The Haines Borough’s minor offense committee will recommend a revision of borough law regarding skiing on area roads, following a meeting of the group Monday that discussed Title 10, local laws on vehicles and traffic.
Under current borough code, “no person upon roller skates, skis, or riding in or by means of any coaster, sleds, toy vehicles, or similar device, shall go upon any townsite service area roadway except while crossing a street on a crosswalk.”
The law goes on to say the berm or shoulder of the right-of-way may be used by persons riding bicycles or other similar human-powered vehicles, and that skis, sleds and skateboards are prohibited on sidewalks “in business districts or where otherwise regulated by signage.”
The law is a sore point for local skiers who say that in average winters when shoulders are blocked by large berms, the roadway offers the only area for skiing.
“The problem in winter is that there usually isn’t a shoulder,” said resident Erik Stevens, who has pushed for the change. On Monday, the committee recommended adopting state pedestrian law in regard to skiing on local roads.
The state’s law says pedestrians should use sidewalks “where a sidewalk is provided and its use is practicable.” In the absence of a sidewalk, pedestrians should use the shoulder and, in the absence of a shoulder, pedestrians “should walk as near as practicable to the outside of the highway and, if walking along a two-way roadway, shall walk only on the left side of the roadway.”
Stevens said he would trust the judgment of police officers to determine what is practicable. “It varies, day to day, how far over (on the shoulder) you can go. Skiers don’t have any need to be in the middle of the road.”
Interim police chief Josh Dryden said if skiers are toward the edge of the road, there shouldn’t be a problem. “If you can’t see the white line, we can’t either. But if you’re coming down Cemetery Hill right in the middle of the road in a tuck, we’re going to talk to you.”
When skiers use sidewalks, they should audibly signal to others on the sidewalk when passing, committee members said.
The committee briefly discussed skateboards but took no action to change existing code language that prohibits them on certain downtown sidewalks and at Lookout Park.
Interim police chief Dryden said that while there was a rash of complaints about skateboarding in previous years, it hasn’t been an issue lately. “There’s not a lot of people riding downtown.”
Citing recent work by the borough to adopt rules for ATV use on borough roads, the committee took no action on existing law on them and on snowmachines.
Committee member Don Turner supported increased fines for bicycling violations. He said he has witnessed dangerous bicycling, including running stop signs. But member Mike Denker, an avid bicyclist, urged that the municipality instead wage an education effort, including rules of the road for bicyclists and for motorists encountering them.
“Both drivers and bicyclists need to understand their roles and responsibilities. I think there’s a long way we need to go toward awareness in this town,” Denker said.
The minor offenses committee will hold another workshop on Title 8 concerning littering, nuisances, fireworks, second-hand smoke and bear attraction, at 6 p.m. March 30. The group also is expected to discuss code concerning daily fines at that meeting.
A town hall meeting to review proposed changes to the minor offense ordinance is set for Tuesday, April 5. Changes so far include removing a section that would have allowed the borough manager to deputize borough employees to write tickets.
The committee is recommending that enforcement of harbor and planning and zoning violations rest with those departments of the borough.