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Entries tagged: Legislation

According to Vermont’s Local Motion, the Vermont Legislature just passed two critical roadway safety bills this session and plans to remove mountain bike trails in Essex were halted.

According to Local Motion:
“1) Ban on Texting While Driving (S.280)

The VT House and Senate put aside their differences and agreed to a bill that bans texting for all drivers and also bans cell phone use by teenage drivers. The Governor indicated he would sign the bill. Thank you Local Motion members who responded to our advocacy call! Thanks also to Senator Mazza for seeing this through. Free Press Coverage

2) Safe Passing Bill (H.540)

Thanks to the tremendous leadership of Nancy Schulz and Judy Bond of the VT Bicycle & Pedestrian Coalition, the Legislature passed a bill clarifying how motorists must pass walkers, cyclists and other “vulnerable roadway users” and also prohibiting motorists from threatening behavoir towards walkers and cyclists. Read the final bill language here. If you appreciate this work, please consider joining the VT Bike/Pedestrian Coalition.

3) Saxon Hill Mtn Bike Trails Spared…For Now

Thanks to the leadership of Fellowship of the Wheel, Chittenden County’s mountain biking club, over 100 people turned out to a public forum where the Town of Essex was considering a development proposal that would have removed nearly all mountain biking trails from Saxon Hill. The next day the developer withdrew the project’s plans.”

Learn more about Local Motion.

Learn more about the Vermont Bicycle and Pedestrian Coalition.

According to Chicago’s Active Transportation Alliance, “The Illinois General Assembly passed a monumental bill, HB43, clarifying the current law by requiring drivers to stop for pedestrians in all crosswalks – even those that don’t have a stop sign or traffic signal; and even those that aren’t marked with paint. Current law is vague and nearly impossible to enforce.

HB 43 is clear: come to a complete stop when pedestrians are present.

Active Trans worked with Sen. Heather Steans (Chicago) and Rep. Luis Arroyo (Chicago) to make Illinois a state that prioritizes and protects people, not cars. These two legislators were champions that deserve a lot of praise. If you are in their districts, please call them or write a handwritten thank you note letting them know their efforts were appreciated and congratulating them on their victory. The Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police, Metropolitan Planning Council and a particularly active group of students at Curie Metropolitan High School have played critical roles in this victory.

This will go into law as soon as Gov. Quinn signs the bill.

HB 43 will save lives and prevent serious injuries. More than 6,000 people are hit by cars every year in Illinois. That translates into 1,000 serious injuries and 150 fatalities.

This victory has been nearly two years in the making and we couldn’t have done it without the phone calls, support and momentum you provide. Thank you!”

For more information, visit http://www.activetrans.org/blog.

Nearly 1,800 cyclists participated in the 5th annual Georgia Bikes! Georgia Rides to the Capitol event on Tuesday, March 23. Police-escorted rides departed from Decatur and Roswell led respectively by Mayor Bill Floyd and Mayor Jere Wood as well as other mayors and public officials from the region. Cyclists biked to raise support for improved conditions for cycling, including the development of regional systems of both on-road bicycling facilities and multi-use-trails.

While at the capitol, cyclists talked with their representatives about Georgia HB 988 — 3 foot safe passing bill. Cyclists and other supporters - contact your legislators and ask them to support this bill. 16 states have safe passing legislation; Georgia Bikes is aiming to “get Georgia signed up as number 17!”

For more information about the event, visit http://www.georgiaridestothecapitol.org/.

According to the Missouri Bicycle and Pedestrian Federation, “HB 1691, to make Bike Month, Bike to Work Week, and Walk/Bike to School Day/Week/Month a permanent part of the Missouri state holidays calendar, has passed the Missouri House as a consent bill.  The bill now goes to the MIssouri Senate.

Rep. Will Kraus sponsored the bill and wrote this summary in his weekly newsletter to constituents:

‘Bill on Bicycle and Walking Days Goes to the Senate
Last week, I presented HB 1691 to the House of Representatives for a vote.  This bill requires the governor to issue annual proclamations for a Walk and Bike to School month and day in October and Bike to Work month, day and week in May.  It received strong bipartisan support as it passed by a vote of 142 yes, one no, and one present.  The bill has been sent to the Senate and has been assigned to the Progress and Development Committee.

I would like to thank Brent Hugh, Executive Director of the Missouri Bicycle & Pedestrian Federation, Jonathan Hugh, and all others who have helped with this bill.

At no cost to the state, days such as this provide an opportunity for schools to organize safe passage for kids to walk or ride to school; create enthusiasm, knowledge and comradeship for healthy exercise; and lead to positive physical and mental health benefits for Missourians.’”

On Monday, February 8th, the Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota and other members of the Minnesota Complete Streets Coalition celebrated the introduction of the “Complete Streets” bill, (SF 2461/HF 2801) in the Minnesota legislature. Upon introduction, the bill had widespread support from environment, health, and transportation advocates throughout the state as well as bipartisan support in both legislative bodies.  Following the example of 18 states and more than 100 communities, the legislation aims to make Minnesota roads safer and more accessible for those who utilize all forms of transportation including transit riders, bicyclists, and pedestrians. A statewide poll by the Minnesota Environmental Partnership found that 73 percent of Minnesotans back the mission of the legislation, which would ultimately create policies that make the state’s roadways safer for all, especially the young and old.

For more information on the legislation visit :
http://www.bikemn.org/news_detail.cfm?id=783DB9CD-FCE9-45B4-B1B2-D80AAA96BFAB
or http://www.mncompletestreets.org/

BikeDenver recently announced that on November 23rd Denver’s City Council approved a bill to amend many sections of the Revised Municipal Code related to bicycling.

