[BikeLongmont] HB1218

[Rick, David]

Hon. Paul Weissman
Colorado General Assembly

Dear Rep. Weissman,

I am writing to ask for your support of HB1218, which rationalizes
traffic law as it applies to bicyclists. As a commuting and recreational
cyclist from your district, I know that some aspects of the present law
do not make sense. If you drive between Longmont and Boulder on Hwy 119,
you will frequently see cyclists riding two-abreast on the shoulder. Hwy
119 has a wide shoulder in addition to two or more lanes in each
direction. It is desirable for cyclists to ride two-abreast there, just
as it is desirable for your wife to sit next to you in the car -- but it
is technically illegal. HB1218 will allow this practice when it does not
impede traffic. 

When I ride in town with my daughter, we start off two-abreast from stop
signs. Once we have crossed the intersection, we ride single-file if
motor traffic is present. I do this because cross-traffic can see me
more easily than they can see a seven-year-old on a smaller bike. (We
also clear the intersection more quickly.) But this practice is
technically illegal if there's another car within 300 feet. If we're not
blocking traffic, it shouldn't be illegal for me to protect my daughter
in this way.

I ride about 30 miles between home and work, and I am very conscious of
how I communicate my intentions to motor vehicles. I sometimes signal a
right turn with my right arm, especially when I think this will be more
visible. This is technically illegal. HB1218 will allow cyclists to use
this common method of signaling a turn. 

Longmont has a number of off-street bike paths that are popular with
families and less-experienced cyclists. As a skilled cyclist, I ride
much too fast to use these paths; I use the street. If a left turning
motorist hit me in an intersection, the motorist would be at fault
because I had the right-of-way. But if the same motorist hit a whole
family of slower cyclists crossing that intersection from a parallel
bike path, the family members would be at fault for riding bicycles in
the crosswalk. We want ordinary people to use these bike paths, instead
of always jumping in the car. We should give these folks the same legal
protection that I have. 

I hope you will support HB1218.

David L. Rick
346 Sherman St.
Longmont CO 80501
(303) 678-1801
davidlrick at yahoo.com




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