BikePGH Message Board Archive

3 Foot Passing Law Thrown Out In Ohio

The Ohio Bicycle Federation has been pushing hard for years to get a state-wide 3-ft passing law in Ohio, but their state House of Representatives keep refusing to pass it. The most recent attempt was in HB145 which was introduced in April of 2013. Recently it was learned that the bill will come out of committee, almost a year later, to be passed WITHOUT the law requiring motorists to give people on bikes a minimum of 3 feet of space when passing. A petition is now up on Bike Cleveland to try to get this legislation pushed through. While we know that proper enforcement is a whole other animal, getting the law on the books is an important first step to protecting our fellow cyclists and raising awareness. You don't have to be from Ohio to sign the petition, as a name and email are the only required fields. Time to show some support to our northwest neighbors!

smarchit

2014-03-29 20:06:07

I don't live in Ohio, but I ride my bike there... what an absurd thing to refuse the passage on this. Can we strap the "no" votes to a chair on the shoulder and pass them in cars at <3' until they get it?

headloss

2014-03-29 20:24:29

I really just don't understand how one could vote no on a law that is a very simple safety measure for other human beings. It just shocks me. It's basic humanity. I saw on a FB page that a cyclists was killed recently in Piqua, OH from a driver who was nearing 80. Unfortunately maybe this tragedy will sway those no voters if they have any soul. On the other hand the laws are useless if they are not enforced. Majority drivers wouldn't even know of PA's passing law. The only time I ever read of the being enforced was in Austin.

shooflypie

2014-03-29 21:13:55

I think that the no votes would argue that chairs and bicycles have equal rights as far as being in the road.

steevo

2014-03-30 15:02:13

Remember when Erica got a bad ordinance in her hometown revoked? [link] The mindset she was up against is likely firmly embedded in the class of people who now occupy several elective seats in the state. Somehow, in some way, across the whole state, we gotta make connections and beat down the stupid. Or at least enough of it that it is no longer a majority or in a leadership position.

stuinmccandless

2014-03-30 18:37:13

I wrote this in my comments when I signed the petition: I live in Pittsburgh. My most recent trip to Ohio was a day trip a week ago to go bicycling on roads and trails between Lisbon and Canfield. Almost all of my trips to Ohio are explorations of your state by bicycle. In September, for example, I visited Cincinnati and biked to Dayton and Xenia on a four day bicycling trip, with half my riding on trails and half on roads. I have been buzzed by cars and trucks dangerously closely, while bicycling in Ohio, so I would definitely feel better about bicycling in your state if you passed a 3 foot law, similar to Pennsylvania's 4 foot law. While bicycling near Lunken Airport, just east of Cincinnati, I ran across a "ghost bicycle" marking a spot where a cyclist was killed by the driver of a car. Very sad. http://www.ohiobikelawyer.com/bike-law-101/2012/09/andrew-gast-ohios-11th-cycling-death-of-2012-hits-close-to-home/ If Ohio passes a 3 foot law, it will help reduce deaths like this. Pass such a law and it will help your tourism. Fail to pass it and you will hurt your tourism. Please do not drop the 3 feet minimum passing provision from HB 145.

paulheckbert

2014-03-30 19:31:37

I'll sign the petition. I nearly got run over by a DUI / Hit and run driver when they smashed in to our riding group of 7 or so people on a sharrowed street in columbus ohio. Closest call on a bike ever. 2 friends left the scene in ambulances, no life threatening injuries luckily.

benzo

2014-03-31 08:58:52