Bicycles on North Williams
Cyclists and motorists make their way along North Williams Avenue in Portland.
(Ross William Hamilton)
Changing traffic laws that affects cyclists and motorcyclists often sparks plenty of debate in the Oregon Legislature. That was not the case with a measure allowing two-wheeled vehicles to go through stoplights that won't change for them.
On a unanimous vote, the House Wednesday gave final approval to Senate Bill 533 and sent it to Gov. Kate Brown for her signature. The Senate had earlier also approved the measure with no dissenting votes.
Rep. John Davis, R-Wilsonville, said several other states have passed so-called "dead red" laws that deal with the problem caused when two-wheeled vehicles fail to trigger the detectors that change traffic lights. The problem, he said, is caused not by a lack of weight but by the use of materials that may not be recognized by the detector.
Under SB 533, bikers would be allowed to proceed through a red light only after it failed to go through one full cycle -- and then only if done with caution. Davis called it a "very, very limited exception" to the normal rules covering red lights.
He said it is a much more conservative law than in Idaho, which allows cyclists to proceed after stopping at a red light if it is safe to do so. Davis called that a "Beyond Thunderdome" law, a reference to the "Mad Max" movie of the same name.
Davis noted that a new Mad Max movie is hitting theaters and added that it "is not our intent to create a similar situation in Oregon."
In committee, the measure drew opposition from the Oregon Department of Transportation, which said it raised safety concerns if some road users acted in an unpredictable manner. However, Davis said "dead red" laws have not appeared to cause safety problems in other states.
Rep. Bill Post, R-Keizer, said that he was riding home one night and had to wait for a long time to get through a traffic light that wasn't triggered by his motorcycle. "I hated it," he said. "It drives me crazy."
--Jeff Mapes
503-221-8209
@Jeffmapes