The new ordinances took effect on Friday, November 27th and amend City traffic laws related to bicycles to partially conform with a new Colorado state law. The new law allows speed-restricted riding on sidewalks for the limited purpose of parking and eliminates obsolete language associated with licensing.  Councilwoman Carla Madison (pictured right) who championed the effort within the council says: “It’s good policy to have state and city law aligned, and it’ll be nice to see people be able to legally ride to park their bike.” 

BikeDenver Executive Director Piep van Heuven said: “It’s very important that Denver’s laws mirror those recently adopted on the State level that ensure key protections for bicyclists like 3-Feet to Pass.  Synchronizing City code with Colorado’s Bicycle Safety Law will make riding a bike in Denver and operating motor vehicles around bikes in Denver safer for all of us.  We’re also pleased to see City Council so actively involved in the effort to make Denver a safe, convenient and fun place to ride a bike.”

BikeDenver worked for months with stakeholders and councilmembers including to suggest ordinance revisions that would bring Denver in line with State and National standards.  BikeDenver’s van Heuven said: “It was great to see so many interested parties at the table and on the same page.”  Groups and offices involved in the effort included representatives from the Downtown Denver Partnership, the Mayor’s Bicycle Advisory Committee, Denver City Attorney’s Office, Denver Bike Sharing, Greenprint Denver, Denver Police Department, and the Department of Public Works.

For more of the story, including the specific key changes to Denver’s Bike Ordinances, visit http://www.bikedenver.org/news/denverbikeordinances/.

“After more than two years of meetings and drafting language, Bicycle Colorado announced that the Colorado Department of Transportation’s (CDOT) Transportation Commission has adopted a, “groundbreaking statewide Bicycle and Pedestrian Policy.

According to Bicycle Colorado, “The new policy directs that, ‘...the needs of bicyclists and pedestrians shall be included in the planning, design, and operation of transportation facilities, as a matter of routine…’

Division of Transportation Development Director Jennifer Finch stated, ‘This is a change in philosophy for the Department [of Transportation].’

Bicycle Colorado’s Executive Director Dan Grunig said, ‘We have passed positive bicycle legislation and overturned bike bans, but passing this policy may be the biggest step we’ve taken towards bicyclists being treated as legitimate road users.’

Adoption of this policy is a big step, but implementation is the key to the policy’s success. Read more about next steps for this policy online.

The Missouri Bicycle Federation wrapped up their 2009 legislative season with some successes, and some issues to come back to. Among the successes is a Sen. Bill Stouffer’s Dead Red bill which allows bicyclists & motorcyclists to proceed through a red light if the actuator failed to detect the vehicle. The Dead Red bill was signed by Missouri Governor Jay Nixon and became law on August 28th.  Another controversial bill to allow much greater equestrian access to trails and public lands was strongly opposed by mountain biking and trails groups because of technical details about the way it was written. Thanks to opposition voiced by MoBikeFed and other groups and MoBikeFed’s testimony at two key hearings, the bill was re-written to remove the problematic portions. The improved version was passed and signed by Governor Nixon.

For more related news from Missouri’s 2009 legislative season, visit here…

Colorado bicyclists are excited about the new Bicycle Safety Act, which went into effect August 5th. The Bicycle Safety Act was made possible through the supportive grassroots efforts of Bicycle Colorado members. The new laws, including a requirement that cars give a minimum of 3 feet of space when passing bicyclists, are meant to improve safety for bicyclists and motorists. The new law also allows bicyclists to ride side-by-side when the road is clear of other traffic.

For more information on the new law, click here…

The Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota (BikeMN) is partnering with other nonprofits and BlueCross BlueShield of Minnesota’s Active Living Program to build a coalition to pass a statewide Complete Streets policy during the 2010 legislative session. BikeMN’s participation in the coalition is funded in part by an Advocacy Advance Grant from the Alliance for Biking & Walking. This will be a great opportunity for BikeMN to significantly increase its membership and train a network of bicycle advocates ready to influence future issues and campaigns at the state and local level.

For more information contact Dorian Grilley at www.bikemn.org.

On July 23, state legislators from across the U.S. took part in the 6th National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) Bipartisan Bike Ride, organized by BikeTexas and the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia. The 100 participants, including 14 state senators and 21 state representatives from 23 states, rode eight miles through scenic downtown Philadelphia. BikeTexas coordinates this annual ride in partnership with the local advocacy organization. According to Robin Stallings of BikeTexas, “dollar for dollar, this is the most effective lobbying activity we do to advance the state-level legislative bicycle agenda.”

To learn more about the event and view photos visit www.biketexas.org

In a huge victory for the Central Connecticut Bicycle Alliance (CCBA), Governor M. Jodi Rell has signed into law a bill intended to improve access for pedestrians and bicyclists. Under the bill, beginning October 1, 2010, a minimum of one percent of future highway and street funds must be directed to biking and walking projects. An advisory board will be established to work with the Governor, the Department of Transportation, and the Legislature. This bill was a key advocacy priority of the CCBA.

Read the full press release here.

For more information on CCBA, click here…

The Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin and the entire Wisconsin bicycle community is excited to report major legislative successes from this past month. According to the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin, “On June 8th, Governor Doyle signed the “Dooring” legislation in to law. On June 29th, lobbying efforts from April became fully realized when the Governor signed the Wisconsin state budget. The budget contains Complete Streets legislation and an additional $5 million for bicycle infrastructure. The 2010-2011 Wisconsin state budget contains the first-ever state funded source for bicycle infrastructure.”

For more information, click here…

To learn more about WI’s new “dooring” legislation, click here…