Bill to make road safer for Cyclist is vetoed
Attorney
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Four million bicyclists in Texas have to be a bit more careful after a bill ensuring safe passing was vetoed by Governor Rick Perry. Texas, a state with a reputation as one of the most unfriendly places to ride a bike, was set to gain a little breathing room on their roads, creating safer streets for not only bicycles, but also pedestrians, highway construction and maintenance workers, people on horseback, motorcyclists, and moped riders, to name a few.
SB 488, or the “Safe Pass” bill, would have required motorists to give a clearance of at least three feet to bicyclists and other vulnerable road users when passing on highways. Governor Perry, who recently broke his collarbone in a mountain biking accident, shocked supporters of the Safe Pass bill by vetoing it along with 35 other bills up for vote this session. This veto came as a surprise to the Texas community with 30,000 active cyclists and an estimated four million residents who ride or own bicycles.
Perry commented on the veto saying that many already have operation regulations, and state law restrictions:
“While I am in favor of measures that make our roads safer for everyone, this bill contradicts much of the current statute and places the liability and responsibility on the operator of a motor vehicle when encountering one of these vulnerable road users,” Perry said in his veto message. “In addition, an operator of a motor vehicle is already subject to penalties when he or she is at fault for causing a collision or operating recklessly, whether it is against a ‘vulnerable user' or not.”
Texas has registered close to 1000 deaths due to vulnerable road users this year alone. The Texas state legislature, in an impressive bipartisan effort, rallied tremendous support behind the Safe Pass Bill. BikeTexas, the Texas Bicycle Coalition, expressed extreme disappointment with the Governor’s veto. AAA, AARP, Texas Motorcycle Rights Association and Texas Towing and Storage Association also voiced disappointment with the veto.
Rick Perry himself is known in the community as an avid street biker.
Quite a bold move for the bike-riding Governor now sharing the road with dissapointed voters in 4,000 pound motor vehciles.