Mayor TenHaken (Paul) reminds us the importance of the 4th Estate

During PTH’s Sunday Night FB rant his authoritarian stripes started to show;

He reminded folks if you are having landlord issues you should NOT call the media you should call the city. This of course is true, but when tenants are getting no resolution from the city on cockroach issues and other problems this is when citizens SHOULD call the media. The 4th estate’s job is to uncover problems when government is ineffective.

He also voiced his opposition to allowing motorized foot scooters, one wheels, skateboards and E2’s on the recreational (bike) trail. He seems to have a misunderstanding of this technology. Most E bikes I see on the trail are E2s. It makes absolutely NO sense to buy an E1 bike that you cannot ride off the trail over 15 MPH and has NO throttle for effective street navigation. I have also argued that E2’s are actually safer than non e-bikes because you can control (limit) the speed, they have a better braking system, better tire traction, better shock absorption and are usually more durable. Depending on the setting you can actually force the bike to go a certain speed. I have offered many solutions to the council including just enforcing a 15 MPH speed limit and painting a stripe down the middle of the trail. These vehicles are NOT dangerous and in most cases when an accident occurs it is due to operator error or a pedestrian or unleashed dog stepping in front of the bike.

I also look at this as holding back our local bike dealerships. Right now it is virtually impossible to buy any E products in Sioux Falls unless they meet the E1 criteria. Most of these units I see on the trail are purchased online. The E2 and other electric transportation is the biggest growing industry in the nation and we are missing out because our lackluster city council doesn’t want to proceed on realistic regulations.

He also makes the inference that E transportation is not ‘recreational’ saying that the trail is for walking, jogging and regular biking. I would argue that especially with E2 bikes you can get a better workout depending on your setting and it assists people who may have physical limitations. Who do I see riding E-bikes the most on the trail? Retired and elderly folks and very few are overweight.

Speaking of bikes, PTH also reminds us that roads for cars are more important because we can only ride bikes 6 months out of the year and only ‘hardcore’ people ride all year long. Maybe the reason is because the city doesn’t provide enough options for bicyclists to commute all year long?

He also says the Bunker Ramp is self-sustaining through rentals and leases. While it is true the ramp’s bond must be paid for through parking funds I highly doubt the bond payments are being covered directly from the Bunker Ramp which is mostly empty and has a top floor that is closed. The entire parking enterprise fund is likely propping up the bunker ramp.