As early as next January, bike advocates are hoping to push through
an Oregon version of an Idaho law that would allow bicyclists to yield
instead of stopping at stop signs.
“We were hoping to do some advance media on this last December,”
said Karl Rohde, public affairs director for the Bicycle Transportation
Alliance (BTA), at a brown bag lunch meeting last week. “But we kept
getting buried in the news cycle—whether it was snowstorms,
scandals, or budget cuts. Nobody in the media cares about us right
now.”
Or perhaps that’s what Rohde is hoping, because a lack of
controversy around the idea would make its passage into law a lot
easier.
The proposed law—which would allow cyclists to roll though
stop signs, traffic and safety permitting—has been in effect in
Idaho since 1982, said Ray Thomas, a bike and pedestrian lawyer.
“There’s just no increase in injuries or accidents for bicyclists under
this law,” he said.
“Cyclists are safer on back streets, and this law respects the
reality that a cyclist can safely slow and check for traffic without
putting a foot down,” says House Representative Jules Kopel Bailey, who
is sponsoring a bill on the law through the House of Representatives in
Salem.
Bailey says he watched five cops on motorcycles pull over cyclists
during a recent morning commute through Ladd’s Addition in Southeast
Portland, because they slowed to a near stop but did not put a foot
down at the Ladd Circle.
“This law will allow all of you to continue behaving as you do
already,” said Rohde, at the meeting last Thursday, February 19.
The next step for the bill is to clear the house transportation
committee in March.
“Bailey says he watched five cops on motorcycles pull over cyclists during a recent morning commute through Ladd’s Addition in Southeast Portland, because they slowed to a near stop but did not put a foot down at the Ladd Circle.”
I cannot fathom what public safety issue these cops are thinking about. I can think of 20 intersections or streets alone in just SW Portland where I routinely see cars going 10+ mph over the limit, endangering pedestrians, bikers, and property.
Fucking police.
Honestly, I am getting SO tired of seeing this fucking-police mentality. Give me a break. Just as in any type of employment there are people who are “bad apples” and yes, they should be punished accordingly, but most of these officers are out enforcing laws that we have voted into action, so if you want to be pissed off about the police enforcing these laws, perhaps you should speak with your local lawmakers. As it currently stands, bikers are supposed to obey the same traffic laws as motorists. I happen to think that this new law makes sense, however, I am not going to fault the police for siting people if they are not obeying the laws that are currently in effect.
Those F’ing cops, freakin’ enforcing the laws…what A-holes!
I’ve written several of my lawmakers. They send me polite form letters back. Nothing changes.
Police *do* have leeway in what crimes they enforce. Otherwise the cops wouldn’t get a block away from their headquarters as I see cops and pedestrians jaywalk constantly on 2nd and 3rd. I see cops routinely break the law, I see Portland “Clean & Safe” hand out warnings for riding your bike on the sidewalk while they themselves ride their bikes on the sidewalk.
Fucking police.
More reasons to love the police:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipb_PeXOdT4
Sweet. I’m not super-concerned about this, since I ride through stop signs all the time and have never been stopped for it, but it’d be nice to have it made official.
It’s no wonder bicyclists are targeted by LAW ENFORCEMENT officers and harrassed by automobile drivers with LICENSES and INSURANCE. With attitudes like yours and your need to embellish every other sentence with profanity it only reinforces the need to hold bicyclists to traffic laws and ‘rules of the road’. Get a grip and grow up and don’t blame the car driver when you ignore the red light and roll into his path … oops! Oh yes, just because you “routinely see cars going 10+mph over the limit”, doesn’t mean you should splatter your face all over the side of that car.