Advocacy & Safety - "Three feet" aftermath lights up the switchboard

You may have heard by now that Virginia's "three feet to pass" bill was defeated -- killed in a House committee after being passed 40-0 by the Senate. Partisan politics were in play, but the reasons that delegates gave for killing the bill are irritating to say the least.

Bruce Drees was at that committee meeting when SB566 was killed, and wrote a great editorial (http://www.vabike.org/three-feet-to-pass-resistance/) about it. Greater Greater Washington (http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=4956) picked it up too, along with some other blogs. It really hit a nerve, bringing us more traffic in a single day than ever.

The lesson to be learned is that we have a long way to go toward educating the public about cyclists on our roads. Legislators' attitudes merely reflect this.

The other thing to be learned is that partisan politics are completely out of control. Legislators throw all logic and concern for safety out the window, just to spite their opponents. We're pretty sure that's what happened, and that if bikes were truly important to legislators, that the situation might have been even worse.

Please help keep this story alive by sharing it through your bike club mailing lists and social media -- Digg, Twitter, Facebook, etc. If we can keep the buzz going, the mainstream media will start to hop on, and with that comes the opportunity to educate.

We'll be back with this one next year.

Join VBF at the North American Handmade Bicycle Show in Richmond next weekend. We'll be hosting a Tour de Richmond fun ride, and then a party Saturday evening as a fundraiser for trails in Forest Hill Park. Details will be on our website soon. Hope to see you there!

the average Merkin motorist is a selfish idiot

This little episode sealed it for me -- the cost of living could be ZERO, and you could throw in the last three contestants that went to Miss America to fellate me, and I STILL wouldn't consider VA as a place to live! Stoooooopid!

nice welcome for NAHBS.

I hope that the next time someone gets killed on a bike in VA, someone manages to turn it into a huge PR campaign against the people who voted against this bill. Not that I want anyone hurt, but having a photogenic, nice young person killed by a close pass and a lot of people rallying around it and pointing at the people who voted something down due to pure politics might have implications beyond just that one state.

It's too bad a 3 foot passing law wasn't rolled into the common traffic law back whenever it was rolled out.

I did a lot of cycling all over Virginia about 15 years ago. I lived there for most of a summer and did day rides as well as fully equipped camping bike tours. In the mountainous western half of the state, I don't see how that 3 foot law would be practicable. The roads through the mountains are narrow, twisty, and have a ditch that starts right where the pavement ends. As much as I would like that 3 feet when being passed, I can not imagine what sort of mayhem would have ensued if every car (thousands) that passed me had to wait behind me for an opportunity to give me three feet on roads with double yellow center-lines for tens of miles at a time.

Because there are no shoulders on thousands of miles of roads - not even an inch - it would also be impossible for a cyclist to pull over to allow a string of traffic to go by except at a driveway or crossroad. So picture fifty cars stuck behind you on a steep uphill going 9 miles an hour that can not pass due to an endless double yellow line and the 3 foot rule. How on earth would that work? I prefer the b@$t@rd$ squeeze by me best they can one at a time while I tightrope the fog line. I really never had any problems, most were courteous and slowed down best they could as they passed.

SHARE THE ROAD PEOPLE! That works both ways you know.

I did a lot of cycling all over Virginia about 15 years ago. I lived there for most of a summer and did day rides as well as fully equipped camping bike tours. In the mountainous western half of the state, I don't see how that 3 foot law would be practicable. The roads through the mountains are narrow, twisty, and have a ditch that starts right where the pavement ends. As much as I would like that 3 feet when being passed, I can not imagine what sort of mayhem would have ensued if every car (thousands) that passed me had to wait behind me for an opportunity to give me three feet on roads with double yellow center-lines for tens of miles at a time.

Because there are no shoulders on thousands of miles of roads - not even an inch - it would also be impossible for a cyclist to pull over to allow a string of traffic to go by except at a driveway or crossroad. So picture fifty cars stuck behind you on a steep uphill going 9 miles an hour that can not pass due to an endless double yellow line and the 3 foot rule. How on earth would that work? I prefer the b@$t@rd$ squeeze by me best they can one at a time while I tightrope the fog line. I really never had any problems, most were courteous and slowed down best they could as they passed.

