Following up on our announcement last week of next Tuesday’s hearing on our Vulnerable Road Users bill (House Bill 3079), we need your help to get the bill moving out of the Joint Committee on Transportation. This is an essential first step toward getting the bill passed. Look here for more details about the bill.
How To Help: If you, or someone you care about, has been injured by a motorist while bicycling or walking, and the motorist was not ticketed or prosecuted, please submit your personal story about how this has impacted your life. Contact Executive Director David Watson at david@massbike.org or 617-542-2453. You can submit your testimony either in writing, or in-person at the hearing, but be sure to let David know either way.
- Telling Your Story In Writing: Send a letter or email to the chairs of the Joint Committee on Transportation. Be sure to reference “AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE SAFETY OF VULNERABLE ROAD USERS”, House Bill No. 3079. This does not have to be complicated or formal – simply tell your story in your own words and in your own style.Senator Thomas McGee and Representative William Straus
Joint Committee on Transportation
State House, Room 134
Boston, MA 02133You can also email your comments to Thomas.McGee@masenate.gov and William.Straus@mahouse.gov. Be sure to send a copy to David Watson by email or mail too.
- Telling Your Story In Person: The hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, June 14, 2011, from 1-5pm, in State House Room B-1. Let David Watson know that you plan to attend the hearing. Please plan to arrive early to check in with David and sign up to testify. There will be several bills at the hearing, our bill is “AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE SAFETY OF VULNERABLE ROAD USERS”, House Bill No. 3079. As with written testimony, this does not have to be complicated – just tell your story.The committee may hear testimony on all the bills in the order in which people sign up, or they may decide to group testimony on the same bill, so there is no way to know exactly when testimony on our bill will happen.
It is a good idea to submit your testimony in writing even if you plan to speak – it will allow the committee members to refer back to your testimony, and if you have to leave early the committee will still consider what you have to say.
Please do not wear bicycle clothing or helmets to the hearing – wear regular street clothes (or a jacket and tie). It is vitally important that we convey to the committee that bicyclists are mainstream people from all walks of life.
The more people who speak or write in support of the bill, the greater the likelihood that the committee will report favorably and the bill will move on to the next step. Every person’s story will make a difference, so please participate!
I will definitely write a letter. I was hit by a car last week and the guy wasn’t even ticketed. I was wearing a reflective vest, ankle reflectors, and my bike is covered in stickers. It was 3:00pm on a straight road and the guy still drilled me. AND he was driving with a cast on his right foot! Now his insurance company is saying MY insurance should pay for everything! Drivers need to have consequences when they hit cyclists! It’s ridiculous.
Wow, talk about timely – I’m reading email from home right now as I just got home from the MGH ER after I was doored on Broadway in Cambridge this morning! It wasn’t even from a parked car, but rather a minivan stopped in a line of traffic. The driver’s passenger door flew open and sent me down the blacktop. I tore my right elbow open to the bone and required six stitches, have road rash all over all four limbs and hands, and am having difficulty putting any pressure on my right leg w/o extreme pain in my hip/back – despite the fact the xrays showed no broken bones. Beyond physical injry, I’m also out a busted pair of prescription glasses (which cost close to $1000), and I shattered a pretty sweet Skagen watch which was a gift from my wife. Of course, I also missed a day of work.
Yeah, I’ll write a letter, you betcha!
James
You should have a Facebook Share Link for each Post, so people can easily share this with their facebook community.
I also just wrote an email and wanted to share the action alert with my friends.
How ironic that cyclists consider motorists reckless!
Here’s a question: What are sideWalks and crossWalks for? Give up? Walking. Yes, dismount and walk your bicycle across streets, even those intersecting bike paths! Don’t hit vulnerable pedestrians. Save racing shoes for off-road racing.
To many reckless riders downtown. riding two abrest on comm ave, weaving in and out of traffic on beacon st when its dark, down franklin st the wrong way just to name a few. And whats with a small bunch of bikes riding to the front of the line at a stop light and then not being able to get out of their own way when the light turns green! I know Iknow we all need to slow down, if thats the case stay in your spot in the traffic….
I was struck by a cyclist while in the cross walk at devonshire and summer, rider went tumbling (slightly built woman of about 35/40) got off the ground swearing her head off. i just pointed to the crosswalk and said “appology excepted jerk” until you ALL ride the same way as you speak, there will be conflict.