1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to highways; allowing advertisements, public 
  1.3             art, and informational signs to be placed on bicycle 
  1.4             racks and bicycle storage facilities on highway 
  1.5             right-of-way; amending Minnesota Statutes 1996, 
  1.6             section 160.27, subdivision 5, and by adding a 
  1.7             subdivision. 
  1.8   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.9      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 160.27, 
  1.10  subdivision 5, is amended to read: 
  1.11     Subd. 5.  [MISDEMEANORS.] Except for the actions of the 
  1.12  road authorities, their agents, employees, contractors, and 
  1.13  utilities in carrying out their duties imposed by law or 
  1.14  contract, and except as herein provided, it shall be unlawful to:
  1.15     (1) obstruct any highway or deposit snow or ice thereon; 
  1.16     (2) plow or perform any other detrimental operation within 
  1.17  the road right-of-way except in the preparation of the land for 
  1.18  planting permanent vegetative cover or as authorized under 
  1.19  section 160.232; 
  1.20     (3) erect a fence on the right-of-way of a trunk highway, 
  1.21  county state-aid highway, county highway or town road, except to 
  1.22  erect a lane fence to the ends of a livestock pass; 
  1.23     (4) erect or reconstruct driveway headwalls in or on the 
  1.24  right-of-way of a highway or road, except as may be allowed by 
  1.25  permit from the road authority imposing reasonable regulations 
  1.26  as are necessary to prevent interference with the construction, 
  2.1   maintenance, and safe use of the highway or road and its 
  2.2   appurtenances; 
  2.3      (5) dig any holes in any highway; except to locate markers 
  2.4   placed to identify sectional corner positions and private 
  2.5   boundary corners; 
  2.6      (6) remove any earth, gravel or rock from any highway; 
  2.7      (7) obstruct any ditch draining any highway or drain any 
  2.8   noisome materials into any ditch; 
  2.9      (8) place or maintain any building or structure within the 
  2.10  limits of any highway; 
  2.11     (9) place or maintain any advertisement within the limits 
  2.12  of any highway, except as provided in subdivision 7; 
  2.13     (10) paint, print, place, or affix any advertisement or any 
  2.14  object within the limits of any highway, except as provided in 
  2.15  subdivision 7; 
  2.16     (11) deface, mar, damage, or tamper with any structure, 
  2.17  work, material, equipment, tools, signs, markers, signals, 
  2.18  paving, guardrails, drains, or any other highway appurtenance on 
  2.19  or along any highway; 
  2.20     (12) remove, injure, displace, or destroy right-of-way 
  2.21  markers, or reference or witness monuments, or markers placed to 
  2.22  preserve section or quarter section corners; 
  2.23     (13) improperly place or fail to place warning signs and 
  2.24  detour signs as provided by law; 
  2.25     (14) drive over, through, or around any barricade, fence, 
  2.26  or obstruction erected for the purpose of preventing traffic 
  2.27  from passing over a portion of a highway closed to public travel 
  2.28  or to remove, deface, or damage any such barricade, fence, or 
  2.29  obstruction. 
  2.30     Any violation of this subdivision is a misdemeanor. 
  2.31     Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 160.27, is 
  2.32  amended by adding a subdivision to read: 
  2.33     Subd. 7.  [BICYCLE RACKS AND BICYCLE STORAGE 
  2.34  FACILITIES.] In cities of the first class, advertisements, 
  2.35  public art, and informational signs may be placed and maintained 
  2.36  on bicycle racks and bicycle storage facilities, and on any 
  3.1   enclosure around them, if (1) a road authority has authorized 
  3.2   the bicycle racks and storage facilities to be placed within the 
  3.3   right-of-way of a public highway, (2) the road authority has 
  3.4   authorized the placement of advertisements, public art, and 
  3.5   informational signs on the bicycle racks and bicycle storage 
  3.6   facilities, and (3) the placement does not create an unsafe 
  3.7   situation.  Advertisements, public art, and information signs 
  3.8   authorized under this subdivision are subject to the terms and 
  3.9   conditions imposed by the road authority authorizing their 
  3.10  placement. 
  3.11     Sec. 3.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  3.12     Sections 1 and 2 are effective the day following final 
  3.13  enactment.