From The Iowa Bicycle Coalition:

Early Thursday, Senate File 117, the bicycle safety and responsibilities bill, passed subcommittee. The bicycle safety and responsibilities bill requires bicyclists to obey traffic signs and signals, requires that vehicles give bicyclists five feet of space when passing, and makes it illegal to intentionally drive too close to or throw objects at people who ride bicycles.

Senate File 177 was passed by the Iowa Senate in 2009 and assigned to the Human Resource committee. Members of the committee have worked with bicycle advocates over the interim to amend the language of the bill. The amended language retains some of the proposals from the original bill, but also adds responsibilities for the cyclists.

A concern was raised by Representative Baudler (R-Greenfield) about bicyclists visibility. Baudler has recommended that all bicyclists wear yellow clothing. Such a requirement hasn't been enacted in any other states and is not contained in the Uniform Vehicle Code. Bicyclists are required to have lights and reflectors after dark according to current Iowa Code. They must be visible for 300 feet at night.

“There are not crash statistics that support the yellow clothing proposal,” says Mark Wyatt, executive director of the Iowa Bicycle Coalition. “Visibility might be an issue for automobile or pedestrian crashes, but we don't have an effort to require every car to be yellow or every pedestrian to wear a yellow jacket.”

Senate File 117 must be considered by the full Human Resources Committee, then the House of Representatives, and finally the amendment must be approved by the Iowa Senate before it is sent to the governor to sign into law.

Bicycle supporters are advised to contact the following members of the House Human Resources Committee.  Please tell them to support the amended Bike Safety and Responsibility Bill.

Representative Mark Smith and Representative Sharon Steckman are supportive of the bill. No need to contact them at this time. Concentrate on the list below.

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Dear Representative,

Please support the Bike Safety Bill, amended Senate File 117. It is fair to both motorists and bicyclists. We need a 5' passing law for bicyclists.

The required passing distance could save lives. The dangerous behavior towards vulnerable highway users should not be tolerated in Iowa.

Sincerely,

YOUR NAME