SIGNS reminding drivers to "share the road" with bicyclists imply a two-way street: Cyclists deserve a slice of the asphalt, but they must also obey traffic laws for their own safety and others'. A bill pending in the state Senate would codify the "same road, same rules" notion, creating safeguards for cyclists while making it easier for traffic officers to do their jobs.
If the bill passes, police will be able to ticket recalcitrant cyclists. Current law requires separate procedures for bicycle and automobile violations. Only a few municipalities, including Cambridge, have such a mechanism, however, so most cyclists have carte blanche. Empowering police to cite cyclists uniformly would put sidewalk-cruisers and crosswalk-crashers on notice. Unlike driving violations, cycling citations wouldn't affect insurance premiums.
The bill, sponsored by Senator Pamela Resor of Acton, spreads responsibility for cyclists' safety. As proposed, it would incorporate bike law instruction into police training, making clear, for example, how cars should pass and turn in front of bikes (wait until it's safe to do so). It would make "dooring" - the cyclist's term for getting slammed by a fast-opening car door - fineable up to $100.
The Legislature passed a nearly identical bill in 2006, but then-lieutenant governor Kerry Healey called it "overly regulative" and vetoed it. Holding motorists and cyclists to the same enforcement standards is hardly overzealous. It's smart and fair.
The Senate has another crack at this sensible bill, but it needs to move quickly. The Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee delayed its favorable report, so the onus is on Ways and Means to approve the act with time for votes in both houses during a busy legislative session. The Legislature is scheduled to adjourn in July.
Time is also short for Resor, the last founding co-chair of the Legislature's bicycle and pedestrian caucus. She is retiring, and there's no presumptive heir to her post, which makes passing the Bicycle Safety Bill more pressing. This week, Resor will begin lobbying Ways and Means to debate the bill. Committee members should make time for it, for the sake of both policing and protecting cyclists.
