I just got a phone call from BTA lobbyist Scott Bricker about a bill before lawmakers in Salem that would establish a Share the Road license plate for Oregon.
Photo: Todd Boulanger
According to Bricker, Senate Bill 789 will get a public hearing tomorrow (4/18) at 5:30PM in front of the Senate Business and Transportation Committee.
The bill is sponsored by Senators Prozanski and Atkinson and Representatives Dingfelder, Macpherson, and Read and was created at the request of Eugene cyclist Tom Jefferson in memory of his wife, the late Jane Higdon (Tom mentioned this in a speech at the Oregon Bicycle Summit last Saturday).
Here’s an excerpt from the bill:
“The Department of Transportation shall establish a share the road registration plate program to issue registration plates called ‘share the road registration plates’ upon request to owners of motor vehicles…to observe the importance of sharing the roadway with bicyclists.”
Bricker says details are still being ironed out, but money generated from these plates would likely go into some sort of educational fund.
Our neighbors in Washington State passed a bill like this back in 2005 and $28 in fees from each plate sold go back into bike safety programs.
If you would like to testify and/or have questions about the hearing, please contact Scott Bricker at (503) 757-8342.