Last year we published an article entitled the – Strong Global Lobby!
This started with the statement – Do you know that outside of Europe, motorcycle lobbying, along with Riders Rights, is alive and kicking…….…………….
This is certainly true in the USA state of Washington at the Senate Transportation Committee.
At the public hearing the videoed debate goes through the topics:
- Allowing motorcycles to stop and proceed through traffic control signals under certain conditions.The bill was introduced because it is a reasonable approach to deal with the problem motorcyclists face when the signals do not
recognize that they are sitting there. Without this change, motorcyclists are forced to make a choice to sit at a light for ever, make sometimes unsafe maneuvers in traffic to change a lane, try to let larger vehicles through that may change the light, or just risk getting a ticket by proceeding carefully through a light.
- Incorporating motorcycles into certain transportation planning.Adds the provision of preferential parking or reduced parking charges for motorcycles to the list of of measures a major employer may choose to include in their commute
trip reduction program.Adds motorcycles to the list of vehicles that the Washington State Department of Transportation and local authorities are authorized to reserve certain highway lanes or ramps for
- Limiting mandatory motorcycle helmet use to persons under the age of eighteen.Removes mandatory motorcycle helmet use for persons eighteen years of age and older.
- Concerning motorcycles overtaking and passing pedestrians and bicyclists.Allows an operator of a motorcycle to overtake and pass in the same lane occupied by a pedestrian or a bicyclist. Provided that the motorcycle passes to the left at a safe distance to clearly avoid coming into contact with the pedestrian or bicyclist and does not return to the right side of the roadway until safely clear of the overtaken pedestrian or bicyclist.As far as we can ascertain this refers to sharrow or ‘shared lane marking (SLM)’ these are road markings used to indicate a shared lane environment for bicycles and other vehicles. The markings are also intended to indicate where cyclists should ride to avoid traveling within the door zone of parked cars. It also alerts motorists to share the road with cyclists and conveys that the street is a preferred bike route. Source – Click Here
You can watch the full video from the hearing below, for the most passionate and articulate debate on the issue of – Limiting mandatory motorcycle helmet use to persons under the age of eighteen – go to 31min 18secs in the video also below to watch David Devaros evidence to the committee!
Strong Global Lobby! – Click Here
Specific Part Of The Hearing
Full Hearing Video
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