We are asking Ohio legislators to please vote “YES” on the Three Foot Rule, House Bill 154 or Senate Bill 192, to make bicycling safer at no cost to taxpayers.
In 2015, HB 154 was introduced by Rep. Mike Henne (R-Vandalia) and Rep. Mike Sheehy (D-Toledo), and SB 192 was introduced by Senator Troy Balderson (R-District 20). The Ohio House Armed Services, Veterans Affairs and Public Safety Committee approved HB 154 12-0 on June 24, 2015.
The Three Foot Rule will: (1) prevent collisions between bicyclists and motor vehicles; (2) allow bicyclists to safely navigate around hazards in the street or bicycle lane; (3) give young and less experienced bicyclists space to navigate obstacles and avoid wind shear caused by large motor vehicles; (4) encourage and embolden all Ohioans to bicycle for work, school and recreation, without fear of passing motorists; and (5) permit vehicles to move through intersections with faulty or unresponsive traffic signals, after first stopping and yielding the right-of-way to oncoming traffic.
Twenty-six (26) other states and Washington, D.C. have passed similar bicycling safety rules, including AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, FL, GA, IL, KS, LA, ME, MD, MN, MS, NB, NV, NH, OK, PA, SD, TN, UT, VA, WV, WI and WY. In Ohio, the Cities of Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus and Toledo have all adopted three-foot passing rules.
Please visit http://sierra.force.com/actions/Ohio?actionId=AR0041800, and ask your State Representative and State Senator to vote "YES" today!