Monday evening, Senator Andrew Rice discussed upcoming bicycling legislation at the Tulsa Community College downtown campus. Senator Rice is a cyclist and his interest in this legislation was driven by the deaths of two cyclists in the Oklahoma City area earlier this year. The formal public announcement of his legislative proposal will be in January, so we have to wait until then to see the actual language of the bill.
But Monday's discussion covered a wide variety of subjects concerning area bicyclists, perhaps offering a preview of the thrust of the bill. Senator Rice said there were three broad topics that would be addressed. First, he'd like to amend the rules of the road for bicyclists. Second, he'd like to increase public information and education regarding bicycling law and best practices. Finally, he'd like to increase penalties for harassing, threatening, or assaulting cyclists.
Much of this is based on established law from other states, particularly Colorado, Delaware, and Pennsylvania. The Senator emphasized that road bicyclists have the same rights and responsibilities as any driver. He'd like to re-define bicycles as vehicles in Oklahoma rather than as they are presently defined as devices propelled by human power. He asked for a definition of a substandard lane, one too narrow to share with a motor vehicle. And he'd like to adopt language that makes throwing an object at a bicyclist a felony, just as it is when an object is thrown at a motor vehicle.
One particularly contentious issue is the idea of assessing cyclists with a small fee to help pay for bicycling education. This could be collected on sales of bicycles and bicycling-related goods, or it could be a fee added to registrations at bicycling events. Support for the idea was tepid, at best.
The discussion brought out some intriguing ideas. One called for a written test that would be required for driver's license renewals. The test would include bicycling questions.
There's substantial agreement that the "as far right" language must go because it is too often interpreted as requiring a bicyclist to ride on the fog line. Likewise, local governments should not have the option of adopting bicycling law that is more restrictive than state law. Presently, local governments are free to adopt mandatory side path laws, yet the state doesn't make them a requirement.
We had a fairly detailed discussion of the rights and duties of group rides. The consensus seemed to be that while a group can slow overtaking motor vehicle traffic, they are under no obligation to get out of the way. It is always the responsibility of an overtaking driver - regardless of the type of vehicle - to do so safely and responsibly. It's no different when passing a group of bicyclists, a tractor, or a horse-drawn vehicle.
One question revolved around how to report reckless drivers. A central hotline was one suggestion, while a web based reporting form was another.
Senator Rice mentioned that head injuries cost the state four to five million dollars per year for uncompensated care, and that some of these injuries could be avoided by more wide spread helmet use. This isn't strictly related to bicycling injuries, of course, as many of these injuries result from motor vehicles and simple falls.
Lastly, I asked that the Senator or his staff keep us informed of the progress of his legislation.
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