T. Kenji Sugahara
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We need your help to speak out in opposition of House Bill
3255. View this email in your browser
We
Need Your Help. Your Voice Matters. As someone who rides bikes and wants to
make bicycling safe, you have an opportunity to protect yourself against a
new proposal in the Oregon Legislature that would make a crime out of the
clothing you wear.
HB 3255 is a bill that would make it illegal to ride your bike after dark
without wearing reflective clothing. This new offense would carry a maximum
fine of $250 (a Class D Misdemeanor or traffic violation).
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*Tell
them you oppose HB 3255 and you want them to vote no on the bill.*
Email the House Transportation and Economic Development Committee Members
*today*.
*Questions?*
Gerik Kransky, Advocacy Director
gerik@btaoregon.org
503.226.0676 Imagine riding the bus to a friend's house and
borrowing their bike to ride home after the bus service stops running.
You’ve got bright front and rear lights, but if you didn't pack your
mandatory reflective clothing, you'd risk getting stopped by the police and
issued a citation -- essentially punishing you for your choice in clothing
and mode of transportation.
This bill is not an effective approach to increasing safety on the road. It
is a punitive measure that would punish people who ride bikes after dark.
Oregon law already requires people who ride bikes during limited visibility
conditions to equip their bicycles with a front white light visible at 500
feet and rear red light or reflector visible at 600 feet. Requiring
reflective clothing for people on bikes after dark would create yet another
barrier to getting people on bikes, discourage bicycling, and could
decrease road safety. Studies have shown that when more people ride
bicycles, safety conditions have improved for all road users.
Oregon currently has in place reasonable and effective mandatory equipment
requirements to ensure visibility of people riding bikes after dark. To
increase safety for everyone on the road, the Oregon Legislature should
focus on addressing the root causes of serious crashes. *By directing
resources to address road design, vehicle speed, drunk, distracted, and
aggressive driving, we could do more to keep people safe.*
*Email the House Transportation and Economic Development Committee Members
today.* Tell them you oppose HB 3255 and you want them to vote no on the
bill. Feel free to use some of the points below in your email to
legislators today. *We need your help to speak out in opposition of this
bill. *Join the Bicycle Transportation Alliance in Salem at 3:00pm on
Monday, March 30th to urge legislators to oppose HB 3255.
We need your support. Thank you for taking action.
Sincerely,
Gerik Kransky
Advocacy Director
The Bicycle Transportation Alliance
*Some points to consider as you prepare your email and testimony to the
House Transportation and Economic Development Committee Members:*
- This bill creates an offense of failure of bicycle operators to wear
reflective clothing. Punishable by maximum fine of $250.
- The Bicycle Transportation Alliance is opposed to House Bill 3255.
- I am committed to safety on the roadway for everyone, no matter how
they get around.
- Oregon law already requires people who ride bikes at night to equip
their bicycles with a front white visible at 500 feet and rear red light or
reflector visible at 600 feet.
- This bill will create another barrier to entry and discourage people
from choosing bicycling as a transportation option.
- Enforcement of a reflective clothing law could unjustly impact lower
income residents who are most likely to be riding bicycles for
transportation and commuting during evening and night-time hours, as well
as potentially displace police resources more effective focused on deadly
behavior like speeding and driving under the influence.
- Instead, I support a "Vision Zero" approach to traffic safety. Simply
put, Vision Zero holds the position that no life is worth losing in the
name of mobility, and that every crash can and should be prevented.
- We know that excessive speeding is one of the leading causes of deadly
crashes in the Portland metropolitan region and Oregon.
- Street designs and excessive speed limits can encourage speeding and
decrease the reaction time for people who drive.
- To truly improve safety on the roadway for everyone, we recommend
cities add physical characteristics to the streetscape that force drivers
to pay attention and slow down, such as trees, bike lanes, green spaces,
crosswalks, pedestrian islands, curb extensions, etc.
- HB 3255 would not increase safety on the road, and I urge you to
oppose the bill.
*Copyright © 2015 Bicycle Transportation Alliance, All rights
reserved.*
You are receiving this message because you signed up to receive information
from the Bicycle Transportation Alliance.
*Our mailing address is:*
Bicycle Transportation Alliance
618 NW Glisan #401
Portland, OR 97209
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--
Gerik Kransky | Advocacy Director
tel: 503-226-0676 x11 | cell: 503-523-9651
follow me on twitter.com/gerikkransky
------------------------------
Bicycle Transportation Alliance | btaoregon.org
618 NW Glisan Street, Suite 401
Portland, OR 97209
--
Kenji Sugahara
Executive Director
Oregon Bicycle Racing Association
Phone: 503-278-5550
http://www.obra.org