Bike Bill Passes Through Committee
A bill to protect the safety of bicyclists has moved out of the House State Affairs Committee. Now it actually stands a chance of becoming a law, said Rep. Roy Lacey (D-Pocatello).
The bill would require cars to drive at least three feet away from cyclists, joggers, people on horses and people in wheelchairs.
Bike riders will be required to ride as close to the right of the road as possible, ride single-file and, if they’re holding up more than three cars, they have to pull over.
Dr. Fahim Rahim with the Idaho Kidney Institute started biking about three years ago and since then, he’s ridden to the top of Rock of Gibraltar. But he’s also felt the buzz of a rear view mirror whizzing past his ear, inches away.
“It’s really scary. There have been times when that that has happened and I pulled over, and I’m just trembling and realizing, ‘Gosh, this would have been the last time I’ve rode my bicycle,'” Rahim said.
Lacey said he’s experienced even worse.
“I was in the bike lane and they came very very close to me. They came across the white bike lane line and threw a partly open Gatorade at me and hollered at me that I didn’t belong on the road,” Lacey said about a car that he was riding next to on Saturday.
Situations like that are just one of the reasons he’s proposed the bicycle safety bill for the second year in a row. Even though there was a narrow 9-8 vote, he said he’s glad there was bipartisan support. Last year, the bill didn’t even make it to print, but Lacey said he was excited that it passed in committee this session.
“I want to be safe on the road, I want my children and my grandchildren to be safe on the road, and this is one step to get this done,” Lacey said.
The Pocatello Bike to Work program estimates that there are about 1,500 cyclists in the Gate City, Lacey said, and Boise has even more.With more bike lanes popping up all the time and making the area more bike friendly a part of the city’s plan, the bill is important for the future, Rahim said.
“It will make me feel good as a father if this thing passes and I can let my kids enjoy the same nature and beauty that is out there. And (keep doing) physical activity to keep themselves healthy,” Rahim said.
The bill will now move to the House Transportation Committee before the House votes on it.
