The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-07-24
ON THE SIDEWALKS.
Something About the Proposed Bicy-
Gle Ordinance.

Below are some of the conditions the
council will meet in considering the
proposed ordinance to permit bicycles,
under certain restrictions access TO the
sidewalks.
If a bond be required to protect the
city from damages in case of accidents
and ali the provisions of the proposed
ordinance are obeyed and enforced. the
objections to the privilege would be
The friends Of the movement have
much to contend with to make a salts
factory ordinance which shall not prove
a failure.
The move on the part of some of the
users Of the bicycle to petition the city
council to pass this ordinance allowing
bicycles to be ridden on sidewalks
where the streets are not paved, does
not by any means meet with universal
favor Such a step, 1t is urged, would
be backward instead of forward in the
progress of the city, and anything that
tends to make Topeka a less deSira BILE
ed seriously.
The intention of those who are be-
hind the proposition is doubtless good
from their point Of view-but they do
not fully realize to what end such an
ordinance might lead. They propose to
hedge their ordinance around with such
restrictions that would make it theor-
etically perfectly safe and protect pc
destrians from being run down, but
there is probably scarcely a wheelman
in Topeka, who would take advantage
OF the provisions of the ordinance at
all. who would not break over one or
more Of the restrictions inside of the
first month.
The proposed ordinance would re-
quire. first that all wheelmen who de-
sire to ride on the walks shall procure
a license from the chief of police. This
provision would probably be Obeyed by
the majority of these Wheelmen who
In ia CT1f I'm hG ire n rid a
their wheels into the business part of
the city every day, but there are hun
dreds Of wheelmen who do not go off
the pavement on an average of once
week. When that one time came, in
stead Of getting a license to ride the
walk the wheelman would say to him
self; III ride just this once without a
license" and no one would ever stop
him to ask if he had a license or had a
tag.
Another provision by which the
Wheelmen claim they will insure safety
to pedestrians is that Wheelmen shall
be compelled to dismOunt when they go
to pass a pedestrian on the walk. If
this part of the proposed ordinance be
always conscfentiOusly compiled with it
would mitigate the objections The pro-
vision is a good one in theory, but
would 1t work well in fact? The prac-
tice would especially endanger children
and old people who might be on the
sidewalks.
A bicyclist has rights which every
one else is bound to respect. He is en-
titled to half Of the street when he
meets any other vehicle, from cart to
a threshing machine. He can make a
heavily loaded wagon give him half Of
the roadway, and he IS not responsible
if the sight of his wheel causes a team
to run away and kill several people. As
long as he has these privileges he is not
also entitled to the privileges of the
sidewalk. He cannot own the whole
right of way from fence to fence. Peo-
pie on foot have a right to be some
where, and they have a right to be pro-