Monday, March 5, 2012

SB 468: Still a Bad Bill


I do truly wish I could be devoting this space to something else this morning.  Sadly, SB 468 is still an issue.  It will not go away.  And action is still needed.  You will hear that it has been withdrawn.  It has not.  You will hear that sponsors have dropped it.  They have not.  You will hear that it is “stuck in committee.”  It isn’t.

Please, stay the course.  Write, call, and email your state legislators (particularly your Senators) and let them know how you feel.  Keep the pressure on!

There has been some improvement in the language of SB 468.  Still, in my humble opinion, it leaves a bit to be desired.  For the current text of the bill, please follow this LINK

For tips on contacting your state legislators, please see last Monday’s post HERE.

My biggest problem with this bill is still in the ambiguity and vagueness of the language “shall not impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic.”

By what standard is the “normal and reasonable movement of traffic” judged?   This language could be construed to allow an officer to decide that a cyclist simply does not belong on a given roadway.  In short, it could be used to push riders off of just about any road.

Folks, I do not advocate making life difficult for our motoring brethren.  But we are traffic.  By long and ancient custom, and much law, access to the road should not be denied.  I haven’t heard or read of huge problems resulting from cyclists obstructing traffic in the metro area, or anywhere else in the state.  Why do we need this bill?  It should be killed.  Completely.

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