A bill requiring a certain distance be left when vehicles are passing a bicyclist is one step closer to becoming law. House Bill 1030 says drivers must leave three feet of separation when the speed limit is 35 miles per hour or less, and a minimum of six feet of separation when the limit is more than 35 miles per hour. Bill Nevin is the legal counsel for the Department of Transportation. He says law currently requires a safe distance, but he says that’s hard to define. He says safe should mean absolutely no chance of a collision.
“The unprotected cyclist needs some room to maneuver around debris and obstacles on the shoulder,” Nevin says. “If that motor vehicle only slightly touches that bicycle, the results can be catastrophic. Because of the risk of serious injury to a flesh and blood bicycle rider from even the slightest nudge from a two ton or larger vehicle, a specific objective passing rule makes a lot of safety sense.”
One opponent spoke against the bill, saying the measure is flawed because it doesn’t address substandard road widths.
The Senate Transportation Committee unanimously passed the bill.