Wednesday, April 15, 2015

2015 South Carolina Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety bill

There's a new State Bill that's currently on the table that aims to make our streets safer. The Palmetto Cycling Coalition has a great write up on it. Once you give it a read, call, email, write and/or tweet out to your state rep to let them know that you support the bill, also known as H. 3909! Here are the Top 5 takeaways from the bill:
  1. Amends the pedestrian crosswalk law so that a driver must yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk where there are no ped traffic-control signals. (Ped traffic-control signals are signals used at intersections to let folks know when to walk or wait.)
  2. Amends the due care law to include a person operating an electric personal assistive mobility device, a wheelchair and a few others. BIcyclists and pedestrians have been covered through previous measures. However, penalties for killing or causing serious injuries for all of these parties are to increase through the bill
  3. Updates the special pedestrian control signals law to include symbols, not just the words "walk" or "wait."
  4. Defines low-speed, electric assist bicycles and provides them all the rights (and responsibilities) of people-powered bicycles.
  5. Officially defines a bike lane. 

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