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Two Bicyclists Killed By Motorists Since Safe Passing Law Vetoed, Activist Tells Governor, 'Their Blood Is On Your Hands'
Photo by @sevenphoto via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr
Bike safety advocates have been pissed at Governor Jerry Brown ever since he vetoed a safe passing law (SB 910), which would have required motorists to give bicyclists three feet of room while passing.
One advocate Ted Rogers at Biking in LA has written an open letter to the governor, requesting that he hold a summit with the bicyclists to discuss their grievances with him and to rethink the impact of his veto:
Come down to Los Angeles, and meet with cyclists such as myself. Explain more clearly why you chose to veto this bill, because the explanation you gave just doesn’t bear close examination. Then listen to us as we relate the dangers we face on a daily basis, and discuss solutions that could improve safety for all riders and encourage more people to choose to ride bikes, instead of further clogging our roadways. Our mayor — the one who proposed what eventually became SB 910 — held a similar bike summit. And yes, he had to face a lot of angry bicyclists. But ended up building a much better relationship with the cycling community than would otherwise have been possible.
Maybe the drivers never saw the riders they hit. Or maybe they tried to squeeze by without giving the riders sufficient passing distance. Chances are, we’ll never know. But many cyclists — myself included — believe their blood, and the blood of future victims, is on your hands as a result of your veto.
That reaction baffled advocates and the bill's author Sen. Alan Lowenthal, who said the 15 mph was created to allow motorists to pass a cyclist at a close range safely. SF.Streetsblog said that Brown's worst fears about the law were not realized in the other states where it passed.
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