Governor Jerry Brown vetoes bicycle safety bill, saying it is unsafe

Gov. Jerry Brown on Friday vetoed legislation that would have required motorists to give bicyclists at least three feet of room while passing, or slow down — citing concern that it could cause more car accidents.

Brown worried about requiring motorists to slow to 15 mph when passing bicyclists if there is not three feet between them, which proponents argued is necessary to reduce the number of cyclists injured and killed in California.

The governor said the California Highway Patrol and Caltrans raised "legitimate concerns" about the requirement to slow down.

"On streets with speed limits of 35 to 40 mph, slowing to 15mph to pass a bicycle could cause rear-end collisions," Brown wrote. "On other roads, a bicycle may travel at or near 15 mph, creating a long line of cars behind the cyclist."

Read more: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/california-politics/2011/10/gov-jerry-brown-nixes-bicycle-safety-bill-saying-it-is-unsafe.html

I would see a lot of rear-end accidents occurring under the proposed law,

Roadways are for motorist. If it's unsafe to be on road, walk your bike on the sidewalk.!

I happen to agree with Brown's decision. And I would never ride a bike on a road any more. But outside of car centric America, there is a world of cyclists using roads. And cars in places like Spain and Belgium are conscious and respectful, unlike here.

And being doored can kill you. I ride my bike in the city, and I feel more and more threatened by the circumstances. What's your solution?

... is that those of us who depend on our bikes to get to work or use them to run errands need to get with the program and drive cars. Either that, or walk our bikes.

Some people are mind-bogglingly arrogant and insensitive.

Riding a bike on the same road used by bigger vehicles may just be one of those activities that has inherent risks. Such risks are not always easily reduced by passing more laws (which often tend to have unintended consequences). Motorists *should* look for approaching traffic/bikes before opening their doors. But, bikes are quiet, and sometimes not easily seen when attention is focused on big vehicles. It's not like motorists intentionally "door" a rider, they just don't see them in time as they come up silently and quickly.

I enjoy riding, but there are some roads I'll avoid. as I have my own tolerance for risk and limits of faith in the other guy's safe and responsible behavior.

the majority of riders do not seem to comprehend that the red stop is for the cars and the bicycles. We have bicycle lanes in my city and that helps.

I was a regular bicyclist up until a couple of years ago, recently got back into it again, and know that 95% of people riding are courteous and lawful, but I've been behind enough dicks on bikes to know that this would have been a problem.

The 15MPH rule would have made bicyclists impassable on many rural roads. This would be fine if bicyclists were treated like other slow moving vehicles and were forced to pull over and yield to faster traffic, but they aren't. I can legally drive my car at 15MPH on a 40MPH roadway, so long as I pull over regularly and allow the backed up traffic behind me to pass. If I don't, I can be ticketed for unsafe driving and obstructing traffic. Bicyclists face no equal sanction for doing the same thing, so making them "un-passable" would simply lead to long lines, angry drivers, and ultimately, more people lashing out at the majority of people who ride their bikes in a safe manner.

I can't tell you how many times I'd tell people that I rode, only to get "You jackasses ride in the middle of the road and obstruct traffic" as a response. It didn't matter that I've personally never done either...I'm a biker, and got painted with the same angry brush. Can you imagine the blowback from people caught in mile-long backups behind bicyclists, or who are forced to choose between driving 15MPH and getting a ticket by passing a bicyclist who refuses to yield the roadway? This isn't a solution, it's just fuel on the fire.

I'm lucky to live in a relatively enlightened and bicycle-friendly town. But I know people who could be bicycling but wouldn't dare because they fear for their lives. California has a great opportunity to cut down on pollution, reduce its dependence on fossil fuels, and improve the health of its citizens, but selfish tax policies have ruined our infrastructure and half measures like the law that Brown vetoed don't really make anyone happy.

There are so many good reasons to get folks out of their cars and riding bicycles instead.
It may not work in Northern Minnesota, but it works in Northern California.

Do we really need another law? Isn't this kind of thing better addressed by the advocacy of courteous and defensive driving/riding by both motorists and riders?

On the road, a bicyclist is treated like a vehicle who must comply with all the rules.

On the sidewalk, a bicyclist is treated like a pedestrian, although one must yield to pedestrians.

If bicyclists have to yield to pedestrians on the sidewalk, why don't cars have to yield to bicyclists on the road?

. . . both bicyclists and persons walking are pedestrians.

just sayin' :)