SHARE THE ROAD PEOPLE! That works both ways you know.
I kind of agree. Even in the city there are many places where cars pass me closely without any problem. If they weren't allowed to pass, and they started stacking up behind me, I would feel obligated to pull over and let them pass. And i would not like that arrangement!

Also, I don't understand how a 3 foot law could possibly be enforced. How do you know--let alone prove in court--how close a car is to a bike when both are moving quickly?

And would it work both ways? Would I have to give cars 3 feet when I'm passing them? That would probably rule out filtering at red lights and in traffic jams. Do we really want to lose that ability?

This little episode sealed it for me -- the cost of living could be ZERO, and you could throw in the last three contestants that went to Miss America to fellate me, and I STILL wouldn't consider VA as a place to live! Stoooooopid!
Why hate on Virginia? At least they almost passed the bill. Most other states never even got that far.

A few years ago Florida went from "at a safe distance" to "not less than three feet" in regard to motorists passing cyclists. I haven't seen an effective difference in interacting with motorized traffic. The majority of motorists gave me over 3' under the old law and still do. The few insecure cagers who would buzz me still do that. I haven't seen that implementing the at least 3' requirement as having any impact on safety one way or the other.

The one big plus I see to having a 3' law is that it is one more point in validating cyclists on the roads, and bicycles as viable transportation.

I can not imagine what sort of mayhem would have ensued if every car (thousands) that passed me had to wait behind me for an opportunity to give me three feet on roads with double yellow center-lines for tens of miles at a time.

Usually states with 3-foot laws allow motorists to cross a solid yellow line to pass cyclists.

the average NORTH Merkin motorist is a selfish idiot

fify.

Trust me, things ain't any better in Canada - actually, in my experience, Western Canada has even more selfish idiot drivers than did New England (but still much less than Floriduh :eek:)

SHARE THE ROAD PEOPLE! That works both ways you know.

Ohh that's rich, coming from a guy who breaks 5 laws per block of travel.
No offense Joey, but your riding "style", is exactly what the anti-bicycle crowd use to discount cyclists as a whole.

Double yellow lined no passing zones only mean that sight lines are insufficient to safely pass another vehicle moving at close to the speed limit. I've never heard of it meaning a driver can't at least partially change lanes to pass a cyclist who may be traveling at well under the posted speed for that road, if the pass can be done quickly enough that the sight lines may be sufficient.

For Florida this is specifically spelled out in the "Florida Bicycle & Pedestrian Law Enforcement Guide".


The prohibition of passing in a no-passing zone
does not apply when an obstruction exists making it
necessary to drive to the left of the center of the
highway [§316.0875(3)]. Thus, when a cyclist is
traveling so slowly as to constitute an "obstruction,"
a motorist may cross the center line in a no-passing
zone to pass the cyclist if the way is clear to do so,
i.e., when it can be seen that any oncoming traffic is
far enough ahead that the motorist could finish
passing before coming within 200 feet of an oncoming
vehicle.


Ohh that's rich, coming from a guy who breaks 5 laws per block of travel.
No offense Joey, but your riding "style", is exactly what the anti-bicycle crowd use to discount cyclists as a whole.

As much as I love your videos I really have to agree with BP, Joey. Outlaw riding is not by any stretch sharing the road. That is not to say that I would not ride in the same style you do if I had your traffic situation to deal with. I just wouldn't try to call it sharing the road.

Ohh that's rich, coming from a guy who breaks 5 laws per block of travel.
No offense Joey, but your riding "style", is exactly what the anti-bicycle crowd use to discount cyclists as a whole.

Joey, see this is the attitude displayed by cyclists... so no doubt motorists are also coming up with this same "logic."
Just something to consider.

Ohh that's rich, coming from a guy who breaks 5 laws per block of travel.
No offense Joey, but your riding "style", is exactly what the anti-bicycle crowd use to discount cyclists as a whole.

I do my best to stay out of motorists way. It looks crazy, but it benefits both of us. I can't stop for lights AND stay out of the way where I live. And the 3 foot law in Virginia would put me in a lot of driver's way unnecessarily.

But I have been through this a million times haven't I?

Ohh that's rich, coming from a guy who breaks 5 laws per block of travel.
No offense Joey, but your riding "style", is exactly what the anti-bicycle crowd use to discount cyclists as a whole.

So according to you, we should all follow all the road rules just because SOME motorists use unruly cyclists to justify their original chip on the shoulder which is that cyclist don't belong on the road at all?

