BIKE: Resources for those interested in cycling legislation/law

[Michael Bluejay]

This really is hopeless, isn't it?

All of that information has been on BicycleAustin for nearly a decade 
-- in much greater detail.

-MBJ-

P.S.  Yes, anyone can *search* the legislative database to see if they 
happen to be filing a bill about some topic (and I've linked to the 
legislative search from BicycleAustin for many years for that very 
purpose), but this is not the same thing as a legislative watchdog 
group letting its community know when bills are filed that affect them. 
  I don't have time to monitor the legislative database, and I suspect 
that's the same for most folks.


On Jan 3, 2005, at 3:27 PM, Thorne wrote:

> Bicycling law in Texas isn't so odd, let alone "incurably crazy."  
> Have a look
> at TBC's page on that here:  
> http://www.biketexas.org/cycling_rules.html
>
> For more detail or searching out other statutory language, try this 
> one:
> http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/statutes/statutes.html
> There you can perform word searches in the Texas statutes database.
>
> If you, like MBJ, are concerned with what the legislature may consider 
> or pass
> this coming session (beginning two Tuesdays from today and lasting 140
> days--and bills have been prefiled as early as Nov. 8, 2004), you can 
> look at
> bills filed at:
> http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/tlo/billsrch/textsrch.htm
> There you can perform word searches on filed bills.
>
> Other legislative information is accessible at Texas Legislature 
> Online:
> http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/
>
> For bike/car crash injuries stats, see Crash-Type Manual for Bicyclists
> by Carol Tan:
> http://www.tfhrc.gov/safety/pedbike/ctanbike/ctanbike.htm
>
> Jeff
>
> ------ Original Message ------
> Received: Mon, 03 Jan 2005 12:26:45 PM CST
> From: Roger Baker <rcbaker>
> To: Austin Bikes <forum>Cc:
> Subject: Re: BIKE: New Texas helmet law
>
> Probably the theory that is largely driving this helmet issue is that
> frail little bikes and their riders needed to be shielded from their
> foolish and careless encounters with cars, which crashes I think are
> the real source of the most serious bike injuries.
>
> I imagine helmets probably help some, but I don't know how much. But it
> may well be that different street standards designed to protect bikes
> could save far more bike rider lives. There must be cost-effectiveness
> calculations on all these safety alternatives somewhere. Where are
> they?
>
> I imagine Texas state laws regarding bicycles are probably incurably
> crazy, since I know that to be the case with anything TxDOT touches
> having to do with roads, and frequently post that stuff here.
>
> However on the local city level, I think bike riders should demand
> bike-safe streets, as one of the things they expect when they pay
> taxes, and that young bike riders can haul those yard signs and
> leaflets around to help to make sure old fashioned car-obsessive city
> council candidates do not get elected.
>
> The time to discuss these issues (on this list?), and to extract
> SPECIFIC pledges of better street design standards, more conducive to
> bike safety, from the candidates  -- is well before the political
> campaigning gets under way.  -- Roger
>
>
>
>
> On Jan 3, 2005, at 11:57 AM, Michael Bluejay wrote:
>
>> The reply from Robin Stallings of TBC, and my response.
>>
>> For the record, I'd consider supporting mandatory *training* for kids
>> in bike safety, since that could actually prevent their getting hit,
>> and also increase safety for other road users.  But helmets --
>> especially forced helmets -- do neither.  Of course, the training
>> would have to be super-easy to get (such as at their regular school,
>> during school hours).
>>
>> -MBJ-
>
>
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