LANSING (WKZO AM/FM) — Bike safety legislation that sailed through a State Senate Committee last month is finding the road a little bumpier in the house.
The bills would establish a five foot passing rule like the one already established in several communities in the area by ordinance, and set aside an hour during drivers training for pedestrian and bike safety lessons.
The measures did not get a vote, but rather were handed to a work group made up of five members of the committee for further work.
The Committee heard testimony from Testimony from Kalamazoo Bike Tragedy Survivor Paul Runnels supporting the two bills.
He told the panel that he lost five friends that day and the four of them, Runnels, Sheila Jeske, Paul Gobble and Jennifer Johnson. are still recovering because of an impaired driver. . “We speak from personal experience in saying that we have a high level of discomfort when vehicles pass too closely. The majority of vehicle drivers give us enough room, but it takes only one thoughtless, belligerent, or impaired driver to pass too close and cause injury or death.”
But some committee members are fearful that Michigan features a wide variety of roadways, from narrow city streets, to dirt and gravel winding roads to expansive highways and byways. They are concerned a one-size-fits all solution might not be a solution at all.
A State Police representative testified that a five foot rule would be difficult to enforce and preferred a bill that simply required motorists to pass at a safe distance.
The hearing was held before Tuesday’s terrorist attack in New York, which killed several people on bikes.
