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 … Read more
[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 his … Read more
Adams at Jefferson High last night.(He’s not sunburned, it’s just a bad photo.)(File photo) Portland City Commissioner Sam Adams is gearing up to launch a new transportation funding initiative. Last night at the Bicycle Master Plan open house in North Portland, he stopped by to drop a hint. As attendees filled out comment forms and … Read more
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 … Read more
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 … Read more
[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 … Read more
The BTA’s man in Salem, Scott Bricker, has an update on the Share the Road license plate bill:
Catherine Ciarlo.(Photo courtesy Catherine Ciarlo) This Wednesday, City Council will appoint two new members to the Portland Planning Commission. One of those seats will go to former Executive Director of the Bicycle Transporation Alliance, Catherine Ciarlo. Ciarlo — who is also on the board of the Coalition for a Livable Future Cycle Oregon — led … Read more
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 … Read more
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.
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 a … Read more
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 it … Read more