BILL NUMBER: S4529

SPONSOR: HARCKHAM
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to operators of
a vehicle overtaking a bicycle from behind

 
PURPOSE:

Relates to operators of a vehicle overtaking a bicycle from behind

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 amends Section 1122-a of the vehicle and traffic law, as added
by chapter 413 of the laws of 2010. Provides that operators of a vehicle
overtaking a bicycle from behind proceeding on the same roadway shall
pass to the left of such bicycle at a safe distance of no less than
three feet until safely clear thereof. This would apply to cities with a
population of less than one million and towns and villages.

              

Section 2 states the effective date

 
JUSTIFICATION:

The majority of the accidents consisting of vehicles and cyclists
involved driver inattention and failure to yield. With the Department of
Transportation actively installing bike lanes on state roadways through-
out the state, this legislation is timely and necessary to support the
increased bicycle traffic. A specific distance,three feet, was chosen in
order to provide an easily understood distance for motorists. Specifying
three feet as the minimum passing distance provides adequate space for
bicyclists to safely travel on the road.  New York City's population
dense environment creates a number of unique challenges to implementa-
tion. This legislation will help keep our cyclist safe by requiring that
vehicle operators keep a safe distance of 3ft to provide a buffer for
quick decision-making outside of New York City. This small change
ensures that both cyclists and vehicles share the roads safely for all
portions of the state where implementation is currently plausible.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

This is a new bill.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None to the State.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after it
shall have become a law.