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Sheriff Clarke makes it clear: no bike lane on the Hoan Bridge

Posted by Tom Held of the Journal Sentinel on Oct. 5, 2011

cycling, Hoan Bridge

In talking about the death of a man on the Hoan Bridge Tuesday, Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr. staked out his position on the proposal to add a bike lane on the elevated roadway: an emphatic no.

Clarke called it the "dumbest thing I ever heard" during a news conference.

"Bikes in heavy traffic is not a good mix," he said. "I don't care what kind of safety barrier you're going to put up."

State Sen. Chris Larson (D-Milwaukee) said the sheriff is wrong.

"He should probably get that foot-in-mouth disease checked out soon," Larson said. "He's commenting on something he doesn't know about."

Larson said there are numerous examples of safe routes, separated by barriers, on similar bridges. The Wonders Way Bike Path on the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge in South Carolina is one of them.

Neither Clarke nor a sheriff's representative spoke in August at the town hall meeting organized by elected officials and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation to gather input on the prospects of a bike and pedestrian route on the bridge. The DOT is studying the cost and feasibility as part of its planning for a reconstruction of the bridge deck, expected to cost $275 million to $350 million.

A consultant's report on the bike lane is expected to be completed this fall.

Larson said he expects the report will say a bike and pedestrian path could be added to the Hoan safely and affordably.

Clarke made his comments about the bike lane proposal while discussing the death of Bobby E. Jiles, 39, who was hit by a car while tending to his disabled vehicle in a southbound traffic lane. The collision knocked Jiles off the bridge.

The roadway on the Hoan has been severely restricted during work to repair crumbling concrete on the roadway. With the emergency lane closed and the traffic tightened, motorists have little room to maneuver or check their vehicles if necessary.

48 Comments for "Sheriff Clarke makes it clear: no bike lane on the Hoan Bridge"

  1. A bike lane on the Hoan bridge is a foolish idea. The wind bounces cars around in their lanes up there, let alone a guy a on a bike. You are talking deaths guaranteed if you try to bike over the Hoan.

    Izzatso Oct 05, 2011 7:59 AM

  2. Thank GOD,someone with some brains.If the bike riders want a lane up there let them pay for it with a toll or a tax on every bike sold in Milw. county.Heck they can't follow the rules of the road now on the streets,how can we expect them to do it on the freeway?How many times have you seen them run a red light or cross trafic when the light is red just so they don't have to stop like everyone else.Maybe they need a drivers training course and a $95.00 a year tax to keep their bike on the road.

    truthspeaker Oct 05, 2011 8:14 AM

  3. Brains trump feel-good liberalism.

    mrlundt Oct 05, 2011 8:42 AM

  4. Well, so much for the DOT study. No need for further review. No need for experts' input. When Sheriff Clarke decides on something, case closed. Next question, please......

    MikeAAA Oct 05, 2011 8:47 AM

  5. Larson, "He's commenting on something he doesn't know about." Oh that's good! As if Larsen is an expert on anything! I'll admit, I don't know why the sheriff opined, he really didn't need to but anytime Larson speaks you can be rest assured it's not anything knowledgeable.

    JTBA Oct 05, 2011 9:55 AM

  6. And motorists never blow reds, making rolling stops, speed, etc. I'm all for enforcing laws uniformly, motorists and cyclists alike, but as a driver, walker and cyclist I'm more concerned with the bad behavior of drivers than I am of cyclists. I have a close call with a car at least once a month while I'm out walking my dog, blowing reds, not yielding to pedestrians. That's a LOT more dangerous than a cyclist running a red (which by the way is legal in some cases, mostly involving lights on sensors). Again not to excuse bad behavior by cyclists, but that's a drop in the bucket compared to bad drivers.

    And again with the "tax the cyclists" play? I pay just as much as you in taxes that go to roads, and I would like to see more of my tax dollars going to bicycle infrastructure.

    Frylock Oct 05, 2011 10:21 AM

  7. The only thing Chris Larson is an expert on is cheap hotels in Illinois. For him to suggest that Sheriff Clarke doesn't know anything about freeway safety is mindboggling. What a simp.

    Cheesehead Oct 05, 2011 10:34 AM

  8. "Thank GOD,someone with some brains.If the CARS want a lane up there let them pay for it with a toll or a tax on every CAR sold in Milw. county.Heck CARS can't follow the rules of the road now on the streets,how can we expect CARS to do it on the freeway?How many times have you seen CARS run a red light or cross trafic when the light is red just so CARS don't have to stop like everyone else.Maybe CARS need a drivers training course and a $95.00 a year tax to keep their CARS on the road."
    AllI did was change bikes to CARS, truthspeaker. Cars and bikes can both be driven by law abiding citizens or idiots. Mode of transportation does not reflect upon drivers' attention to laws, I have found.

    MikeAAA Oct 05, 2011 10:59 AM

  9. "Neither Clarke nor a sheriff's representative spoke in August at the town hall meeting organized by elected officials and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation to gather input on the prospects of a bike and pedestrian route on the bridge. "
    ^^^ you know why? Because Clarke and his cronies are a bunch of small minded monkey brained idiots. If he's such an expert on this topic why wasn't a rep there?! How irresponsible and a joke of a citizen. Any respectable group would send someone to a meeting of this level.

    Tax Payer Oct 05, 2011 10:59 AM

  10. When did Clarke appoint himself an expert on civil engineering safety standards and bicycle safety?

    It's obvious that he's trying to self appoint his opinion into some expert advice that obviously can't be backed with any concrete facts or experience. Only experience he has is law enforcement. Last time i checked he was an expert in catching the bad guys, not determining bicycle safety.

    A barricade with a fence on either side of the bike patch would be sufficient. I've ridden over dozens of bridges over the world with similar setups. This is not a new concept and not rocket science!

    Tax Payer Oct 05, 2011 11:08 AM

  11. Sheriff Clark must not be aware that bike lanes are standard on urban bridges around the world. The Golden Gate and Brooklyn bridges bridges have long accommodated both bikes and pedestrian traffic without issue. The new spans of the Bay Bridge incorporated bike lanes with plans to extend them from Oakland to San Francisco. The Burrad Bridge in Vancouver has seen over 1 million bikes pass over it just in the last 12 months.

    In each case, the bridges involved are higher than the Hoan (and yet no one fell off), have higher avergae wind speeds than the Hoan (and yet no one was blown off), and many, many times the amount of daily motorized traffic compared to the Hoan (and yet the bicycles didn't impede traffic in any manner whatsoever).

    Sheriff Clark clearly has no knowledge about this issue. His assertions are ludicrous. End of.

    AtomicIsBack Oct 05, 2011 11:12 AM

  12. Please only respond to blogs that you at least have some idea about. It is clear you haven't researched any information on this topic. Guaranteed deaths? Really?

    MU82 Oct 05, 2011 11:34 AM

  13. Let's face it. Wisconsin, especially SE Wisconsin, is a cultural backwater. Always has been, and always will be.

    dirt farmer Oct 05, 2011 11:38 AM

  14. It's a total waste of money and it will not be used.

    MU / Panther Oct 05, 2011 11:57 AM

  15. Well said!!

    MU / Panther Oct 05, 2011 11:58 AM

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