Bikers go over the Hoan and directly to jail
For two bikers, a critical mass ride over the Hoan Bridge last week ended in the booking room of the Milwaukee County Jail.
Based on the sheriff's reports, anywhere from 50 to 150 bikers participated in the ride over the two-mile bridge, which is off limits to pedestrians and nonmotorized traffic. The outing was billed as a ride to protest "Gov. Scott Walker's Anti-Bicycling Agenda," and blocked traffic in both southbound lanes of I-794 about 6 p.m. on May 5.
Responding to a host of 9-1-1 calls, deputies caught and ticketed four of the participants. They booked one of them in the jail for resisting, and another to confirm his identity.
That was Juan Serrano, 23, from Covina Calif., who reportedly told the deputy: "I was supporting my friends who were protesting Luke Skywalker or something."
The others who were ticketed include: Samarah Hagagi, 19, of Kansas City, Mo., Caitlin Hamer, 21, of Milwaukee, and Donald Sanborn, 22, of Wauwatosa.
Their tickets carry fines of $178.
Hagagi also picked up the citation for resisting because she wouldn't stop for the deputy, according to the sheriff's report.
The ride was organized through the Milwaukee Bicycle Community, an informal advocacy group that shares information about group rides on the website www.mkebke.com.
Steve Roche helps run the site, and joined the group on the Hoan.
Their purpose was to generate attention and a spark a discussion about the merits of installing a lane for bicycles and pedestrians on the Hoan, he said.
In the decades since it opened, a number of cycling advocates and public officials have argued that the Hoan should be opened to non-motorists as a connection between Downtown Milwaukee and the south side neighborhoods and suburbs. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation rejected the idea, and proposed an alternate route using surface streets.
132 Comments for "Bikers go over the Hoan and directly to jail"
If bikes want equal rights they should start obeying the laws of the road. period.
HalleB0205 May 12, 2011 1:49 PM
ljastroch May 12, 2011 1:50 PM
You may want to check again. The US DOT-Federal Highway Administration's website says: "There are no Federal laws or regulations that prohibit shared use paths along or near Interstate highways or other freeways. Bicycle and pedestrian accommodations may be allowed on Interstate and other major highways and freeways. Bridges are essential in any transportation network, and many Interstate or other freeway bridges often are the only possible bridges across rivers, canyons, railroads, other highways, or other major barriers. Major highway bridges often are necessary links for nonmotorized transportation networks."
from http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/bikeped/freeways.htm
If anything, this could be used as an argument FOR allowing bicycles on the Hoan Bridge.
ChronicWhiner May 12, 2011 1:50 PM
May 12, 2011 1:53 PM
Hey Held- If you really believe that " thousands" are "using" the bike racks on county buses--That statement belongs in your dreams or in LA LA land. If U R a real JOURNALIST--back that statement up--with fact--NOT your silly guessing.
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I dont need to know anything about the usage of these bike racks to know that what Tom said is most likely true. LEts assume he meant on a yearly basis, because I dont think he meant thousands daily ( he could have even meant thousands since their introduction a few years back).Bus service is 365 days a year right? Maybe they have limited service on major holidays so lets remove 10 days just to be safe. that is 355 days a year that the bus service is running in milwaukee. In order for Toms assertion that "thousands use" the bike racks (thousands implies 2 thousand or more), roughly 6 people per day in the entire county would have to use them. Do you honeslty think that is not happening?
DieHardLiberal May 12, 2011 1:53 PM
Look at the boondoggle removing the Park East Freeway spur has become. How much development has ocurred west of the river? Just one upscale hotel right by the river. Have any AFFORDABLE apartments or affordable hotels opened? No. As one local conservative talking head has said, the Park East looks like a moonscape.
Who really wants to dine near the MMSD facility on Jones Island? That smell is just so appetizing. About the only restaraunt that could possbily make a go of it where the Hoan is would be a fast food franchise to serve those working in the area.
Let's leave the Hoan as the important link between downtown/east side and Bayview/South Shore suburbs it is.
Do you want to dine with a lovely view of the salt piles, oil tanks, and stacks of shipping containers?
JRWOakCreek May 12, 2011 1:54 PM
killerjoe May 12, 2011 1:55 PM
Here on the southwest side the racks are almost never used. PANTS ON FIRE
Overtaxed1950 May 12, 2011 1:56 PM
About the only time the racks are used very little is in the winter months which is about four months of the year.
Believe it or not, MCTS was one of the last transit systems in Wisconsin to install the racks. Madison, a very bicycling friendly city with heavy dependence on transit, has had the racks for at least 10 years. Appleton/Valley Transit has had them almost as long. The state DOT some years back even had a photo on the state highway map of a bicyclist loading a bike onto a Valley Transit bus in downtown Appleton.
JRWOakCreek May 12, 2011 2:07 PM
mkemat May 12, 2011 2:12 PM
"Look at the boondoggle removing the Park East Freeway spur has become. How much development has ocurred west of the river? Just one upscale hotel right by the river. Have any AFFORDABLE apartments or affordable hotels opened? No. As one local conservative talking head has said, the Park East looks like a moonscape."
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This is not "west of the river". This is lakefront property and you and I both know it would be snapped up long before the demolition of the bridge was finished.
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"Who really wants to dine near the MMSD facility on Jones Island? That smell is just so appetizing. About the only restaraunt that could possbily make a go of it where the Hoan is would be a fast food franchise to serve those working in the area."
and
"Do you want to dine with a lovely view of the salt piles, oil tanks, and stacks of shipping containers?"
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While I took the time to read your entire post, in-detail. I see the same can not be said for you.
Note the following:
"While I'm here, and the subject involves the Hoan - again - tear it down, {{{{{{{{move the piles of sand, industrial lots and the like to any of the vacant lots on the west side}}}}}}}}, and convert our lakefront city property to shops, restaurants and the like. Showcase our beautiful city the way it should be."
GregJennings85 May 12, 2011 2:14 PM
I still own a car, I pay for registration, and I put gas in it every couple of
weeks. I also pay income tax, sales tax, property tax, and the occasional
"idiot" tax. We don't get to directly say where the money goes, all we can
hope for is that the money is used sensibly.
Adam S.
Waukesha Bicycle Alliance
My bike to car ratio is 5:1
AdamMKE May 12, 2011 2:15 PM
Excerpts from their report are available at http://bikethehoan.com/doc_weather.htm and http://bikethehoan.com/doc_weather.htm
BillSell May 12, 2011 2:15 PM