(Photo © J. Maus)
Senator Floyd Prozanski (D-Eugene) says he will amend SB 846, a bill he introduced last month that would have required all new bicycle trailers sold in Oregon to meet a minimum set of safety standards.
In an email to Eugene-area bike advocates, Prozanksi wrote:
“I just learned from ODOT the cost for implementing SB 846. Due to our budget shortfall, I will be amending the bill to just require retailers (including on-line sales) to place a sticker on passenger trailers stating whether or not the trailer meets or surpasses the ATSM standards.”
Prozanski proposed the bill after the controversial HB 2228, which seeks to ban children six years and under from being pulled in trailers or ridden in bike seats. That bill, proposed by Portland Democrat Mitch Greenlick, spurred serious concerns by many, including Eugene-based trailer company Burley. When the company contacted Prozanski with their concerns, he says they also suggested that it was time for Oregon to require all bike trailers intended for passenger use to meet a safety standard. In its original form, SB 846 called for ODOT to come up with its own set of standards that trailers would have to meet.
Prozanski’s idea rankled some Eugene-area bike advocates who felt it was a solution looking for a problem and that it could be a “back door” avenue to more draconian bike safety measures.
Here’s more on the issue from the Prozanski email:
“I have to believe parents who are looking to purchase a passenger trailer to transport their kids would want to buy a trailer that meets minimum safety standards. In fact, if I bought a trailer assuming it met safety standards like many other consumer goods only to find out that it did not, I’d be extremely mad and upset, especially if my child was injured due to the trailer failing to be crash worthy.”
I’ve requested a copy of the new language and will update this post when I receive it.