2008 Woodie Awards
Bikes, Blues & BBQ an Inconvenience
The Traveler Editorial Board
Issue date: 10/5/07 Section: Opinion
It's that time of year again. The roaring of the bikes and the smells of barbecue fill the air.
And as some people "welcome" the Bikes, Blues & BBQ festival with open arms and closed streets, others kick and scream - or at the very least complain about the tradition.
What bothers us and some other Fayetteville residents are some of the inconveniences the bikes and the festival bring with them. The most obvious one is the noise of the bikers as they rev their engines.
Many students live in residence halls on Dickson Street and the bikes constantly ride up and down into the early hours of the morning. Because the festival starts on a Wednesday night, some students have trouble sleeping and their studies could suffer.
Apparently, the city of Fayetteville cares about this added noise to a degree, but not nearly enough to risk angering a few hundred thousand bikers.
The city passed a noise reduction act, which will make it easier for police officers to write noise violation tickets. While this might sound like a dream come true, the only catch is that the legislation won't go into effect until next month, right after Bikes, Blues & BBQ has rolled out of Fayetteville until next year.
Officers have to use a device to measure the decibel level of a bike or other vehicle to ensure it is beyond the legal level before they can issue a noise violation citation. This new legislation will allow officers to write tickets for noise violations if they think the vehicle is too loud.
While this might give officers more power, we feel it will be a deterrent for bikers who choose to make excess noise with their bikes. Too bad it won't affect this year's festival.
If you live anywhere near Dickson Street, including some of the residence halls and Greek houses on campus, you're likely to hear the bikes from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m.
Another inconvenience is the huge crowds that fill the streets so much so that on ccasion, both Dickson Street and portions of College Avenue have to be shut down on Saturday afternoon for the Parade of Power. Only motorcycle-licensed drivers are allowed on the streets during that parade. Even a few of the bus routes have to be altered or cancelled to accommodate for this increased traffic during the festival. This presents some major problems for those of us who have to work on Sundays: we can neither ride the bus nor drive to work if we live on the north side of campus.
And as some people "welcome" the Bikes, Blues & BBQ festival with open arms and closed streets, others kick and scream - or at the very least complain about the tradition.
What bothers us and some other Fayetteville residents are some of the inconveniences the bikes and the festival bring with them. The most obvious one is the noise of the bikers as they rev their engines.
Many students live in residence halls on Dickson Street and the bikes constantly ride up and down into the early hours of the morning. Because the festival starts on a Wednesday night, some students have trouble sleeping and their studies could suffer.
Apparently, the city of Fayetteville cares about this added noise to a degree, but not nearly enough to risk angering a few hundred thousand bikers.
The city passed a noise reduction act, which will make it easier for police officers to write noise violation tickets. While this might sound like a dream come true, the only catch is that the legislation won't go into effect until next month, right after Bikes, Blues & BBQ has rolled out of Fayetteville until next year.
Officers have to use a device to measure the decibel level of a bike or other vehicle to ensure it is beyond the legal level before they can issue a noise violation citation. This new legislation will allow officers to write tickets for noise violations if they think the vehicle is too loud.
While this might give officers more power, we feel it will be a deterrent for bikers who choose to make excess noise with their bikes. Too bad it won't affect this year's festival.
If you live anywhere near Dickson Street, including some of the residence halls and Greek houses on campus, you're likely to hear the bikes from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m.
Another inconvenience is the huge crowds that fill the streets so much so that on ccasion, both Dickson Street and portions of College Avenue have to be shut down on Saturday afternoon for the Parade of Power. Only motorcycle-licensed drivers are allowed on the streets during that parade. Even a few of the bus routes have to be altered or cancelled to accommodate for this increased traffic during the festival. This presents some major problems for those of us who have to work on Sundays: we can neither ride the bus nor drive to work if we live on the north side of campus.
Viewing Comments 1 - 8 of 8
Aaron
posted 10/05/07 @ 8:03 AM CST
I find it quite ironic that such effort is given to complaining about the interuption in academic pursuits provied by the BB&BBQ festival, but yet we cut off access to the library on Saturdays for Razorback football with little accomodation to those who seek out accdemia rather than the gridiron. (Continued…)
Theresa
posted 10/05/07 @ 11:35 AM CST
Ya hoo to Arron, Thanks for speaking what I was thinking.
Brian T
posted 10/05/07 @ 12:44 PM CST
Apparently the library is plenty quiet and available for studying, since there aren't any football games going on. Do you all not see the big picture? How do student worries about one weekend studying and homework compare to the hundred of thousands if not millions of dollars worth of revenue this event brings in? I used to live in an apt. (Continued…)
Nicole Scogin
posted 10/05/07 @ 5:52 PM CST
Here is the thing: BB&BBQ is ONLY ONE WEEKEND. That means that unlike the annoying alumni and all the other visitors that ALSO close the streets, cause traffic jams and headaches all over town several weekends a year. (Continued…)
Dan
posted 10/25/07 @ 6:14 AM CST
Just saw the editorial.
I used to teach as well as ride. I believe these comments from the traveler are just personal preference. I grew up in Arkansas. (Continued…)
Aaron
posted 3/24/08 @ 11:24 AM CST
Interesting........ I just happened to stumble onto this while doing a web search for BB&BBQ.
As an out-of-towner who rides and has been to the event three times, I will say it's mind boggling at how quickly this event has grown. (Continued…)
Mike
posted 4/19/08 @ 4:40 PM CST
I used to live in fayetteville, and still visit alot. I remember when this festival started, and alot of my friends and I watched it grow. The last year that I was in NWA when this came around (Fall '03), alot of people that I knew basically left town for the weekend. (Continued…)
Michael G
posted 9/18/08 @ 1:16 PM CST
I believe their students complaining about BBQ.But the truth of the matter is those students who live on the path of the bikes are also in fraternities and sororities and they party 4 days ,at the least, out of the week. (Continued…)
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