I sent this Oct. 8th before I learned that the proposed ordinance had been withdrawn for further study. I don’t know how the Supervisors react to such (uninformed) opinion, but I felt I should express my concerns.
Dear Supervisor Miley,
I am very concerned about the proposed ordinance, to be brought before the Board of Supervisors tomorrow morning, to regulate cycling events in the county. I have not been able to secure a text of the document, and my information comes largely from Robert Raburn and the EBBC, of which I am a member, but what I hear alarms me. It sounds as if the Sheriff wants to require permits as well as fees for “events” involving as few as fifty riders (the agenda version mentions only a “nominal” $150.00 fee for the marking of routes by the sheriff’s department).
The proposed ordinance would seriously threaten the ability of local clubs like the Oakland Yellow Jackets (of which I am also a member) to organize group rides. It would also make it much more difficult for the Yellow Jackets to organize and sponsor the ride against Breast Cancer which has been a successful and important fundraiser over the last five years. The Aids/Lifecycle ride, with which I am also associated, doesn’t pass through Alameda County, but holds a significant number of large training rides here, and would also feel the impact of the proposed ordinance.
I don’t know what problems the Sheriff’s department encounters. I do believe the majority of local cyclists, particularly those who are organized in clubs and other associations, are responsible and law-abiding riders and in general are not a public nuisance or a problem for law-enforcement. I for one have been active as a “ride leader” and trainer, and we are at pains to teach our riders responsible behavior.
And my sense is the proposed ordinance is more an expression of the Sheriff’s hostility toward cycling than a response to a real need for increased regulation. It sounds to me also as if an attempt is being made to push it through the Board of Supervisors without adequate discussion or input from the cycling community.
I’d like to ask your vote against proposed ordinance, as I understand it. Fifty, for example, seems much too small a number of riders to require fees and permits. At the very least the legislative process should be dedlayed long enough for adequate comment and negotiation. We believe, of course, that Alameda County should be making a strong effort to promote cycling, for environmental and other reasons, not to stifle it.
Thank you very much,
Stephen Wedgwood