Bicycle advocates in California and Texas are lobbying for state laws that would require passing vehicles to give at least 3 feet of clearance when passing bicycles.
Efforts to pass 3-foot legislation have failed in both states before.
The California bill, entitled AB 60, was introduced by Assemblyman Pedro Nava of Santa Barbara in memory of a cyclist killed by a passing truck on a narrow road. The Texas bill has yet to be filed. If the bills pass, the two states would join seven others that currently have similar laws on the books.
The blogger at Bike Commute Tips reports there is mixed support for the bill among cyclists. Many, including himself, say that attention to other issues — such as funding for complete streets — would better serve the bicycling community.
The California Bicycle Coalition says 3-feet is an easy number for motorists to remember, but wonders if that's adequate at higher speeds. Officially, the coalition says it's grateful for Nava's leadership.
The Texas Bicycle Coalition, in addition to the 3-foot clearance, is seeking 6 feet of clearance when a commercial vehicle passes. The Texas bill hasn't been filed yet in the state legislature, where it lost by four votes two years ago.
Bud Melton, chairman of the Texas Bicycle Coalition, told the Dallas Morning News that about 50 cyclists are killed every year on Texas highways; about 20 of them are struck from behind by motorists.
A 3-foot law “would add teeth to a situation where you have a bicycle-motorist crash. It's almost always the fault of the motorist, but they get off scot-free, and there is no real law that they have to give adequate clearance to the bicyclist when they go past. What this sets out to do is highlight the importance of that spacing.”
7 states
Three-foot clearance laws are already on the books in seven states — Arizona, Florida, Kentucky, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Utah and Wisconsin.
Florida is the most recent addition to the list. The state had the highest bicyclist death toll — 124 — in 2005.
While all seven have the 3-foot clearance rule on the books, penalties vary.
Different penalties
For instance, violators in Florida are fined $60, plus court costs and three points off the license. In Arizona, violations of the 3-foot law stipulates civil penalities of $1,000 if a bicyclist is killed and $500 if injured. Those penalities are set aside, however, if the bicyclist is riding in a traffic lane when bicycle lanes are available.
The California bill carries a base fine of $250, rising to $875 when local fees are added. Motorists would face a criminal charge if the cyclist is injured or dies.
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