# "Three feet to pass" has a good chance - Virginians please write to your delegatte!



## mattotoole (Jan 3, 2008)

*"Three feet to pass" has a good chance - Virginians please write to your delegatte!*

_From our advocacy director and lobbyist:_

With big THANKS to the Washington Area Bicyclists (WABA) for setting up 
the Salsa program link so we can all easily support the passage of SB 
97( the Three Foot Passing bill) in the House of Delegates in the next 
few days, please take a moment to lend your support by sending the EMail 
-----.

WABA


Note that you should sign it as you would like to be known; you can 
change the salutation, and you can modify the language of the letter, if 
you wish to do so. Also, please feel free to SHARE THE LINK with any 
others.

Also note that this program will NOT permit you to respond more than once.

Thanks for your help as we push this bill over the goal line!

Bud Vye
RABA & VBF Advocacy Director


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## crit_boy (Aug 6, 2013)

So, how does this improve the complete lack of enforcement of the current 2 foot to pass law? In other words, the law has no meaning without enforcement. The current two foot law is not enforced, so how does this change anything?

I would rather see vulernable user laws. E.g. car hits bike = rebutable presumption of fault on car. Need to hit people in the real pocket. - If you hit a pedestrian or cyclist, your insurance is going to get cancelled and/or go through the roof.


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## Kett-Man (Dec 31, 2013)

when PA's 4 foot law passed, it had zero effect on anything, as far as i could tell. still get buzzed on occasion, like I did before the law was passed.


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## Oxtox (Aug 16, 2006)

our city ordinance of 3 feet has produced zero improvements in safety for cyclists.

drivers aren't aware of it and police don't enforce it.

meaningless, feel-good stuff.


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## nov0798 (Mar 5, 2011)

Being an LEO myself in DC, yes it is very difficult to enforce. As for the driver of the vehicle always being at fault as crit_boy states, well here in DC, I would say 7-10 are the cyclists fault. I am all for the law, but as others have stated, its useless without enforcement, and it would be very difficult to get a conviction in court. FWIW, I did support that motion.


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## bradkay (Nov 5, 2013)

Where this law can come into play us a situation where a driver sideswipes a cyclist and injures him. He will no longer be able to claim that he "thought he had room" and get away with it - he can be cited because he did not give the legally required three feet in passing.


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## nov0798 (Mar 5, 2011)

Well here in is where the problem lies. The cyclist says he was hit by the car, but then the car says they cyclist came over on him. Without actually seeing it happen, you cant cite either, which then leads to the enforcement problem.


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## Kett-Man (Dec 31, 2013)

And this is why I use a video camera.


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## mattotoole (Jan 3, 2008)

Thanks to everyone who wrote their delegates as it has now been passed by both houses and needs only the governor's signature.

SB97 ‘Three Foot Passing’ Is Passed by the House

Whether or not you think it's easy to write tickets for, the benefits are important. For any change in law, "the memo will go out" to police depts. and the public, leveraging the state's resources for an education effort. And most juries would be convinced that a cyclist did not suddenly swerve _three feet_ into the path of a motor vehicle.

We look forward to Gov. McAuliffe signing this bill into law.


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## nov0798 (Mar 5, 2011)

I totally support the law, but what I am saying is that most accidents like this are hard to prove unless it's so blatently clear who's at fault. Unless someone has video proof or alot of witnesses, then it's all heresay. As for swerving cyclists, well with potholes, road debris, cars parked on the side of the road, pedestrians, etc its totally plausible.


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## bradkay (Nov 5, 2013)

With this law cyclists will be more willing to take the lane so as not to have to swerve to avoid such obstacles. That is the safe way to ride, after all.


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## Kett-Man (Dec 31, 2013)

bradkay said:


> With this law cyclists will be more willing to take the lane so as not to have to swerve to avoid such obstacles.


For a while yes. Till they find that nothing has actually changed, and they will revert to whatever behavior they practiced before.

Without enforcement and a big public education campaign, the law is nearly useless. 
Hopefully VA will get some of that good stuff. PA sure doesn't have it.


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## crit_boy (Aug 6, 2013)

nov0798 said:


> Being an LEO myself in DC, yes it is very difficult to enforce. As for the driver of the vehicle always being at fault as crit_boy states, well here in DC, I would say 7-10 are the cyclists fault. I am all for the law, but as others have stated, its useless without enforcement, and it would be very difficult to get a conviction in court. FWIW, I did support that motion.


I did not say the vehicle is always at fault. I would like to see a rebuttable presumption of civil liability on the user that can cause the most damage, i.e. pedestrian - bike - car - truck. That way the vehicle with more damage potential has the incentive to be more careful. In the case of we cannot tell what happened, the more damage potential vehicle has the financial burden on them. 

If the law requires the car to give the cyclist a 3 foot space, then how can it be the cyclist's fault? Or is it that cars and LE see cyclists as lower class users that should yield to the car?

My problem with LEO for the last 20+ years of riding experience is they always side with the driver - and assume the cyclist is wrong. When a landscaping truck mirror/boat trailer hits the cyclist, it was the cyclist's fault for not riding more to the edge of the road (because riding within 2 inches from the white edge line is not close enough to the edge).

This 3 foot deal will do nothing. A two foot one already existed. What did it do? How does not additional foot of space add anything? Apparently a group of cyclists put forth a lot of effort. While they saw it as something worth doing, I fail to see what it will change.


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