24 FEB 2004: Missouri Bike/Ped Legislation Needs Your Support

*****ADVOCACY ALERT: Please distribute through 3/11/2004******

You may know that the Missouri Bicycle Federation has been working to move forward highway safety legislation this year.

Right now (2 March 2004), the legislation is "stuck" in the Missouri House of Representatives and we need your help to get it "unstuck".

This may be our last and best chance to move this legislation forward in the MO House this year.

WHAT HAPPENED: We proposed the bill we really wanted, but due to the political climate this year, it was going nowhere in the MO House. Rep. Cynthia Davis, our sponsor, has a shortened, simplified, non-controversial version of our bill, HB1122, that should be able to receive bipartisan support.

WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN: Rep. Larry Crawford, chair of the House Transportation Committee, has an omnibus transportation bill at the top of the House calendar. Rep. Davis needs to ask Rep. Crawford to allow HB1122 to be added to this bill, and Rep. Crawford needs to allow this to happen.

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO:

Showing your support will take less than 5 minutes. It really DOES make a difference!

1. MOST IMPORTANT: Write or call Rep. Larry Crawford's office. Ask him to

"Please help move the Bike/Ped/Motorcycle Safety Bill, HB1122,
forward in the House of Representatives." Maybe add a sentence or
two explaining why you feel this legislation is important (see
below for details).

Larry.Crawford@house.mo.gov
573-751-2134 Phone
573-526-3994 Fax
201 West Capitol Avenue
Room 302B
Jefferson City MO 65101

2. CC a copy of your email, or make a call, to Rep. Cynthia Davis, so that she knows she has your support in this:

Cynthia.Davis@house.mo.gov
573-751-9768 Phone
573-526-0592 Fax
Rep. Cynthia Davis
201 West Capitol Avenue
Room 130DC
Jefferson City MO 65101

Details about the simplified bill that Rep. Davis will propose are below.

Thank you! Your calls and emails help move bicycling forward in Missouri!

--Brent
bhugh@mwsc.edu
Chair, Missouri Bicycle Federation


---begin HB1122 Summary-----------------------------
We have pared the bill (HB1122) down to its essentials, keeping it simple, non-controversial, and safety-oriented so that it can enjoy bipartisan support:

1. Clarify bicycle lane law
WHY? Right now, there is no MO law on bike lanes.

2. Clarify legality of bicyclist riding on road shoulders
WHY? Right now it's not clear if MO law allows bicyclists to ride on the shoulder of the roadway. This creates all sorts of technical problems (can money be spent to improve a road shoulder on a rural highway for bicycling, if bicyclists can't legally ride there?)

3. Clarify definition of bicycle
WHY? Broadens the definition of bicycle to include adults tricycles, quadracycles, and the like.

4. Drivers shall exercise the highest degree of care to avoid
colliding with pedestrians bicyclists, and motorcyclists
WHY? Current law includes only pedestrians.

5. Sets a state-wide standard of 20 MPH speed limit in school zones. Communities may specify "Fines Double in School Zones".
WHY? We want to encourage kids to walk and BIKE to school. Statewide uniformity and tougher penalties help encourage drivers to slow down near schools. 20 MPH is at least 2X as safe for pedestrians as 25 MPH, and 8X as safe as 30 MPH.