Written by Boston Biker on Sep 19

Thats right once again our elected leaders have fallen short of their duties when it comes to making biking awesome, so lets go kick some ass!

The below is from MassBike.

Action Alert #1: Bicyclist Safety Bill

This important bill will improve the safety of bicyclists throughout the Commonwealth, but we need your help. The bill, now designated S. 2573 (formerly S. 1414), was passed by the Senate earlier this year thanks to the efforts of retiring Senator Pamela Resor and our other friends in the Legislature. It is now in the House Ways and Means Committee. It needs to get reported favorably by the committee, enacted by both houses of the Legislature, and signed by the Governor before the end of this year. We are making a push to get this done now.

The key provisions of the bill are: police training on bicycle law; clarification of how to safely pass a bicycle; clarification of how to safely make turns in front of bicycles; “dooring” subject to ticket and fine; riding two abreast permitted when it does not impede cars from passing; improved enforcement of bicycle law for both motorists and bicyclists; and additional legal protections for bicyclists who choose to ride to the right of other traffic. The full text of the bill can be found here. For more details about the bill, including links to the affected statutes, see our previous Action Alert,

Here is what you can do:

1. Call or email Representative DeLeo, Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, directly and urge him to support bill S. 2573, An Act Relative to Bicyclist Safety. His email is [email protected] and his phone number is 617-722-2990.

2. Call or email your own state representative and ask him or her to contact Representative DeLeo in support of the bill.

Your participation counts – don’t assume everyone else will do it!

Click here to find contact information for your State Representative (called “Rep in General Court”)

Action Alert #2: Commuter Benefits for Bicyclists

This just in from the League of American Bicyclists on a federal bill that may benefit bicyclists:

We understand that the United States Senate may vote on an energy legislation package this week, (The Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008 (pdf) ), which will provide a number of incentives to promote clean energy sources. The Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008, also includes the bicycle commuter tax benefit provision, previously introduced by Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR). The provision provides for qualified bicycle commuting reimbursement for such reasonable expenses incurred by an employee for the purchase of a bicycle, bicycle improvements, repair, and storage. The Senate is expected to vote on this legislation as soon as this week! Please take a moment to contact your Senator to urge them to vote “yes” on the Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008. Thank you in advance for your time and consideration.

Click here to contact Senators Kennedy and Kerry right now

Tags: bicycles Posted in advocacy