Village of Lansingburgh bicycle ordinance (1899)

LANSINGBURGH—A Bicycle Ordinance Adopted by the Village Trustees—A Busy Session—The Fourth Ward Fires—For the Water Supply—Minor Topics.All members of the Village Trustees were present last night when President Skillman rapped for order, and, although sitting together for the last time as a board in the present session room, there was not noticeable any great dejection. After approving the minutes of three previous meetings communications were taken up, the first being from Jessen, McCollum & Co., complaining that in complying with the general order to clean out gutters they had found the pavement fronting their building at Sixteen street and Second avenue in a bad condition, as a result of making sewer connection with the police station, and asking for redress. On motion of Mr. Bolton the People's Bank, owning the police building, will be notified to place the pavement at that point in its original condition.Property owners on Sixth avenue, between Thirteenth and Fourteenth streets, having petitioned for street sprinkling, were granted the privilege, the expense to be assessed on the property benefited. The great number of such petitions that has been recently favorably acted upon suggested to Mr. Gray the query as to the physical ability of the contractor to carry them out, but he was assured by Mr. Bolton that the contractor had informed him that he would be prepared for whatever came in his line.A communication from Health Officer H. S. Ives was received and filed. Dr. Ives called the attention of the board to an empty icehouse at First avenue and Twenty-sixth street, which he considered a menace to life; to the fact that numerous piles of loose manure are found in alleys throughout the village and that dealers continue to load ice into wagons on the public streets.The Crescent Athletic Club, an organization having rooms on Second avenue, between Seventeenth and Eighteenth streets, having been ordered by the police to move its chairs from the walk before the rooms, asked from the trustees the privilege of so using the sidewalk, and on motion of Mr. Bolton the matter was referred to the police.On motion of Mr. Bolton the garbage contractor was given ten days in which to clean out all the refuse in the alleys. If the order is not complied with the work will be performed by the village and expense will be charged against the contractor.A letter from the village attorney relative to the substitution of Catskill for Porter brick on Fifth avenue was received and filed.A Bicycle Ordinance.The chairman of the law committee after a brief meeting of the committee of the whole presented the following ordinance relative to bicycle riding, which was passed unanimously:An ordinance to regulate the use of bicycles, tricycles and other vehicles in the village of Lansingburgh, N. Y. Passed July 11, 1899.The Board of Trustees of the Village of Lansingburgh does hereby enact and ordain as follows:Section 1. It shall be unlawful for any person or persons to ride any bicycle, tricycle or other similar vehicle on any of the public highways, streets, avenues, walks or public places between one hour after sunset and one hour before sunrise, unless there is attached thereto or carried therewith, and kept lighted, a light of such illuminating power as to be plainly seen two hundred feet ahead; but this section shall not apply to any rider whose light has become extinguished or who is necessarily absent from his or her home without a light, when going at a pace not exceeding six miles an hour, when an audible signal is given as provided in section 2 of this ordinance, as often as thirty feet are passed over.Sec. 2. All persons riding bicycles, tricycles or similar vehicles shall give an alarm by bell, whistle or otherwise which may be heard one hundred feet distant, when about to meet or pass pedestrians and when about to meet or pass other vehicles.Sec. 3. It shall be unlawful for any person or persons to ride any bicycle, tricycle or other vehicle on any of the public highways, streets, avenues or public places at a rate of speed greater than eight miles an hour.Sec. 4. It shall be unlawful for any person or persons riding any bicycle, tricycle or similar vehicle to coast or proceed by inertia or momentum, with the feet off the pedals; and all cyclist shall observe such rules of the road as are established by the highway law.But nothing contained in this ordinance shall be held to prohibit the officers of the village having authority in the premises from granting in their discretion, upon any special occasion, permits to any person or persons to ride such machines during a specified time upon specified portions of the streets and highways at any rate of speed; and such officers may annex such other reasonable conditions to such permits as they shall deem proper.Sec. 5. Every person violating any of the provisions of this ordinance shall be punished by a fine not exceeding the sum of five dollars for each offense, and in case of the non-payment of such fine, by imprisonment in the county jail of Rensselaer county, not exceeding one day for each dollar of such fine, in the discretion of the court or magistrate.Sec. 6. This act shall take effect July 25, 1899.[...]Troy Daily Times. July 12, 1899: 4 col 2.