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Contact your state rep TODAY for safer streets

5/31/2013

 
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Great news!  The Senate passed the SB 191, the Vulnerable User bill at 10:19 pm on May 30 by a unanimous vote.  Now we need the House to bring the bill up for a vote too, and pass it.

Please contact House Leadership and your State Representative to get the bill passed this year.  There are just 5 days left to get the Vulnerable User Bill, SB 191, passed in the 2013 legislative session, which ends June 5.

  • Find Your State Legislator, then call or email them.  
  • Contact HOUSE LEADERSHIP:  If any of the state legislative leaders below are your elected state representatives, it's especially important that they hear from you.   These are the legislators who will decide if SB 191 is brought up for a vote. You can send one message to your own state rep and the House leadership.
    • Rep. Brendan Sharkey, Speaker of the House:  J.Brendan.Sharkey@cga.ct.gov; 860-240-8500
    • Rep. Joe Aresimowicz, House Majority Leader:
      Joe.Aresimowicz@cga.ct.gov; 860-240-8489
    • Rep. Larry Cafero, House Minority Leader: 
      Lawrence.Cafero@housegop.ct.gov; 800-842-1423
    • Rep. Tony Guerrera, Transportation Co-Chair: 
      Tony.Guerrera@cga.ct.gov; 860-240-8585    
  • Do these bill co-sponsors represent you?  Be sure to thank them when you write!
      • Sen. Beth Bye:  bye@senatedems.ct.gov
      • Sen. Steve Cassano:  cassano@senatedems.ct.gov
      • Rep. Roland Lemar:  Roland.Lemar@cga.ct.gov
      • Rep. Al Adinolfi:  Al.Adinolfi@housegop.ct.gov
      • Rep. David Scribner:  David.Scribner@housegop.ct.gov
      • Rep. Greg Haddad:  Gregory.Haddad@cga.ct.gov
      • Rep. Rick Lopes:  Rick.Lopes@cga.ct.gov
      • Rep.  Brian Sear:  Brian.Sear@cga.ct.gov
  • Learn more about the bill - read SB 191; see what we sent to legislative leaders on May 30; read our April action alert.     
This is the fourth year the Vulnerable User bill has come before the legislature.  Every year the bill has enjoyed broad bipartisan, bicameral support, but we haven't had enough oomph to get the bill raised and passed in both houses.   

So is the fourth time the charm?  It could be, if all of you on our distribution list take just a few minutes to let your legislators know you want this bill passed, finally, this year.  
...................................................................................................................................

SB 191 Encourages Safety.  Safer Conditions Encourage More Cycling and Walking.  By raising awareness of the rights of cyclists and pedestrians to share the road and creating penalties for reckless driving that kills or injures vulnerable users, SB 191 will create safer conditions for everyone.  Safer conditions encourage more people to get around by bike or on foot-and that's good public policy. 

Adopting SB 191 will make Connecticut a more Bike-Friendly State, and that's good for the economy, the environment, and our health.  

Getting a Vulnerable User bill passed is Bike Walk Connecticut's top legislative priority. It's also the first order of business on Connecticut's Bicycle Friendly Report Card, issued by the League of American Bicyclists.  Connecticut is becoming more bike friendly, moving up in rank from 20th place in 2012 to 18th place in 2013.  We can do better though, and we should.   

The Vulnerable User bill is good public policy.  Let's make this the year we pass it.   


Thank you for speaking up for a bikeable, walkable Connecticut!  Together, we can make good things happen.

Richard Froh link
6/4/2013 01:23:40 am

Good public policy would be to empower bicyclists with knowledge and skills, thereby creating more competent bicyclists to serve as examples for other road users. Encouraging more incompetent bicycling and making motorists responsible for seeing bicyclists who ride in blind spots and cross intersections to the right of turning traffic will not make drivers more respectful of bicyclists - it will make them more resentful of all of us human-powered vehicle road users.

I live in an area with many lovely rural roads that my bike rental customers will be forbidden from riding two-abreast on of the single-file bill passes. Group riders will be forced into long single-file strings that encourage motorists to "squeeze" by them on blind curves. And, under the "squeeze by" law, groups of cyclists will not be able to legally act as a unit when crossing intersections, causing more disruption to traffic than if they grouped together.

It would seem that our current public policy is to CREATE vulnerable bicyclists and DISCOURAGE defensive driving by competent bicyclists. We should oppose the "squeeze-by" law and focus on creating safe bicyclists.


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  • Home
  • About
    • About
    • Board
    • Sponsors
    • Contact
  • News
  • Advocacy
    • Current Advocacy Work
    • Past Advocacy Work
    • Complete Streets >
      • Complete Streets Announcement
      • Public Survey
  • Education
    • Share the Road
    • STR Quiz
    • Walk Audits
    • NACTO Bikeway Design Guide Workshop
  • Events
    • 2022 Discover Olmsted's CT Bicycle Tour
    • Annual Dinner
    • Bike Walk Summit 2015
    • NACTO Bikeway Design Guide Workshop
  • Membership
    • Donate
    • Login
    • Volunteer! >
      • Board Candidates
      • Bike Education Instructors
  • Connecticut Bicycle/Pedestrian Groups
  • Resources
    • Ped & Cyclist Traffic Deaths
    • Resources
    • Complete Streets Resources
    • CT Bike Ped Advisory Board
  • Registration