Illinois needs support to overturn Boub decision

The following alert came from Ed Barsotti, Executive Director of the League of Illinois Bicyclists (ed@bikelib.org):

ACTION ALERT - please take a few minutes to help bicycling!

Attention all cyclists (please forward this to other cyclists, too), Your help is needed now to pass a bill that affects bicycling conditions throughout the state. You may know of CBF and LIB's "Boub legislation" from past newsletters, etc. We have new bills this year, and the House bill is scheduled for committee this Thursday the 20th! House Bill 1248 and Senate Bill 275 would correct the negative impacts of the 1998 Illinois Supreme Court Boub vs. Wayne decision, which has been a disaster for on-road cycling in the state. Until the bill gets passed:

· Towns that want to improve on-road bike safety through signage or bike lanes are penalized with liability, whereas towns that do nothing get
immunity;
· Bicyclists are discriminated against by not having the on-road liability protection that motorcyclists and motorists have;
· Long-distance bikeways like the Grand Illinois Trail and Mississippi River Trail, and MANY other local plans, are being stalled;
· We're the only state with this bizarre and powerful disincentive for improving on-road bike safety.

PLEASE CALL YOUR STATE LEGISLATORS BY TUESDAY THE 18TH OF FEBRUARY 2003!

If you live in Illinois, you can find your legislator's name and phone number at www.biketraffic.org/boub_search.html.

You can look up Illinois legislators by name or district on the Illinois State Board of Elections web site.

We *especially* need calls to the committee members: HOUSE - Fritchey-11, Bailey-6, Berrios-39, Brosnahan-36, Cultra-105, Froehlich-56, Hamos-18 (bill sponsor), Hoffman-112, Hultgren-95, Lang-16, Mathias-53, May-58, Nekritz-57 (bill sponsor), Osmond-61, Rose-110, Sacia-89, Scully-80, Wait-69.

SENATE - Cullerton-6 (sponsor), Clayborne-57, Dillard-24, Haine-56, Harmon-39, Obama-13, Petka-42, Roskam-48, Silverstein-8, Winkel-52

Identify yourself as a bicyclist in the district and ask for support of HB1248 and SB275. Use the points above if you wish. You may leave a message during non-business hours, if necessary.

Please make this very short call and forward this to your biking friends. The voices of individual bicyclists are VERY important in passing the bill, just as this bill is critical to improving bicycling in the state.

Thank you!

If you live in Illinois or cycle there regularly, your input is especially important. But remember that a national and even international outcry was in large part responsible for the defeat of a recently proposed law prejudicial to bicyclists in North Dakota.