House Bill 2690 which is sponsored by Representatives BAILEY, Senators ATKINSON, PROZANSKI, Representatives CANNON, DEMBROW, GALIZIO, J SMITH (at the request of Bicycle Transportation Alliance)...
"would permit persons operating a bicycle to enter an intersection with specified traffic control devices without stopping, provided that person operating bicycle slows to safe speed and yields right of way to traffic or pedestrians.... creates an offense of improper entry into an intersection with a maximum fine of $360"
The bill allows a bicycle rider not to stop at a stop sign or intersection controlled by a flashing red signal.
how smart is this?
the first thing that's going to happen is the only words that they are going to hear are "bicycles do not have to stop!"
In my opinion, this bill will only increase the amount of bicycle to car accidents as already number of people do not stop at traffic control devices [cars included] and now we are giving bicycles permission?
and on that note... perhaps cars should also have the luxury of not stopping at traffic control devices legally in order to reduce greenhouse gases from idle time.
On the other hand, as we have just reached an unemployment rate of 10.8%, bicycles may be the only thing that will be able to afford to drive.
are you listening Ted tax-and-gouge-me?
3 comments:
I'm on the fence with this one. I ride a bike enough to know that it seems ridiculous to stop at every stop sign when riding on a back street with little traffic. If you are walking you don't have to stop. As much as the law would like to treat bikes like cars they are not the same. You are traveling slower and have a much better idea of your surroundings. But most important is that if you tangle with a vehicle, right or wrong, you end up on the losing end of the equation.
From the " oh come on you've gotta be kiddin' me" department.
Bicyclists in this state are just a stupid as all other trafic, they will whiz through the intersection at full speed and not even bother to look, BECAUSE NOW WE HAVE THE RIGHT-OF-WAY. Or at least that is how they will interpret the new law. If we are trying to decrease traffic in Eugene, Then lets try and find a way to finance LTD and make it a Quarter to ride anywhere, then people will actually use it. Bikes are not a good choice, they are easy to steal if you go into a store, you cant actually go any distance with one in a reasonable amount of time, and they GET IN THE WAY. The answer is public transportation that runs real busses lots of them, and often. And run them on Biodeisel!
Clif-"you gotta be kiddin' me" with this post. Bike riders come in all types from kids to doctors and professors. Almost all of them have one thing in common, they don't want to be hit by a car. To say that they would zoom through an intersection without looking because they have the "right of way" is ridiculous. There is nothing in the proposal that states that they would have the right of way.
While an efficient and timely bus system would be a great idea, it still doesn't offer the freedom and exercise advantage of a bicycle. No matter how you look at it every rider of the bus requires their fare to be subsidized. Please tell me how you plan to "find a way to finance LTD" and also lower the fare by 90%. I live less than a mile from the Valley River Center and I can ride a bike there in less time than it takes to drive there and it takes about 45 minutes to take the bus downtown and transfer to the center.
Remember that for almost every bicyclist that GET'S IN YOUR WAY is one less car that GET'S IN YOUR WAY.
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