California Cyclists Opposed To Legislation that Restricts Their Use of Roads

San Francisco residents are reacting to new legislation that will place restrictions on the roads that bicyclists are allowed to use, according to San Francisco Streets Blog. The MAP-21 highway authorization bill is named the ‘bicycle safety’ bill , and it will prohibit cyclists from riding on federally owned roads with speed limits over 30 mph if there is a sidewalk within 100 yards of the road.

Most cyclists in the city reacted negatively. The California Bicycle Coalition and a lobbying group called Bikeside are vocally opposed to the legislation and asked Senator Barbara Boxer to repeal it. A petition is currently making the rounds in San Francisco.

“The provision requires no minimum standard of safety or mobility on the side path, and experience shows that such paths are often more dangerous or impractical than on-road bicycling,” said David Snyder of the California Bicycle Coalition. “The provision may have been well-intentioned but its result is to reduce safety and it should be removed.”

What do you think? Will this bill do more harm than good and put cyclists at risk?

Bonnici Law Group, APC—San Diego bicycle accident attorney.