HB 971 and what it means to you...

Ben Petersen hit me up with this link on the Commute Orlando blog about House Bill 971. This little doozy would make mandatory bike lane use a provision the Highway Safety & Motor Vehicles bill due to be signed by Gov. Christ. This is disastrous simply because it will force cyclist to use a bike lane and if they dont, it now puts a cyclist caught outside of a bike lane in the position proving their innocence. Studies have proven bike lanes offer a false sense of security and a bicycle works best and is safest when the cyclist behaves as part of traffic. Forcing cyclist on to bike lanes, like the one that exists on Edgewater, exponentially increases the risk of a cyclist getting door jammed causing injuries / fatalities. The language of the bill is also so vaguely worded that it also opens up the potential for abuse by law enforcement. There are tons of striped-off areas of roadways that are not bike lanes at all. But because some believe they are, they expect cyclist to ride in these stretches of road that are usually full of glass and other road debris. We all ready deal with enough misinterpretation of the current law by OPD and other law enforcement agencies, the last thing we need is something that is going to cause even more confusion/friction. Not to mention the bill has the unintended effect of giving motorists another good excuse to harass cyclists who “aren’t where they belong”. This is a lose/lose situation for all...

Some of the other gems in this bill would make it legal for mopeds, golf-carts, motorized scooters and other vehicles to operate on sidewalks and on bike paths. Also included in this bill is a provision to let a 4th time DUI offender get their drivers license back. If this isn't some car centric marginalization of cyclist and pedestrians, I dont know what is...

Commute Orlando Blog Post on HB 971


ez!