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Entries tagged: Safe Passing

Thanks to advocates at Bike Pittsburgh, the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia and PA Walks and Bikes, Pennsylvania will soon become the 22nd state that requires motorists pass cyclists at a safe distance.

The legislation protects cyclists against dreaded right hook collisions and prohibits drivers from buzzing past bikes too close and too fast. The bill mandates that:

• Every car that passes a bike must give a minimum of 4-feet of clearance at a “prudent reduced speed”
• No turn by a motorist may interfere with a bicycle proceeding straight
• Bicycles may be operated at a safe and reasonable speed appropriate for bicycles
• Bicycles must be operated in the right hand lane, or as close as practicable to the right-hand curb or edge of roadway.
• This does not apply to a bicycle using any portion of the road due to unsafe surface conditions.

The law, which was signed by Republican Governor Tom Corbett on February 2 and will go into effect on April 2, has been on advocates’ legislative agenda since 2009, when the bill was first introduced in the Pennsylvania House with just six cosponsors. In 2011, the measure passed the House and, with a grassroots nudging from advocates, the bill won approval by a 45 to 5 margin in the state Senate last month.

“Although we think it’s common sense for drivers to pass with a minimum of four feet and never make a right turn in front of a cyclist, these laws are intended to to protect us in the unfortunate event that it should happen,” Erok Boerer wrote on the BikePGH blog this month. “All too often the cyclist is blamed for any crash (just ask someone who’s been in one), and often has little to no recourse or support from the law.”

The law also opens the door for better awareness among motorists. “With this language now in the PA Vehicle Code, it offers opportunities for driver education, as the law can now be included in driver’s tests, driver’s manuals, and driver’s ed classes,” Boerer added. “Clearly stating how people should drive when overtaking a bicycle will also help educate police officers as their job requires them to be versed in the vehicle code.”

Way to go, Pennsylvania!

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.

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/.