NJ legislators & bicycles in the news

01-19-2007, 03:37 PM

From today's paper .....

ASSOCIATED PRESS

TRENTON — New Jersey may have unresolved problems with taxes, child
welfare and gangs, but lawmakers are ready to crack down on one
perceived danger: talking on a cell phone while riding a bike.

A legislative committee has approved a bill that would make it illegal
for people to use a hand-held telephone while riding a bicycle on a
public road. Hands-free devices would be allowed and lawbreakers would
face fines ranging from $100 to $250.

Assemblyman Jon Bramnick, a bill sponsor, said the measure is meant to
protect bicyclists and the people they may strike when riding and
yakking at the same time.

"That is, in our judgment, a danger to pedestrians as well as to the
bicyclists themselves, due to the fact that now they have one hand on
the handlebars, they're talking to someone and they're on a public
highway," said Bramnick, a Union County Republican.

The bill -- among 6,928 introduced this session by New Jersey lawmakers
-- was given the nod Thursday by an Assembly public safety panel and now
can be considered by the full Assembly. The Senate has taken no action
on the idea.

Pete Garnich, owner of Knapp's Cyclery in Lawrence, said it's a waste of
time.

His store takes people out on weekly group rides and Garnich said he
can't recall anyone talking on a cell phone while riding a bike.

"I wouldn't say it's a problem," he said. "You can't breathe and talk.
It's absolutely ridiculous."

In 2005, 784 people were killed -- including 17 in New Jersey -- and
45,000 were injured in bicycle crashes in the United States, accounting
for 2 percent of traffic fatalities, according to the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration. The agency today couldn't immediately
determine if statistics were kept for crashes involving cell phones and
bikes.

(While 25 percent of the nation's bicycle fatalities in 2005 involved
alcohol, the state attorney general's office says it's not illegal to
bike while drunk in New Jersey.)

Bramnick admitted he also has no data on injuries caused by distracted
riders. He called the cell phone biking bill "a common sense proposal"
based on observations he and others have made "in the more densely
populated communities."

Not all legislators are eager to support the measure.

"As my father used to tell me, 'You can't legislate common sense,' and
that's exactly what this bill tries to do, as the Legislature has
already tried to do on so many other occasions," said Assemblyman
Richard Merkt, R-Morris. "Is anyone dumb enough to use a cell phone in a
dangerous manner while riding a bicycle really going to be smart enough
to know about or pay attention to some legislator's new law? Seems
unlikely to me."

It was unclear today when legislators might take more action on the
bill, or when they would take up other proposals offered by lawmakers.
Those include declaring September "Handwashing Awareness Month," a plan
languishing in an Assembly health committee.

01-19-2007, 07:19 PM

Justa Lurker <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:

> From today's paper .....
>
>ASSOCIATED PRESS
>
>TRENTON — New Jersey may have unresolved problems with taxes, child
>welfare and gangs, but lawmakers are ready to crack down on one
>perceived danger: talking on a cell phone while riding a bike.

FWIW, I ride through the ASU (Arizona State U) campus regularly, and
do see a lot of students riding while talking on the phone. I didn't
think it was possible for them to be any less in touch with their
surroundings while riding a bike, but I had to change my mind. A
college kid on a bike with a cellphone stuck in their ear IS a danger
to everything around them. It's utterly amazing how unaware they are
of where they're going or what's going on around them. I've seen some
amazingly stupid moves.

Mark Hickey
Habanero Cycles
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
Home of the $795 ti frame

01-19-2007, 11:28 PM

In article <uvdsh.424443$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].worldnet.att.net>,
Justa Lurker <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> writes:
> From today's paper .....
>
> ASSOCIATED PRESS
>
> TRENTON — New Jersey may have unresolved problems with taxes, child
> welfare and gangs, but lawmakers are ready to crack down on one
> perceived danger: talking on a cell phone while riding a bike.

What do they say about talking on a cell phone while
hurtling a ton & a half(+) of mass down the streets
and roads?

cheers,
Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

01-20-2007, 05:07 AM

In article
<uvdsh.424443$Fi1.279794@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net>,
Justa Lurker <JustaLurker@att.net> wrote:

> A legislative committee has approved a bill that would make it illegal
> for people to use a hand-held telephone while riding a bicycle on a
> public road. Hands-free devices would be allowed and lawbreakers would
> face fines ranging from $100 to $250.

NJ seems to require most vehicles use hands-free cell phones. If this
simply treats bikes like other vehicles, I don't see it as a bad thing.

