State & Local Bicycle Campaign Updates

A few updates to campaigns and legislation that the League has been assisting with:

New Mexico legislators recently passed the nation’s first 5 foot passing bill, however Governor Martinez must sign this by Friday for the bill to become law. Cyclists in New Mexico are urged to take action and let the Governor know how important it is for her to sign this into law. For those who have already sent an email, please follow-up with a phone call by calling her office at (505)476-2200.

Maryland HB 363 “Manslaughter by Vehicle or Vessel”  seeks to provide a misdemeanor option for those who cause fatalities by driving in a criminally negligent manner. After Bike Maryland’s 7 years of work on this legislation, the bill passed the Maryland state House only to be caught up in committee. The League helped generate hundreds of emails in support of the bill. Despite support from all area bicycling organizations, area media editorial boards, environmental groups and AAA Mid-Atlantic,  the fate of the bill lies with Judicial Proceedings Chair (and Bike/Ped Caucus member) Senator Brian Frosh who has not been supportive.  The Committee is meeting on the bill at this very second.

Georgia’s HB101 “The Better Bicycling Bill” has progressed through the Georgia House, Senate Public Safety Committee and is expected to pass the Senate Rules Committee early next week.  The bill will clean up and clarify outdated Georgia laws related to bicycling safety. This legislation specifies that cyclists have the right-of-way in bike lanes and establishes minimum guidelines for safe bicycle facilities. It will also modernize Georgia’s code to better accommodate current bicycling equipment. Georgia cyclists can help with the last minute push by taking action here.

Recently we alerted you to a campaign to protect critical funding in the Houston-Galveston region.  While falling short of  the full amount that active transportation advocates had sought, $12.8 million was preserved to fund biking, walking and transit improvements for the next three years. Our friends at Streetsblog Capitol Hill have a full write-up. Congratulations to Bike Houston, Houston Tomorrow and all other groups and individuals who waged a smart and energized campaign.

Offroad cycling advocates in Boulder, CO took a bit of a hit last week in mountain bike access in the West TSA. The long sought after connection would provide better access to trails currently open to offroad cyclists. Despite insufficient mountain bike access called out in Boulder’s Open Space and Mountain Parks Plan and after a long campaign of the Boulder Mountain Bike Alliance (supported by IMBA, Bikes Belong and the League of American Bicyclists), Boulder City Council still failed to provide the access advocates were after. Read a write-up of the City Council vote, as well as the long history of the fight for access in the West TSA here.

Do you have a state or local campaign you need assistance with or want to share your story? Let us know!