For more than a month, the Starkville Board of Aldermen has been debating a revision to the bicycle helmet ordinance it narrowly passed two years ago. When the board held a public hearing on the matter on May 2 there was no consensus from the public, either. The board will likely address the ordinance again at next week’s meeting, and if previous votes on the matter are any indication, Tuesday could be just as divided as the initial ordinance.
Under the current ordinance all persons on bicycles or other modes of “alternative transportation” must wear a helmet approved by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, while riding on public property.
Ward 4 Alderman Richard Corey brought the proposed amendment to the ordinance to the board earlier this year. In the proposed revision, persons age 16 and older would not be required to wear helmets.
The board has been split in the past, voting 4-3 two years ago to pass the current ordinance, and will likely be split again if a vote is called on for the revision.
Ward 1 Alderman Ben Carver, who voted against the ordinance two years ago, said he thinks the proposed revision to have an age restriction is a viable option.
“You aren’t really going to know if a kid is 12 or 13, but at 16 it is standard policy in the state of Mississippi for them to get a driver’s license anyway. I think that is a pretty enforceable age,” he said.
Carver said he is the only one of the seven aldermen who bikes daily, and because of this, he understands the problems some of the public have with the ordinance. He said he definitely thinks a child under 16 should have to wear a helmet, but that after that it should be a personal decision.
“I am just saying I understand there is sometimes an issue,” Carver said. “I think if you are a grown adult and can operate a 2,500 pound motor vehicle then you ought to be responsible enough to ride a bicycle without a helmet if you want to.”
Ward 5 Alderman Jeremiah Dumas who voted in favor of the current ordinance, disagreed with Carver’s suggestion that enforcement would be easier under the revision, and said if the revision is presented under these terms he will likely vote against it.
“My view is you either have all or nothing,” Dumas said. “I am really torn between, but breaking it down to an age division would only complicate things. I think as it stands now we have issues with enforcement, not on the side of police, but just because it is difficult to enforce this kind of thing.”
Along with Carver and Ward 2 Alderman Sandra Sistrunk, Ward 3 Alderman Eric Parker also voted against the current ordinance in 2010, but said he was going to support the revision if a vote was called.
“I voted against the helmet ordinance to begin with mainly because I felt like it wasn’t the government’s place to tell me or my kids to wear a helmet,” Parker said. “I would still rather not have it at all, but at this point, anything is better than what we have now.”
Ward 6 Alderman Roy A. Perkins and Ward 7 Alderman Henry Vaughn, who were the two votes in a 5-2 split against holding a public hearing on the matter last month, did not return calls made late Monday afternoon.
Alderwoman Sistrunk said she was willing to comment on how she voted previously, but said she was unsure of how exactly the revision would come forward on the agenda, and therefore did not want to make a statement for or against the revision.
Ross Livingston, who works at Boardtown Bikes in Starkville, may be just as torn as the board members. He said he fully advocates wearing a helmet for safety reasons, but that he was unsure about the city enforcing an ordinance to do so.
“I think helmets are very important I have seen too many guys get hurt not wearing a helmet,” Livingston said. “I am kind of in the middle though. I think that when people aren’t protecting themselves, sometimes people have to step up and do it for them. There are people that are stupid, unfortunately, but when you get to a certain age, I think you should be able to make your own choices.”
The Board of Aldermen will meet Tuesday.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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