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Bicyclists: Help Pass AB1408
Subject: Bicyclists: Statewide Call to Action on AB1408!
It is NOW or NEVER for AB1408, and if the California Highway Patrol has their way this bill will be defeated and cyclists' right to the roadway will remain unclear. Please help us contact key Senators in support of AB1408 before July 8th hearing! Assembly Bill 1408 (Wolk), sponsored by the California Bicycle Coalition, would clarify bicyclists' rights and responsibilities and, in the future, serve as a solid foundation for educational campaigns aimed at both motorists and bicyclists. We need your help TODAY to ensure the Senate Transportation Committee hears from hundreds of cyclists statewide before the hearing on AB1408 onTuesday July 8th. *Letters to Transportation Committee members are the most important way you can help our effort. If your Senator is not a committee member (see list below), please send a letter to the Senate Transportation Committee Chair as well as to your Senator. *Statewide Call-In Day for AB1408: Monday July 7th *Attend the July 8th hearing in Sacramento; to participate contact Sarah Syed at: Sample letters, contact info for Senators, FAQ on AB1408, and more is available at: http://www.calbike.org/bikebill.htm and is also included below. A huge THANK YOU to those who have already helped! Senate Transportation Committee Members: Senator Kevin Murray (Chair) Senator Tom McClintock (Vice-Chair) Senator Roy Ashburn Senator James Brulte Senator Liz Figueroa Senator Dean Florez Senator Betty Karnette Senator Bill Morrow Senator Don Perata Senator Jack Scott Senator Jack Scott Senator Nell Soto Senator Jackie Speier Senator Tom Torlakson Senator contact info is available online at (need Senator name for look-up): http://www.sen.ca.gov/~newsen/senators/senators.htp If you don't know the name of your Senator, don't feel bad- most people don't, you can find that out at: http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/yourleg.html Here's a sample letter (also available on our website at: http://www.calbike.org/bikebill.htm) for you to cut and paste and send ASAP. Letters sent via snail mail and fax are much more effective than emails. Please insert personal details to make your letter more convincing. DATE The Honorable FIRST NAME LAST NAME California State Senate California State Senate State Capitol Sacramento, CA 95814 AB1408(Wolk) SUPPORT Dear Senator LAST NAME: Please vote yes when AB1408 is heard by the Senate Transportation Committee on July 8. As noted by the Legislative Counsel, the bill makes "technical, nonsubstantive changes in existing law." This bill updates technologically obsolete provisions of the vehicle code pertaining to brakes, reflectors and lights that bicyclists are required to use and clarifies language pertaining to where bicyclists should ride on the roadway that has confused bicyclists and motorists since it was enacted several decades ago. AB1408 would make clear that people riding bikes may ride outside of the deadly door zone adjacent to parked cars, where doors opened carelessly by people in cars injure and kill many bicyclists each year. AB1408 will also add a definition of the term "door zone" to the vehicle code to reduce misinterpretation. AB1408 will help motorists, bicyclists and law enforcement personnel better understand and apply state law, thus improving roadway safety for all users. Sincerely, YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS **You can see the current version of AB1408 he http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/bill/a...0030624_amende d_sen.html Once again, the CHP is hostile to the interests of cyclists. The CHP has refused to even acknowledge that the current vehicle code language needs any refinement and is so far staunchly opposing the bill. The CHP's written and verbal comments on the legislation are quite alarming. For example, the CHP has recommended that bicyclists ride in the dangerous door zone adjacent to parked cars; bicyclists know they need to leave some space in between themselves and parked cars in order to avoid collisions caused when people inside cars open doors without looking. Read the CHP's analysis of the June 4th version of the bill on our website at: http://www.calbike.org/cpoa.doc. |
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Bicyclists: Help Pass AB1408
"bikerider7" wrote in message
om... This bill updates technologically obsolete provisions of the vehicle code pertaining to brakes, reflectors and lights that bicyclists are required to use and clarifies language pertaining to where bicyclists should ride on the roadway that has confused bicyclists and motorists since it was enacted several decades ago. AB1408 would make clear that people riding bikes may ride outside of the deadly door zone adjacent to parked cars, where doors opened carelessly by people in cars injure and kill many bicyclists each year. would riding the bicycle against car traffic reduce this? (i.e. on the "wrong" side of the road) |
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Bicyclists: Help Pass AB1408
"effi" wrote in message ...
"bikerider7" wrote in message om... This bill updates technologically obsolete provisions of the vehicle code pertaining to brakes, reflectors and lights that bicyclists are required to use and clarifies language pertaining to where bicyclists should ride on the roadway that has confused bicyclists and motorists since it was enacted several decades ago. AB1408 would make clear that people riding bikes may ride outside of the deadly door zone adjacent to parked cars, where doors opened carelessly by people in cars injure and kill many bicyclists each year. would riding the bicycle against car traffic reduce this? (i.e. on the "wrong" side of the road) No, all that would do is have these inattentive drivers open the door in front of you... |
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Bicyclists: Help Pass AB1408
bfd wrote: No, all that would do is have these inattentive drivers open the door in front of you... Since counterflow cyclists would be visible through the windshield, rather than requiring a careful backward check, my guess is the dooring problem would be reduced if counterflow cycling was the standard. It's still a bad idea, however, due to an increased problem with traffic pulling out from side streets and from left-turning traffic, neither of whom may be expecting counterflow traffic on roads where cyclists are rare. Also, it substantially increases (approximately 2-3 times) the relative speed of bikes and cars on the same side of the road, reducing reaction time. Dan |
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Bicyclists: Help Pass AB1408
That is, unless you've been hit from behind...
