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) — should now have smooth sailing to the Governor’s desk after the Oregon House voted in favor of it last night by a vote of 41-15.
The bill already passed the Senate and now is just one small step (a Senate approval of some minor House changes) from becoming Oregon law.
This bill originated from a decision in Multnomah County Traffic Court on July 28th, 2006. In that case, a judge ruled that cyclist Ayla Holland’s fixed gear bicycle was illegal because it did not have a hand-brake. Lawyer Mark Ginsberg thought the decision was incorrect and aimed to clean up the Oregon Revised Statute (815.280) that governs the bicycle brake requirement.
Ginsberg teamed up with southern Oregon Republican Senator Jason Atkinson (who was in “rebellion mode” after he heard about the Holland case) to create the bill and move it through the legislature.
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