Bartonville, Texas – Getting around the mextroplex of Dallas Ft. Worth is fairly easy if you go by car but, if by foot or bicycle — not so much. And it’s especially tough when inside the LBJ Freeway/I-20 loop because there are few dedicated bike lanes (OK, make that zero bike lanes) and limited walking paths outside parks and greenbelts. If you’re wanting to find a pedistrian-friendly stretch of road more than a 1/2 mile without a stop sign or light – forget about it, there just isn’t one. That’s why endurance bicyclists and runners alike seek the roads of less-urbanized towns outside the concrete jungle.
One of those towns is Bartonville, Texas (population 1,500) which is tucked away in the middle of the I-35W and I-35E corridor north of Lake Grapevine and south of Denton. The rural roads bordering and going through the town are wide, smooth and easily shared with cars, trucks, and the occasional tractor. There’s a gas station convenience store and a hamburger stand making it a perfect place to join friends for a long ride or run. Plus the townspeople are friendly.
Just perfect.
Unless it’s a group of more than 10. Then things aren’t so perfect or the town’s officials so friendly.
On June 15th the Bartonville City Council voted 4-0 to expand its definition of public events code to include races and rallies of 10 or more runners and cyclists during training. That’s right, to include training on public, tax payer supported roads. Here’s a link to the official code amendment on the city’s website: click here.
To be in compliance groups of 10 or more passing through need to pay $50 for a permit at least 45 days in advance.
Chief of Police, Dave Howell, declined to comment on the record beyond saying the change was made for “safety and enforcement issues.” Two phone calls and an email to the town’s mayor, Ron Robertson, have not been returned.
According to the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram, Mayor Pro Tem Carla Anderson opposed the change but missed the meeting. The posted agenda had notified residents only that the council might change the definition or a “race” or “rally,” not add group rides. “If there’s one thing people here complain about, it’s bicycles,” Anderson said.
Comments to the Star-Telegram article and cycling forums are decidedly against the new ordinance and chatter about cyclists either boycotting the town’s businesses or riding through Bartonville in defiance abound.
By Brian Brode of examiner.com
Click here for the Original Article