The Sierra Club is concerned about the unacceptable and avoidable number of bicycling injuries and fatalities in our state. SB 192 is a bipartisan, no-cost bill that will save lives and encourage Ohioans to choose a safe, cheap and clean mode of alternative transportation.
SB 192 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 adopted the Three Foot Rule, including Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming. In Ohio, the Cities of Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus and Toledo have all adopted the Three Foot Rule. HB 154 itself was approved by the the Ohio House Armed Services, Veterans Affairs and Public Safety Committee nearly one year ago.
It is past time to act on this common sense bill and make bicycling in Ohio safer at no cost to taxpayers. Click here to take action today, and ask your State Senator to vote "YES" on SB 192.