SB553 Update from Senator Taylor's Office

I received this letter this morning and thought I'd share it with you all as an update of the bicycle bill, SB553:

Dear Christopher,

My name is Tiffany Limbach, and I am Senator Taylor’s legislative assistant. Senator Taylor greatly appreciates hearing from informed constituents like you and your readers.

After a bill passes in both houses of government, the author can either concur or dissent with any amendments made. Dissenting sends the bill to a conference committee. Senator Broden, the author of SB 553, originally filed a concurrence with the House amendments to the bill. However, today, April 20, he withdrew the concurrence and filed a dissent. Therefore, nothing can be done until Senate and House conferees are assigned to the committee. The conferees will negotiate to come up with a final bill acceptable for both the House and Senate. Then, they will vote on it one last time. Once conferees and advisers are appointed, it will be reflected on the action list online.

Thanks so much for you email. Senator Taylor was happy to hear about your blog and growing readership, and he asked that I pass along his congratulations. Please do not hesitate to contact Senator Taylor’s office with future questions or comments. You can also follow the Indiana General Assembly by visiting his website at http://www.in.gov/legislative/senate_democrats/homepages/s33/index.htm.

Thank you very much,
Tiffany Limbach

Another Update on SB553 Bicycle Bill

From the Indiana Bicycle Coalition Newsletter:

SB553 will have a final reading and vote in the House of Representatives on Monday, March 30th.

Although this omnibus bill had numerous changes and additions from our current bicycle code, many changes have been deleted, some provisions have been added, and much of the code remains the same.
Some of the highlights of the bill include:

* Definition of a bicycle lane
* Use of right or left arm for signaling
* Ability to proceed through an intersection, when clear, if unable to trigger the traffic signal sensor

The original bill was introduced with a mandatory helmet law for minors under 17, a mandatory taillight, and allowed the bicyclist to carry a package - all of of these have been stricken from the latest printing.

The 3 feet passing law has been amended back into the bill in the House. (Indy Cog authorial note: Boosh!) The bill has also been amended to allow the bicyclists to carry a personal item, such as a water bottle, while riding. The bill has also been amended to restrict bicyclists from riding two abreast on a federal or state highway - see code IC 9-21-11-6.

While we understand the thought and concern for this recent amendment, we are concerned about this restriction for a number of reasons. One area of concern is for the numerous fund raising rides by Indiana's bicycle clubs and organizations, which occasionally traverse our federal and state roadways. By the very nature of these rides, bicyclists often ride two abreast for increased visibility. This practice can also shorten the overall length of a group of riders, ultimately making it easier for a motorist to pass.

We hope that you will contact your state legislators and let them know how you feel about this bill. Although e-mails are easy, a phone call is more effective and timely. You can easily find your congressman/congresswoman's contact information with this link:

Find your representative

Read the bill in its entirety here.

Spread the word and call today; the vote is on Monday!

An Update on SB553

From the Indiana Bicycle Coalition's website:

Indiana Senate Bill 553 has recently been approved by the Senate. It is now being assigned a committee in the House of Representatives. If you would like to follow the bill on the state's legislative site it can be viewed here. To help progress the bill, email your thoughts and ideas to your state legislators. To find your state legislator go here, and enter your zip code. This will provide you with their name and email address.

More info, along with a great letter from the mayor of South Bend can be found here on the Indiana Bicycle Coalition's website.

This is a good bill, with good changes that will hopefully take effect. I've a bit of an issue with the mandatory helmet stipulation for cyclists under the age of 18, but I've already included that in my letter to my representative, and who knows, maybe you agree with it and want it to stay in the bill. Either way, please contact your state representative and urge them to vote affirmative to this bill, including the 3-foot passing rule.

3 Feet Please - Indiana House Bill SB553

Found this clip from Nancy Tibbett on CIBA's Bike Advocacy page, and wanted to make everyone aware of it.

The Bicycle Safety Bill – SB553 has been assigned to the Roads and Transportation Committee in the House of Representatives. The 3 foot passing law was removed in the Senate and although the bill is good, it would greatly benefit the bicycling community if the House amends the bill, adding the provision back in.

Please contact your representative and those on this committee to share your thoughts as to why the 3-foot passing law is important to bicyclists. Here is an example that was sent to Representatives Dvorak and Neese (sponsors of the bill in the House):

We would like you to consider amending SB 553 to include a 3-foot passing law. The motor vehicle code has specific language for overtaking a vehicle. A vehicle would not be in the same lane as the overtaken vehicle, it wouldn’t be possible in most cases, nor would it be safe. Since a bicycle takes up much less room on the roadway, a vehicle will often stay in the same lane, very close to the bicyclist, as it passes the bicycle. The 3 foot passing law is not a new concept and simply requests a specific amount of room be given in order for the action of passing the bicyclist to occur safely. Many other states have begun adopting this change as more and more bicycles are on our roadways.

The following states currently have adopted the 3' rule: Arizona, Florida, Kentucky, Maine, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Utah, West Virginia, Arkansas, Connecticut, Illinois, New Hampshire, and Tennessee.

Two states have a 2' rule: North Carolina and Virginia.
Colorado's Senate has just approved a 3' rule.
In Maryland, committees in both the House and Senate have approved a 3' provision.

Here is the link to a list of representatives on the committee.

Once the bill was assigned a committee in the Senate, it progressed quickly – please proceed with a sense of urgency.

Here's a link to the bill as it stands currently.

Thanks for your support in creating a bicycle-friendly Indiana.

For more information, or if you would like to get more involved than a simple letter to your representative, you can contact:

Nancy Tibbett
Executive Director
Indiana Bicycle Coalition, Inc.
PO Box 20243 / 6358 N. College Ave.
Indianapolis, IN 46220
317.466.9701
800.BIKE.110
http://www.bicycleindiana.org/