So you’re at a bar and all your friends want to take off to the next establishment — but your beer is still half full. As it stands now, you’ll have to pound it or leave it behind. But there’s some hope for pedestrian drinkers. One of the legislative issues Wichita City Council members will discuss Tuesday is a move that would urge the state to pass a law allowing “entertainment overlay districts” where you could take your drink out of the bar and down the street.
For those with more serious things in mind, the legislative agenda has a familiar list of core Wichita issues — funding to subsidize airfares, money for the aquifer recharge project, more technical education, more nursing programs and small business development. The legislative requests also include a move to urge the state to pass a law allowing impoundments of motorcycles operated by unlicensed drivers — the police say five of the 11 fatal motorcycle accidents in the past two years have involved unlicensed drivers.
Council members will discuss the legislative issues Tuesday, make any changes they agree on and vote Dec. 2 on what requests to bring to Topeka.
3 Comments
Just like New Orleans…where you can carry your drink from bar to bar…stopping only long enough to vomit in the street. Oh boy…we need MORE drunks staggering around downtown.
Would such impoundment laws also affect people driving cars? If not, it is blatant discrimination.
As it’s drafted now, the impoundment laws would not affect people driving cars, but the city may ultimately either drop the idea of urging the legislature to adopt such a law or ask that it apply to both cars and motorcycles.
Mayor Carl Brewer and Council member Paul Gray both said today that they feel it is wrong to single-out motorcycle drivers, with Gray adding that he doesn’t think the city should create a law for everything.
Deputy Chief Terri Moses said the proposed law is in place in the state of Washington. And, she said, such a law is particularly important for motorcycles because often people will allow a friend who does not have a license to drive, often leading to wrecks with inexperienced and unlicensed drivers. And, she said, at least two people have died as passengers in wrecks with unlicensed drivers. She did not oppose opening the law up to car drivers as well, but the council seemed luke warm to the entire idea.
Hope that helps clarify.