Rep. Jerry Krummel(Photo: Krummel)

State Representative Jerry Krummel (R-Wilsonville) is blaming House Democrats for killing HB 3020, a bill that would have directed the Department of Transportation to erect and maintain roadside memorial signs for pedestrians or bicyclists killed in motor vehicle collisions (upon application by a family member).
Less than an hour after a rally for […]

The bill was introduced ata rally in Salem yesterday.(Photo: Rep. Jerry Krummel)

At a rally in Salem yesterday to bring attention to bike safety bills, Representative Tobias Read and Senator Floyd Prozanski introduced Senate Bill 1058.
The bill would create the crime of vehicular homicide and make it punishable by a maximum of five years […]

Scott Bricker of the BTA at the State Capitol in Salem.(File photo)

Finally.
BTA lobbyist Scott Bricker — who worked tirelessly in Salem to garner support for this bill — shares the news that the Vulnerable Roadway User bill (HB 3314) got through its final hurdle this morning by passing a House concurrence vote 40-9.
Now, […]

Senator Ginny Burdick accepted an Alice Award in March.(File photo)

In a conference committee in Salem today, Senator Ginny Burdick decided that Senate Bill 729 — which sought to update Oregon’s law regarding bicycle brake requirements — will move forward without a key phrase that would have allowed fixed-gear bicycles to not be required to have […]

[Updated 6/19/07, 7:47am]
BTA lobbyist Scott Bricker just gave me a report from Salem. The Vulnerable Roadway User bill (H.B. 3314) got it’s vote on the Senate floor this morning and it passed easily by a margin 25-4.
Mary O’Donnell, wife of the late Timothy O’Donnell who was killed earlier this month while riding […]

Nationally syndicated radio talk show host Lars Larson can usually be counted on for ranting against bicyclists, but now it seems he’s taking a cue from the Oregonian and showing his support for the Vulnerable Roadway Users bill.
Case in point. I was forwarded an email from someone who claimed to have heard him speaking […]

There’s been a surprising turn of events in the fixed-gear brake saga.
Last week I reported that the effort to clarify the bicycle brake requirement so that fixed-gear bicycles don’t need to have an additional brake was on its way to becoming Oregon law.
The bill (S.B. 729) has passed the Senate and the House […]

[Updated 6/14/07, 7:51pm][Updated 6/15/07, 1:15pm]
A bill that seemed to come out of nowhere (I didn’t know about it until I read the Statesman Journal this morning) and that started out having nothing to do with bicycle safety, has passed the House, and is set to become Oregon’s first safe passing legislation that specifically protects bicyclists. […]

The BTA’s man in Salem, Scott Bricker, has an update on the Share the Road license plate bill:
“The Share the Road license plate bill passed the Oregon House on Friday, meaning that SB 789 is off to the Governor’s Desk.
This bill creates a new license plate that will be designed to encourage people to share […]

The case that started it all.Mark Ginsberg defends Ayla Holland in July ‘06.(File photo)

The Oregonian has the word from Salem on the fixed gear bill.
Senate Bill 729 — which seeks to clarify the existing bicycle brake requirement so that fixed-gear bicycles don’t need an additional brake (as long as they meet the performance standard) — […]

It has come down to the final stretch for one of the BTA’s last remaining pieces of legislation. They have worked hard to craft a sensible proposal and move it through the system. Now, H.B. 3314 awaits just one final vote on the Senate floor before becoming law.

Last night, the BTA issued an […]

Oregon state capitol in Salem.(File photo)

Before a bill becomes law, it must first pass through both House and Senate committees. If a bill doesn’t move out of committee (and onto a floor vote) it is dead.
Today was the final day for bills to pass out of committee so I figured it’d be […]

Coming to Oregon in a few days?Photo: Todd Boulanger

Here’s a heads up on Oregon’s Share the Road license plate bill (S.B. 789) from BTA lobbyist Scott Bricker.
He just called from Salem to remind us that the bill has come a long way since I wrote about it last month. It has made […]

House Bill 3314 — which would create a new offense for anyone who inflicts serious injury or death upon a “vulnerable user” of a public way — passed the Senate Judiciary Committee today and is now one final vote away from becoming Oregon law.
The bill passed the House two weeks ago and after its recommendation […]

Scott Bricker of the BTAdemonstrates the proposed pedestrian hand signal.File photo

A bill that would give pedestrians a way to signal their intentions to cross a street without having to step out into traffic is stalled in the House Judiciary Committee.
Senate Bill 573 (text) will likely not move out for a full House vote […]

File photo

As I reported yesterday, the fixed-gear brake bill is moving along nicely in Salem. What I didn’t mention was that an amendment has been added to the bill that will allow police bicycles to be equipped with a siren.
Here’s the deal. Existing Oregon statute (ORS 815.280(b)) states that,
“A person shall not […]

I mentioned in my legislation update earlier this week that the chances of the velodrome bill (S.B. 926) passing were slim.
Now it seems like the final nail is in the coffin. Here’s what the Co-Chair of the Joint Ways and Means Committee recently said in response to a reader’s email:

“In the context of other […]