed for riding their bicycles in Black Hawk. Bicycle Colorado will be at the hearing and will send an update summarizing the outcome and what it means for Colorado cyclists.

Previous closed thread:

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ight=blackhawk

Thanks for the update DF, hope it goes to the "bicycle" side. For myself, I'd NEVER ride that piece of road on a bicycle!!! Used to do it on a motorcycle and man, that part by Blackhawk and Central City can get "way over crowded" and the brain dead cagers can get ugly, jmho, ymmv!!

You got to admit, the off-topic veer in the previous thread was a bit of an anomaly. Be sure to let us know how this all works out.

I 'm cool with it as long as you don't blame Fox News or George Bush.

Personally I blame Clinton and Gore:rolleyes:

Ah come on. You all know it was Jimmy Carter.

HERE WE GO AGAIN!!

:popcorn

Just couldn't resist, could you? :)

Because?

C'mon!

We all know it was the Federal Reserve.

Why would anybody want to go to Blackhawk in the first place?

You've all got it wrong. ;)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxPRHXgYVlk

TWL is in the house!

I think it is a matter of wanting to go THROUGH Blackhawk, not to it. It used to be a fun little town, but now it is one horrible gambling town, IMHO.

There are some nice rides in the area - to do them, one needs to go through the town.

Huh?

How does a bike ban relate to the president? Does understanding this thread require a trip to the scotch bottle or will tequila suffice?

That's kind of the point. The Blackhawk thread spun off the tracks (I think) when someone related the ban to the constitutional right to travel, I cited the ninth amendment basis for the right, and some took exception to the long-established practice of interpreting the Constitution in light of modern realities, rather than remaining mired in the 18th century, which is fashionable among some political types these days. It went downhill from there. An entertaining and informative twist, it was.

We lived in Boulder for a year back in the middle 70's. The town was definately a nice little town done up in a historical fashion. My wife in particular like to go there and shop. Now it is indeed a hell hole of gambling and huge probably crooked money. Woe betide anyone that would interfere with gamblers.

Biking around all the fanatics in town probably isnt really smart, but as some posted cyclist are primarly interested in just riding thru.

I think we all know it was the AAA.

From Bicycle Colorado

Wednesday, October 20- Attorneys presented arguments concerning the motion to dismiss the tickets given to bicyclists. The Judge heard from both sides and requested additional briefs to be submitted in ten days. You may read previously submitted briefs on our website.

Same could be said of Central City, before the town was bought and rebuilt for casinos 20 or so years ago! But, the road through both towns leads back to Boulder or therabouts, right?

Yes, although Central City never succeeded much with its casinos. BH and CC are extreme rivals.

The road through BH goes along the Peak-toPeak Highway, with numerous options for side roads leading to various destinations, including Nederland and a major road to Boulder. It ends in Estes Park.

If you are ever in the area ride or drive the O My Gawd road from Idaho Springs to Blackhawk.
Drove a friend over it and he said he would never go near it again.

This is an important freedom-of-mobility case. If the ban is permitted to stand, it sets a deleterious precedent and hastens the erosion of our fundamental right to travel freely under our own power. To paraphrase Lance, "It's not about Black Hawk."

Black Hawk Judge Affirms Bike Ban
http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs035/...18/img/489.jpgBlack Hawk's Municipal Judge denied bicyclists' motion to dismiss tickets received for riding their bicycles through the town this summer. The eight-page order is available on the Bicycle Colorado website.

http://bicyclecolo.org/merchant/117/...ion2010-11.pdf


Bicycle Colorado has taken the situation with Black Hawk seriously from the beginning, and we are considering a variety of strategic options based on this most recent ruling.


Bicycle Colorado thanks Andrew Shoemaker and Paul Schwartz at Shoemaker Ghiselli + Schwartz LLC for their pro-bono representation of the defendants in this case. In addition, Brad Tucker at ColoBikeLaw.com, Rudy Verner at Davis Graham & Stubbs LLP, and Duke law student Gael Hagen also have contributed volunteer resources and expertise.


We also thank the three participating bicyclists, Jamie Webb, Jeff Hermanson, and Mickey Jeronimus, who decided to pursue this matter rather than simply pay the fine. They are currently considering whether to appeal the decision to a higher court to determine whether Black Hawk's (and its municipal court's) reading of the law is consistent with Colorado state law.

Things to do:
1.Please sign up for our eNews for our eNews to stay informed on the issues and be ready to act!



2. Register for the Colorado Bicycle Summit on February 7-8, 2011, as we unite Colorado bicyclists and meet with our state legislators. Sign up today.



3. Here is one basic reason why Bicycle Colorado exists: countering the threat of bike bans. If you want to see this ban overturned and prevent bans from spreading to other Colorado roads, please add your name to the list of people working to protect bicyclists' rights.

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NOTE FROM DENVER

Please be aware that Blackhawk has 118 residents (2000 census) and is seemingly run by and for the casino owners.

Wow. The Black Hawk ordinance does not violate the constitutional right to travel because cyclists can walk their bikes through town? A strained interpretation at best. The decision clearly is written by a judge whose not been on a bike in a long, long time.

Hmmm. Maybe we need to get about 9,000 cyclist to all walk their bikes through town at once.