Portland courts and law enforcement officials are in a state of confusion about whether or not fixed-gear bicycles should be required to have a separate hand brake.
Judges have come down on both sides of the issue but some Portland police officers continue to issue citations.
A change in the law was sought by local bike lawyer Mark Ginsberg and southern Oregon Senator Jason Atkinson in 2007. Senate Bill 729 would have clarified the existing bicycle brake equipment requirement so that fixed-gear bicycles would not have needed an additional brake (as long as they meet the performance standard).
Unfortunately, the fixed-gear language was stripped from the bill by one pivotal lawmaker (Senator Ginny Burdick) at the 11th hour and the issue persists.
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Posted on August 1st, 2006 at 1:30 pm.
My recent story on a traffic court decision that upheld a ticket to a local messenger for not having a "separate braking device" on her fixed-gear bicycle has quickly spread around the web and seems to have struck a nerve in cyclists everywhere.
This morning the article was linked to from BoingBoing.net, one of the most [...]
Posted on July 28th, 2006 at 8:28 am.
[Ayla Holland (L) and Mark Ginsberg (R)]
Yesterday at the Multnomah County Courthouse the law came down against fixed gear bicycles.
On June 1, 2006 Portland bike messenger Ayla Holland was given a ticket for allegedly violating Oregon Revised Statute (ORS) 815.280(2)(a) which states,
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