'Dismount zone': Sidewalk stencils a reminder of new Bloomington bike rules

At 18 downtown intersections, city Department of Public Works staff are in the process of painting 54 white sidewalk stencils that designate each area a “DISMOUNT ZONE,” where bicyclists are not allowed. The stencil depicts a stick figure holding up a bicycle in one hand and a skateboard in the other.

The stencils are in places where it remains illegal to ride bicycles or skateboards on sidewalks. In August, the city council voted 5-2 to amend city code to allow bicyclists to share some sidewalks with pedestrians. Others, though, are bicycle-free.

At the time the city legalized bicycle riding on city sidewalks, it was proposed that notices of where riding on sidewalks wasn’t permitted — mostly in downtown Bloomington — should be painted directly on sidewalks rather than posted on signs.

The sidewalks excluded from bicycle riding include: Kirkwood Avenue from Indiana Avenue to Morton Street, Sixth Street from Walnut Street to Morton Street, Walnut Street from Fourth Street to Seventh Street and College Avenue from Fourth Street to Seventh Street.