Proposed State Law Could Restrict Bicycles on Certain Roads
Three state lawmakers are proposing a new law that would require you to buy a license plate for your bicycle and could restrict where you are allowed to ride that bike.The broadcast version of this story
Gainesville state representative Carl Rogers is one of the sponsors of House Bill 689. He says he has gotten hundreds of complaints about bicycles on the road, but his primary concern is safety, telling WABE,“Certain areas of Georgia, where there’s a lot of growth, a lot of population, and lot of traffic, it’s become a real issue.”
The bill’s solution is to allow the state, counties or cities to restrict hours when bicyclists could ride on certain roads or even ban them.
It also would require bicyclists to ride only single file. Rebecca Serna, a board member of the group Georgia Bikes, says single file is not always the safest way.“If you’re a parent riding with your kid, you want to be riding between your child and traffic.”
And then there is the money. The bill proposes a $15 annual fee for license plates for bikes. The bill does not specify how that money would be spent, but Rogers said it could be spent on building bike trails.
Georgia Bikes opposes the bill; Rogers says it is just a first draft and open to discussion.
He and his co-sponsors, State Reps. Emory Dunahoo and Lee Hawkins, both Republicans from Gainesville, will host a public hearing in Gainesville on Monday, October 7, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Hall County Government Center.
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