(Photo © J. Maus)
Senate Bill 130 (text), that would add green, yellow and red bicycle signals to Oregon’s list of officially accepted traffic control devices, has passed the Oregon Senate.
The ODOT-backed bill passed yesterday by a vote of 28-1. The only “no” vote came from Senator Jeff Kruse (R-Roseburg). The Oregonian reported via Twitter that Kruse decried “special perks for cyclists” as the reason for his opposition.
SB 130 got a public hearing on February 1st and the City of Portland’s head traffic signal staffer Peter Koonce testified on its behalf. Why is this bill so important? Here’s a snip from his testimony:
“Senate Bill 130… will codify a technique that we have used to remove confusion and improve the safety of our streets… Providing an exclusive signal display recognizes the differences between motor vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians, and it separates bicycles from conflicting movements.”
The bill will now move to the House. Given it’s resounding support in the Senate, and the fact that ODOT is behind it, our hunch is that it is very likely to pass. We’ll keep you posted.
— For more on this bill, read our past coverage.