URGENT: ALL TX CYCLISTS PLEASE READ AND ACT (TAKES TWO MIN)

[big D]

Dear fellow Texas Cyclist,

Call Senator Todd Staples, R-Palestine, and urge him to vote for SB
859.

Not since the threat to ban cyclists from all FM roads has there been a
greater need for action.

Senator Todd Staples, R-Palestine, has repeatedly delayed and
obstructed SB 859. Despite the leadership of Senator Ellis, D-Houston,
and Senator Deuell, R-Rockwall, Senator Staples, is making it very
difficult to get past the Senate floor.

The Safe Passing Bill will save lives. It would require motorists to
pass cyclists at a minimum of three feet. 20 Texan cyclists a year who
are obeying all laws are hit from behind by negligent and reckless
drivers. To read more about the bill go to the BikeTexas Legislative
page: http://biketexas.org/lege/lege_home.html

Email or call Sen. Staples' office and express the importance of his
support for SB 859. (512) 463-0103
http://www.senate.state.tx.us/75r/senate/members/dist3/dist3.htm#form

Email or call your Senator. If you don't know who your Senator is, you
can find out at http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/fyi/fyi.htm.

Tell your friends! We need to act quickly on this!

Thanks!!!

 

[Wayne Pein]

big D wrote:

> Dear fellow Texas Cyclist,
>
> Call Senator Todd Staples, R-Palestine, and urge him to vote for SB
> 859.
>
> Not since the threat to ban cyclists from all FM roads has there been a
> greater need for action.
>
> Senator Todd Staples, R-Palestine, has repeatedly delayed and
> obstructed SB 859. Despite the leadership of Senator Ellis, D-Houston,
> and Senator Deuell, R-Rockwall, Senator Staples, is making it very
> difficult to get past the Senate floor.
>
> The Safe Passing Bill will save lives. It would require motorists to
> pass cyclists at a minimum of three feet. 20 Texan cyclists a year who
> are obeying all laws are hit from behind by negligent and reckless
> drivers. To read more about the bill go to the BikeTexas Legislative
> page: http://biketexas.org/lege/lege_home.html
>
> Email or call Sen. Staples' office and express the importance of his
> support for SB 859. (512) 463-0103
> http://www.senate.state.tx.us/75r/senate/members/dist3/dist3.htm#form
>
> Email or call your Senator. If you don't know who your Senator is, you
> can find out at http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/fyi/fyi.htm.
>
> Tell your friends! We need to act quickly on this!
>
> Thanks!!!
>


I can't believe this law would make it any better for cyclists. A law
already prohibits hitting someone, and that is broken 20 times a year!

That said, I think it would be better to use the words "bicycle driver"
instead of "bicyclist" as is used throughout the bill. A "bicyclist" is
a weird minority invading motorist's god given space. A "bicycle driver"
is a person who drives a bicycle vehicle like any other vehicle driver.
It humanizes bicycle users. I believe using that language may jump start
a neuron in some of the rednecks down there.

I'd also get the TBC to quit espousing bike lanes. Why rile up the
natives with special bike facilities (that motorists pay for by golly)
which in contrast then make normal roads the domain of motorists in
their minds? Integration not segregation.

Texas does have a motorist hostility problem. See
http://www.bicyclinglife.com/Library/TaleOfThree.htm
for objective confirmation of this.

Wayne

 

[Mark Hickey]

Wayne Pein <[email protected]> wrote:

>big D wrote:

>> The Safe Passing Bill will save lives. It would require motorists to
>> pass cyclists at a minimum of three feet. 20 Texan cyclists a year who
>> are obeying all laws are hit from behind by negligent and reckless
>> drivers. To read more about the bill go to the BikeTexas Legislative
>> page: http://biketexas.org/lege/lege_home.html

>I can't believe this law would make it any better for cyclists. A law
>already prohibits hitting someone, and that is broken 20 times a year!

FWIW, the real power in the three-foot law isn't that it legislates
that drivers have to actually not hit cyclists (hopefully fear of
scratching their paint will do that...) but that it takes away the
ability of the motorist to say "the bike just swerved in front of me".
If the motorist was truly lined up to give a cyclist three feet (just
under 1m) of clearance, it's hard to imagine a "swerve" that would put
the bike in the path of the car. A driver who claims that a bike
jinked one foot to the left would be admitting being two feet into the
"cyclist's road".

FWIW, that's the law here in Arizona already, and I get VERY few
"brush-back passes". I have no idea whether it has anything to do
with the law, or is simply because of the higher number of cyclists or
the adequate bicycle lanes.

Mark Hickey
Habanero Cycles
http://www.habcycles.com
Home of the $695 ti frame

 

[Zoot Katz]

Thu, 19 May 2005 22:38:52 -0700,
<[email protected]>, Mark Hickey
<[email protected]> wrote:

> A driver who claims that a bike
>jinked one foot to the left would be admitting being two feet into the
>"cyclist's road".

Unless there exists a social will to enforce that law and punish
offenders in a meaninful way, that 3' law is just so much ink.
--
zk

 

[RonSonic]

On Thu, 19 May 2005 23:34:43 -0700, Zoot Katz <[email protected]> wrote:

>Thu, 19 May 2005 22:38:52 -0700,
><[email protected]>, Mark Hickey
><[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> A driver who claims that a bike
>>jinked one foot to the left would be admitting being two feet into the
>>"cyclist's road".
>
>Unless there exists a social will to enforce that law and punish
>offenders in a meaninful way, that 3' law is just so much ink.

As are all laws.

Ron

 

[Mark Hickey]

RonSonic <[email protected]> wrote:

>On Thu, 19 May 2005 23:34:43 -0700, Zoot Katz <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>Thu, 19 May 2005 22:38:52 -0700,
>><[email protected]>, Mark Hickey
>><[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>> A driver who claims that a bike
>>>jinked one foot to the left would be admitting being two feet into the
>>>"cyclist's road".
>>
>>Unless there exists a social will to enforce that law and punish
>>offenders in a meaninful way, that 3' law is just so much ink.
>
>As are all laws.

And the hardest law to enforce is one that's not on the books. Let's
take the three foot law as a step in the right direction. There are
even publicity campaigns here in the Phoenix, Arizona area that show a
bike and car with a large double-ended arrow with "3 feet" across the
center, and "It's the law" across the bottom.

I'll admit that won't change the hearts of every driver in the area,
but it can only help build awareness.

Mark Hickey
Habanero Cycles
http://www.habcycles.com
Home of the $695 ti frame