Cycling through Blackhawk, CO
 

What is the situation following the 2013 court decision overturning the bicycle ban? Is there a specific route that bikes must take?

It's my understanding that you can cycle CO 119 despite the town's failure to take down the no cycling signs.

I think you are misunderstanding the issue. The ban was on bicycle traffic through the city streets...most particularly Gregory Steet. Although those bans have been lifted, the only information I can find on bicycling through Black Hawk still has bicycles banned on Gregory and many other streets in town. Here's the route you can use on a bicycle according to the town of Black Hawk and here's an article from 2013 on the post ban issue. I'm not sure if the route that Black Hawk stipulates is still in effect.

Frankly, I avoid Black Hawk/Central City. I haven't been anywhere close to them since gambling was authorized in 1991. I certainly wouldn't spend any money or time in Black Hawk.

I'm with you. I used to go up there just about every year from when I was a small child until they brought the gambling. Drove around up there recently and it's just sad now. However if I'm ever on a bicycle trip that forces me to go through there, thanks for the links :)

You CAN ride thru ... No problem. There is a specific way you have to go and it's well marked. It makes a GREAT loop if you go via golden gate canyon and dirt/gravel back up

Thanks for the info and links.

Cheers

Looks like Black Hawk is still breaking the law. There is no alternate "within 450 feet" of banned streets Selak and Black Hawk. Their alternate route only works for the Main Street bicycle ban.

Looks like Black Hawk government is just as anti-bicycle as they were before they got slapped down.

If you map it out, they are technically within the state law. The state law says that the distance must be within 450 feet of an alternative route. Selak is 475 feet long but as measured as the crow flies from Bobtail Road, it is 343 feet from Bobtail Road to the front of Sasquatch Casino on Selak. I'm sure they got out their tape measure to insure that they were within the law.

And I agree that they are just as antibicycle as before but now they have a fig leaf covering their shame. Personally, I still won't be riding there

The intention of the law is a parallel path within 450 feet to the road that is off limits. Black Hawk has not met this intent, regardless of how they would like to twist things.

What will save the city is that another law suit is not worth the effort compared to just cycling the less than legal alternate path.

The intent of the law may be a parallel path but the wording is squishy enough that Black Hawk might win another legal challenge. The danger there is that other cities would be free to use the same interpretation which isn't a precedent I would like to see set in Colorado.

With a mostly cyclist friendly state legislature, now is the time to close the legal language that Black Hawk is trying to squirm through.

If we had one, it would be. But one chamber of the Colorado State Legislature is controlled by people who are much more sympathetic with Black Hawk than with cyclists.