If all the cyclists followed the rules, the original sentiment of anti-cycling crowd still remains, so the real problem still remains. I wonder what would they think of next.

In the case you haven't noticed, SOME motorists who hate cyclists in general basically think that bicycles don't belong on the road. Everything else is a fairy tale.

I do my best to stay out of motorists way. It looks crazy, but it benefits both of us

More power to ya, but I think you're certifiable.
:thumb:

And I'm sure, that the motorists don't view your riding style as doing them any favors.
To them you're just a scofflaw.

More power to ya, but I think you're certifiable.
:thumb:

More power to ya, but less power to ya.:lol:

or like earlier

No offence, but offence:thumb:

You might as well have said nothing.

Just sayin'

More power to ya, but less power to ya.:lol:

or like earlier

No offence, but offence:thumb:

You might as well have said nothing.

Just sayin'

Ohh what the hell are you worried about?
According to you, we'll just "grow" wider lanes.

;)

...motorists don't view your riding style as doing them any favors. To them you're just a scofflaw.

I can be viewed as a scofflaw (if motorists REALLY care as you claim) or I can obey the law, legally take the lane, and be honked at, passed dangerously, cursed, hit by thrown objects, and given tickets by the ignorant local fuzz for obstructing traffic.

I think most motorists are looking at their phones anyway. They are not seeing me. I just try to use the spaces that they are not occupying.

Also, I don't understand how a 3 foot law could possibly be enforced.

Posthumously.

Usually states with 3-foot laws allow motorists to cross a solid yellow line to pass cyclists.

Many states allow momentary crossing of the double yellow to pass mail delivery vehicles, street sweepers, garbage trucks, etc., as well as bicycles and mopeds.

There's a big difference between this and passing a slightly slower motor vehicle, which takes a lot more time and exposure to oncoming traffic. The law can and should reflect this.

I thought Virginia had such an exception, but I haven't been able to find it. If not, we can work on this too.

apparently you guys do get 2 feet?

apparently you guys do get 2 feet?

This is true, and most cyclists would agree it's ridiculous, so we're trying to increase it.

There's no magic number and no one has a yardstick out there, but 3 feet is a good rule of thumb to communicate to motorists.

Ironically it was the state police who said, "How close is too close?" They wanted a number for it to be enforceable. We asked for 3 feet and someone chimed in and said, "That's too much." So they made it 2. Now it's the retired cop on the committee who says having such a number makes it unenforceable. Go figure.

Obviously we need to do more work to get everyone on the same page.

so dumb

regardless ... getting it into law doesn't mean you'll get it on the road. NO ONE that I know knows a single thing about bicycle law in MA

it's one thing to get a law, but it's another thing to get it publicized repetitively so that the punks who drive p/us; jeeps; mustangs and small contractors actually know what the law is.

today I got buzzed by an old man and as he drove away he looked in his rear view mirror so long that he also drove into oncoming traffic. what was he looking at? to see if he got his way and made me angry? or maybe he was so surprised to see me that he buzzed me unintentionally - just like he was driving into oncoming traffic unintentionally ... good grief

You guys want 3 feet?
Haul a trailer around - with a big gaudy fluttering flag (a British Columbia flag in my case) - and you'll get 5 gawking feet.
:)

Unlike on the African Savanna, in the tarmac jungle, ostentatiousness is your friend.

You guys want 3 feet?
Haul a trailer around - with a big gaudy fluttering flag (a British Columbia flag in my case) - and you'll get 5 gawking feet.
:)


so true. I did hauled a baby trailer once because I had to carry a ton of stuff for my painting, I've never been treated so well :love: At least they think of the children!!!!

3 foot laws are nice. However, outside of getting a day in the local press, they are totally ignored by drivers. We have one in South Carolina. Not one bit of difference. IN fact, I would be surprised if one single ticket for violation of this law has been written in my county.

I don't think the 3 ft law has anything to do with cycling safety. I think it has more to do with getting hit and having a law broken. If someone actually HITS me, they obviously were not giving me 3 feet. So the cops have something to write a ticket for instead of reckless operation. It probably protects motorists under the law more than cyclists. I would prefer the motorist got a reckless operation ticket than a 3 ft citation.

It's all BS. Motorists don't have a clue. Cops don't care. Lives won't be saved. Just more ink in some law book. Silly really.