| Re: Colorado: new bicycle bill passes
"Ken Marcet" wrote
> DENVER - Lawmakers in the state House on Friday passed HB 1218 - the
> so-called "Bicycle Bill" - by a vote of 41 to 21.
>
> The bill was introduced by state Rep. Greg Brophy, R-Wray, and now moves
on
> to the Senate. If passed, the law would allow bicyclists to ride two
abreast
> in certain situations, signal a right turn with a horizontal motion of
their
> right arm, and to ride through pedestrian crosswalks.
>
> State Rep. Matt Knoedler, R-Lakewood, who supports the legislation, said:
> "This is a common-sense bill and establishes common-sense liability
issues."
>
> But state Rep. Mark Larson, R-Cortez, who voted against the bill, believes
> the legislation would put bicyclists at risk.
>
> "This is going to expose many bicycle riders to unnecessary danger," said
> Larson. "The intentions behind this bill are good, and we tried to amend
it
> in committee. But if passed this bill begins to encroach on motor-vehicle
> laws and will have the unintended consequence of giving false confidence
to
> cyclists."
>
> Forget about new laws for cyclist. How about harsher punishment for all
the
> drivers of motor vehicles who endanger / hurt / kill bike riders! Like
> mandatory prison time for any accident involving a cyclist!
>
> Ken
I thought Colorado already allowed cyclists to ride two abreast when no
motor vehicle traffic was present. What's changed here and how does the new
law make things better?
I've never in my life signalled a right turn with either arm while cycling
(except for two brief trips to the UK and Ireland). I've always felt that I
was better off letting other vehicle operators think I was going straight
through an intersection. How is this new law going to make my life any
better?
AIUI, Colorado law allows cyclists to cycle on the sidewalk provided they
walk the bicycle through crosswalks. Cyclists who walk their bicycles
through crosswalks have the same priority over motor vehicle traffic as
pedestrians. Cyclists who don't want to walk their bikes through crosswalks
can ride in the street, in which case they are treated as vehicles and have
the same rights and responsiblities as motor vehicle operators. IMO,
allowing sidewalk cyclists to cycle through crosswalks would make life
dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists would be more likely to enter
crosswalks too fast for motorists to see them and stop in time. Allowing
sidewalk cyclists to ride through pedestrian crosswalks strikes me as a good
way to get people hurt.
It's real nice of my state legislature to think about bicycles for a change,
but I'm a little dubious about what this new law is supposed to accomplish.
Cycling laws in Colorado are already pretty well written, and I'd like to
see more cyclists obeying the laws we already have.
--
mark
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