--
My personal UDP list: 127.0.0.1, 4ax.com, buzzardnews.com, googlegroups.com,
heapnode.com, localhost, x-privat.org

01-20-2007, 05:51 AM

Justa Lurker wrote:
> From today's paper .....
>
> ASSOCIATED PRESS
>
> TRENTON — New Jersey may have unresolved problems with taxes, child
> welfare and gangs, but lawmakers are ready to crack down on one
> perceived danger: talking on a cell phone while riding a bike.
>
> A legislative committee has approved a bill that would make it illegal
> for people to use a hand-held telephone while riding a bicycle on a
> public road. Hands-free devices would be allowed and lawbreakers would
> face fines ranging from $100 to $250.
>
> Assemblyman Jon Bramnick, a bill sponsor, said the measure is meant to
> protect bicyclists and the people they may strike when riding and
> yakking at the same time.
>
> "That is, in our judgment, a danger to pedestrians as well as to the
> bicyclists themselves, due to the fact that now they have one hand on
> the handlebars, they're talking to someone and they're on a public
> highway," said Bramnick, a Union County Republican.
>
> The bill -- among 6,928 introduced this session by New Jersey lawmakers
> -- was given the nod Thursday by an Assembly public safety panel and now
> can be considered by the full Assembly. The Senate has taken no action
> on the idea.
>
> Pete Garnich, owner of Knapp's Cyclery in Lawrence, said it's a waste of
> time.
>
> His store takes people out on weekly group rides and Garnich said he
> can't recall anyone talking on a cell phone while riding a bike.
>
> "I wouldn't say it's a problem," he said. "You can't breathe and talk.
> It's absolutely ridiculous."
>
> In 2005, 784 people were killed -- including 17 in New Jersey -- and
> 45,000 were injured in bicycle crashes in the United States, accounting
> for 2 percent of traffic fatalities, according to the National Highway
> Traffic Safety Administration. The agency today couldn't immediately
> determine if statistics were kept for crashes involving cell phones and
> bikes.
>
> (While 25 percent of the nation's bicycle fatalities in 2005 involved
> alcohol, the state attorney general's office says it's not illegal to
> bike while drunk in New Jersey.)
>
> Bramnick admitted he also has no data on injuries caused by distracted
> riders. He called the cell phone biking bill "a common sense proposal"
> based on observations he and others have made "in the more densely
> populated communities."
>
> Not all legislators are eager to support the measure.
>
> "As my father used to tell me, 'You can't legislate common sense,' and
> that's exactly what this bill tries to do, as the Legislature has
> already tried to do on so many other occasions," said Assemblyman
> Richard Merkt, R-Morris. "Is anyone dumb enough to use a cell phone in a
> dangerous manner while riding a bicycle really going to be smart enough
> to know about or pay attention to some legislator's new law? Seems
> unlikely to me."
>
> It was unclear today when legislators might take more action on the
> bill, or when they would take up other proposals offered by lawmakers.
> Those include declaring September "Handwashing Awareness Month," a plan
> languishing in an Assembly health committee.

It's a pity that NJ legislators (who could be doing something useful
i.e. property tax reform) resort to devices like this to make news, and
divert public attention from important issues. I have yet to see any
accident caused by bike/cellphone conversations. In fact the legislator
who proposed the measure admits that he cannot cite any incidences of
accident(s) caused by this practice.

No doubt the practice is somewhat unsafe, however, this legislation is
designed to solve a non existent problem. You cannot protect people from
themselves.

EJ in NJ

01-20-2007, 07:06 AM

On Sat, 20 Jan 2007 08:07:36 -0600, Doc O'Leary
<[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:

>In article
><uvdsh.424443$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].worldnet.att.net>,
> Justa Lurker <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:
>
>> A legislative committee has approved a bill that would make it illegal
>> for people to use a hand-held telephone while riding a bicycle on a
>> public road. Hands-free devices would be allowed and lawbreakers would
>> face fines ranging from $100 to $250.
>
>NJ seems to require most vehicles use hands-free cell phones. If this
>simply treats bikes like other vehicles, I don't see it as a bad thing.

Apparently, NJ also considers "bicycles" to be those pedal-powered
machines with two wheels, and a few other distingguishing
characteristics; which means that unicyclists, trike riders, and
recumbent cyclists (depending on the form of the "seat") would not be
affected by this nincompoops's proposed law.

01-20-2007, 10:28 AM

On Sat, 20 Jan 2007 00:28:31 -0800, Tom Keats wrote:

>> TRENTON Â— New Jersey may have unresolved problems with taxes, child
>> welfare and gangs, but lawmakers are ready to crack down on one
>> perceived danger: talking on a cell phone while riding a bike.
>
> What do they say about talking on a cell phone while
> hurtling a ton & a half(+) of mass down the streets
> and roads?

That's already illegal -- but not enforced, apparently.

--

David L. Johnson

And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries,
and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove
mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. [1 Corinth. 13:2]

01-23-2007, 04:14 PM

> Pete Garnich, owner of Knapp's Cyclery in Lawrence, said it's a waste of
> time.
>
> His store takes people out on weekly group rides and Garnich said he
> can't recall anyone talking on a cell phone while riding a bike.
>
> "I wouldn't say it's a problem," he said. "You can't breathe and talk.
> It's absolutely ridiculous."

I disagree.

I ride through San Diego State on my commute home. Just the other
night I had to yell at a student riding his bike the wrong way in a
bike lane while talking on his cell phone (not a hands free unit). He
was coming right at me and completely oblivious to my presence, in
spite of my two 15 watt headlights, until I yelled at him.

But I'm not completely blameless. A few years ago, during the Grand
Tour Double Century (near Malibu, CA) I sprinted up a hill and rode
away from the person I was riding with. I slowed down to wait for her
and used the time to call my wife on the cell. It was a quiet country
road, however.

Anyhow, even if the bill has some merit, it would be unlikely to be
enforced, like the law concerning motorists and cell phones.

Tom