| 04/11/2001 | Texas: Anti-Bicycling Bill Worse; Pro-Cycling Act IntroducedIn a recent Action Alert, the League urged cyclists to join with the Texas Bicycle Coalition, Lance Armstrong, and the League in opposing Texas Senate Bill 238, a measure that would severely curtail the rights of cyclists in Texas. A flood of criticism from cyclists ensued and Senator Jeff Wentworth proposed a new version of SB238 at the end of March, promoting it as a compromise. The new bill is actually even more restrictive to cyclists than the original legislation. As Preston Tyree of Texas Bicycle Coalition said, “This new version would give every county in Texas the right to arbitrarily decide to ban bikes from any road they choose! This so-called compromise is unacceptable, probably unconstitutional, and we totally oppose it.”
The new SB238 requires all cyclists to ride single file when cars are in sight and gives county officials the authority to decide if their roads are too dangerous for bicycles. The League urges members in Texas to support the efforts of the Texas Bicycle Coalition against this modification of SB238 by visiting www.biketexas.org and taking action as suggested there. Meanwhile, the Matthew Brown Act, comprised of two bicycle-friendly bills, was introduced in both the Texas House and the Senate. The Act is named after an 11-year-old boy killed while riding his bike in the Plano area.
House Bill 2203 provides administration and funds for major traffic safety projects and urban trails, including safe bike routes for children to and from school, and would create a program to provide helmets to low-income families at no cost. House Bill 2204 increases penalties for drivers who exhibit threatening behavior toward cyclists and pedestrians and increases reporting requirements for bicycle and pedestrian injury crashes. Representative Roberto Gutierrez filed the House Bills. Senator Mike Moncrief filed the slightly different Senate versions, SB 1240 and SB 1372. The League urges Texas members to visit www.biketexas.org for the latest on the Matthew Brown Act and to contact legislators to request their support for the bills.www.bikeleague.org
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