Riding on the wrong side of the road is much more dangerous in just about every other way. And it probably won't help in the door-opening case -- those who do look before opening the door are only likely to look back, where traffic (bicycle or otherwise) is likely to be coming from. It is also not legal to ride on the wrong side of the road. -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Timothy J. Lee Unsolicited bulk or commercial email is not welcome. No warranty of any kind is provided with this message. |
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Bicyclists: Help Pass AB1408
F1,
Such people have worse fortune than the typical cyclist. Collisions from the rear are relatively less common than others. Of course, any individual's past history of collisions from the rear probably has little or no influence on subsequent encounters. I find it more than a little ironic that so many cyclists ride unsafely and illegally on the left while so many joggers run illegally and unsafely on the right. Randall Schulz F1 wrote: That is, unless you've been hit from behind... Riding on the wrong side of the road is much more dangerous in just about every other way. And it probably won't help in the door-opening case -- those who do look before opening the door are only likely to look back, where traffic (bicycle or otherwise) is likely to be coming from. It is also not legal to ride on the wrong side of the road. -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Timothy J. Lee |
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Bicyclists: Help Pass AB1408
The key is to be predictable. One reasons standards exist is to increase
predictability. About the only way to be predictable riding counterflow, given the convention of pro-flow riding, is to pull over to the side of the road and unclip (becoming a pedestrian) when any oncoming traffic is encountered. Sometimes I do this. But it's really slow. BTW, if you want to see what's behind you, use a mirror. For runners, it seems, convention is less clear. 21956(a) has enough exceptions that there are still common circumstances where walking on the right would be legal, and in any case the code specifies "walking" (is running walking?). Fast runners are faster than slow cyclists. If a runner can assume vehicle-like behavior, perhaps the right is even better place to be. The key is to behave vehicularly -- no sudden turns, etc. Be predictable. Dan P.S. ref: http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/wa...ion=ret rieve Randall R Schulz wrote: F1, Such people have worse fortune than the typical cyclist. Collisions from the rear are relatively less common than others. Of course, any individual's past history of collisions from the rear probably has little or no influence on subsequent encounters. I find it more than a little ironic that so many cyclists ride unsafely and illegally on the left while so many joggers run illegally and unsafely on the right. Randall Schulz F1 wrote: That is, unless you've been hit from behind... |
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Bicyclists: Help Pass AB1408
Scott Marsden wrote: 2. B1408 changes braking requirement to reflect the predominance of hand brakes over foot brakes. Section 21201 states that: (a) No person shall operate a bicycle on a roadway unless it is equipped with a brake which will enable the operator to make one braked wheel skid on dry, level, clean pavement. [Doesn't sound 'foot brake oriented" to me. Maybe mandate minimum stopping distances? Can a BMXer stop as fast as a tribike?] The reason why they call such legislation "foot brake oriented" is because it was written by people familiar with "coaster brakes", the kind of rear brake that's activated by pedaling backwards. Bikes that have these brakes usually have them solely. If they can't skid the rear tire, they're inadequate. But... only the rear brake of a bike is capable of skidding a tire on dry, clean, pavement. No matter how good your front brake is, it will never do it. Now, a working hand-operated front brake is sufficient to stop a bike by itself. Not only that, it's superior to having only a rear brake. I have heard that racers in training use only a front brake because of weight savings, and because it's superior to having only a rear brake. But they'd be illegal under this law, because you can't have only a front brake, because a front brake can't skid a tire on dry, clean, pavement. No matter the fact that they can stop adequately. Another example... if you had two hand-operated brakes, and the rear ones failed, you'd be breaking the law. But if only the front ones failed, you'd be OK, even though you'd be better off in the first situation than the second. My front brakes can easily make my front wheel skid on dry pavement. Vee brakes, 2 years old. 700c x 35 tires. No problem. What are you using? Bernie |
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Bicyclists: Help Pass AB1408
Skidding is a failure mode. Why require brakes
to fail? For example, you'd be "rewarding" a bike with poor traction. AB1408 is much more direct. Brakes must stop the bike. This is what they're supposed to do. Bernie wrote: My front brakes can easily make my front wheel skid on dry pavement. Vee brakes, 2 years old. 700c x 35 tires. No problem. What are you using? Bernie |
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Bicyclists: Help Pass AB1408
Daniel Connelly wrote: Skidding is a failure mode. Why require brakes to fail? For example, you'd be "rewarding" a bike with poor traction. AB1408 is much more direct. Brakes must stop the bike. This is what they're supposed to do. Bernie wrote: My front brakes can easily make my front wheel skid on dry pavement. Vee brakes, 2 years old. 700c x 35 tires. No problem. What are you using? Bernie You'll get no argument from me. I CAN skid, but I don't skid. It's a loss of control, unless you're a kid hot dogging with a coaster brake. Bernie |
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