Rep. MacPherson, Chair of the House Judiciary Committee.Photo: State of OR The House Judiciary Committee voted 5-4 (along party lines) in favor the Vulnerable Roadway Users bill (H.B. 3314) this morning. The bill was passed with some significant amendments. The amendments change the base infraction from a Class A misdemeanor to a traffic violation payable … Read more
“What we are very interested in is moving the violator into a driver improvement program, which would include training, completion of community service, and a physical test for competency.”–BTA Board Member Doug Parrow, testifying in Salem yesterday. A bill backed by the BTA and the Willamette Pedestrian Coalition (WPC) that seeks to increase the penalty … Read more
Laura Cohen of the Rails toTrails Conservancy inCity Hall last week.File photo: 4/12/07 The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) stopped in Portland recently to meet with advocates and policy-makers to rally support for an ambitious congressional funding campaign. As I reported a few weeks ago, the RTC hopes to secure $2 billion in the next Federal Transportation … Read more
The BTA’s “Vulnerable Roadway Users” bill (HB 3314 )will get a hearing in the House Judiciary Committee on Monday (4/23). I spoke with Scott Bricker about the bill this morning before he left for another day working the halls of Salem. According to Bricker, the bill targets vehicle operators that currently only have to pay … Read more
Bricker demonstrates the proposed pedestrian hand signal.File photo: 2/15/07 The BTA is working the halls of Salem right now to build support for Senate Bill 573. According to an action alert sent out by BTA lobbyist Scott Bricker yesterday, “The bill would allow pedestrians to use a hand signal to employ their right-of-way, rather than … Read more
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.
Iris Riggs at theOregon Bicycle Summit.File photo: 4/14/07 Important news from the Oregon Bicycle Summit… Iris Riggs (in photo) is Oregon’s first ever Bicycle Recreation Coordinator. She was hired last summer by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department to help communities develop bicycle recreation resources, promote bicycle tourism, and more. According to the BTA, the … Read more
UPDATE (4/12, 9:50am): According to a commenter, this bill did not pass committee yesterday. It was only considered and was not voted on yet. I picked up the story from an OPB story that ran with the headline, “House Committee Approves Cyclist Memorial Signs Bill.” I regret the error and will keep you posted on … Read more
A bill that would require transportation departments to erect a memorial sign whenever “a cyclist is killed in an accident involving a motor vehicle” will get a hearing at the state capitol in Salem on Wednesday (4/11). So far, 14 lawmakers have signed on as sponsors of House Bill 3020, which was created in response … Read more
Yesterday’s Register Guard newspaper in Eugene had a story about whether or not Congressman Peter DeFazio (the only former bike mechanic in Congress) would run for the Senate.
BTA lobbyist Scott Bricker reports that Senate Bill 729, which seeks to amend the brake requirement for bicycles, passed through the Senate in Salem today by a landslide margin of 22-6.
Sen. Floyd Prozanski wants a velodrome in Eugene. Today was another great day for cycling in Salem. On Tuesday we made solid progress in fixing an outdated law, and today the velodrome bill (S.B. 926) — which seeks $3.5 million of State Lottery funds to build velodromes — gained not just valuable political support, it … Read more