news
Bicycle safety measures move through Legislature
5 months ago | 1115 views | 5 
| 9 
| 
| 
| 9 | |
John Paul Frerer
The John Paul Frerer Bicycle Safety Act requires motorists to provide a three-foot buffer when passing bicyclists along the road and penalizes those who harass, taunt or toss objects at cyclists.
Fines range from $100 for a first offense to $2,500 and seven days in jail for the third offense.
The act also requires bicyclists to ride in the right-hand lane with no more than two abreast.
“Across the state, all cyclists were extremely thrilled to get this far,” said Oxford resident Karen Mogridge, the executive director of Bike Walk Mississippi. “Last year we weren’t able to get this far. We got a large amount of support from senators and representatives who realize that laws on the books like this will increase safety in a number of different ways.”
Bicycle safety has been a hot issue in Northeast Mississippi for years, but especially since the August 2009 death of Tupelo teen John Paul Frerer.
The 18-year-old was struck by a truck while riding along Highway 6 from Tupelo to Oxford. The act is named in his honor.
“I think the best thing that can be done is to raise general awareness among the driving public as to the need to be careful around cyclists,” said Tupelo cyclist Barry Walker. “This bill and the subsequent law may not prevent every accident, but in the long term it will reduce accidents.”
The House and Senate bills, which were introduced by a combined 10 legislators, are nearly identical. The House bill now goes to the Senate, and the Senate bill now goes to the House.
If passed, the John Paul Frerer Bicycle Safety Act will go to Gov. Haley Barbour to be signed into law. It would take effect July 1.
Tupelo passed a similar ordinance two months ago, but it applies only within the city limits. The legislative act would apply statewide.
Renee Autumn Ray, the city’s senior planner who helped push the local ordinance, said the legislative interest will help raise awareness everywhere.
“The publicity we’ll get from articles and the passing of the law,” Ray said, “will do a lot to improve public safety for bicyclists and pedestrians on our road.”
Contact Emily Le Coz at (662) 678-1588 or emily.lecoz@djournal.com.
The question is simple: will it save lives? The answer is YES.
So, please, get on your phones and computers to let your representatives know you want and need this law adopted. And remind them, the law will provide an excellent tool to help educate motorists on what is and what is not a safe distance when passing a cyclist from the rear–at least 3 feet. If you can't give this much space when passing, then you need to wait until you can. It truly is a no-brainer…and will be a big step in the right direction in making cycling safer in Mississippi.
For those who say it will be unenforceable, I say hogwash. Energetic law enforcement agencies who understand their mission to serve and protect will roll up their sleeves and find ways to use the law to make our roads safer for everyone. And those who do so will understand that their work won't just mean issuing tickets, but rather, educating motorists on how to share our roads with cyclists.
As your representatives to do the right thing...make "give at least 3 feet clearance when passing a cyclist" the law. There truly is too much at stake. And please, don't wait for more cyclists to die to do this...that would be so wrong...and so sad.
Good luck,
Joe Mizereck
joe@3feetplease.com
Motorists trying to "thread the needle" while passing a bicyclist and facing an oncoming vehicle are a major hazard.
The law provides a reminder, (and in case that's not enough a penalty!) to be patient and wait for oncoming traffic to clear before passing, just as you wood a slower moving farm vehicle or the mailman stopping at a mailbox.
"penalizes those who harass, taunt or toss objects at cyclists" why not include penalizing those of us who "think" that any side by side riding is dangerous.