Endorsements

Colorado State Patrol Supports NERCC Message

We are pleased to announce that the Colorado State Patrol has expressed agreement with our primary PSA. This is an excellent start to our less-than-year-old campaign, with the Florida Highway Patrol having previously posted a version of our PSA on their website.

Sgt. Craig LeVere in the Public Affairs Unit of the Colorado State Patrol writes:

"This letter serves as a timely reminder to motorists of the need to be aware of the presence of bicyclists and their obligation to share the road with them. At the same time, it reminds cyclists of their responsibility to obey motor vehicle laws as they pertain to the operation of bicycles. It is the stated mission of the Colorado State Patrol to ensure a safe and secure environment in Colorado for all persons by providing professional law enforcement through responsive, courteous, caring, and dedicated service. This includes diligent enforcement of the Colorado statutes pertaining to vehicles and traffic."

Florida Highway Patrol Supports NERCC Message

The National Equal Rights for Cyclists Campaign announces it's first success with the endorsement and posting of its primary message on the Florida State Highway Patrol web page, at http://www.fhp.state.fl.us/html/BST.htm.

In "A Special Reminder To Drivers Everywhere", the Florida Highway Patrol reminds motorists that they are never to squeeze past cyclists; that the laws in every state require that "Drivers shall pass at a safe distance."; and also that "When there isn't enough space for safe passing within the lane, bicyclists should be given use of the whole lane."

The message also reminds bicyclists that they need to "learn to follow all the rules of the road to cooperate with other drivers: to signal, merge, yield, change lanes and use lights at night."

Information on the page was provided by Lauren Cooper and (Ret.) Chief J. W. Rittenhouse of The Equal Rights for Cyclists Campaign, and was approved and edited by The State Safety Office of the Florida Department of Transportation.

Charlottesville VA Area Police Unanimously Endorse NERCC Message

PRESS   CONFERENCE   ANNOUNCEMENT

THURSDAY   JULY 8, 1999           11 AM

Charlottesville City Hall

Charlottesville Va. Daily Progess Feature Editorial   Wed. Aug.1 1999

Since area bicyclists last month launched an "equal rights" campaign, bikers' rights have been a heightened topic of watercooler chitchat and letters to the editor alike. To the extent that public awareness was a goal, this effort already has achieved a measure of success.

As with equal rights campaigns for some other constituencies, it can be argued that no special "bill of rights" is necessary in this case because the rights already exist.

For now it should be sufficient to note that bicyclists already have -- under Virginia statute -- rights and protections that allow them to use public roads with the same impartiality as motorists. Bicycles and autos are both defined as "vehicles".

Bicyclists can lawfully take a full lane whenever necessary for safe travel. State law gives cyclists the same instructions as it gives motorists, and that includes use of the full width of a travel lane as needed.

The law says bicycles ought to stay as far to the right as is practical so that cars can pass, but recognizes that often it is not practical for cyclists to do so and permits them to take up the rest of the lane. Such situations would include when cyclists are passing or turning or when they must avoid hazards in the road ranging from bad pavement to dead animals. They also do not have to stay to the right when the pavement is too narrow for a car to safely pass them; in such cases, motorists must stay back until safe passing conditions appear.

Meanwhile, of course, cyclists must obey the same rules of the road as do motorists. When everyone follows the same rules, the consistency and predictability that result make for safe travel.

In a time when cooperation between Charlottesville and Albemarle County is at a major low, four area law enforcement heads found this issue to be so important that they agreed to endorse a joint statement containing this information about the vehicular laws that already give motorists and cyclists equal rights.

That statement, apparently prepared by the Charlottesville Albemarle Bicyclist Association, carries the names of John Miller, Albemarle County police chief; J.W. Rittenhouse, Charlottesville police chief; Michael Sheffield, University of Virginia police chief, and Terry Hawkins, Albemarle County sheriff. It includes this interesting tidbit of information: Road-paving programs were begun in this country not to accommodate cars, which were then a rarity, but to serve bicycles.

Regardless of who prepared the statement, the General Assembly of Virginia prepared the laws. They are in force, they are indisputable, they are indispensable. And they are here for our safety.

For the driver, endangering a bicyclist is never worth the couple of minutes such a selfish act might afford. For the cyclist, ignoring vehicular laws is scarcely worth the criticism it calls down on all bicycle riders and the backlash it creates against shared use of the road.

If physical welfare, ours and others', is our top priority and our chief perspective -- as it should be -- then the conflict between cyclists and motorists will dwindle in significance. We will not only be sharing the road, we will be sharing the crucial goal of safety.