ACTION ALERT: Bike Safety Bills Need Your Support

In January, we filed two bills with the Massachusetts State Legislature, and we just found out that the bills are going to be heard in committee next Wednesday. We need your help to get these bills moving! The bills are:

    •  The Act To Protect Vulnerable Road Users (S 1639) adds protections to bicyclists, pedestrians, wheelchair users, and other vulnerable users of the road. It gives law enforcement more flexibility to impose more severe penalties for dangerous driving. (Click here for the full text of the bill.)
    • The Act To Protect Bicyclists In Bicycle Lanes (S 1640) prohibits motor vehicles from parking in bike lanes. (Click here for the full text of the bill.)



The first hearing on these bills before the Committee on Transportation is scheduled for Wednesday, June 26, 2013, at 10:00 AM, in State House Room B-1.

We hope you are able to join MassBike at the hearing to tell your story, and to urge the Joint Committee on Transportation to report favorably on these two bills. This is the second legislative session for the Vulnerable Road Users Bill, and the first hearing ever for the Bike Lane Bill. For more information on the bills, please see our Legislative Fact Sheet.

If you are unable to attend next week's hearing, we ask you to do the following:

    • Send an email or write a letter to the Chairs of the Joint Committee on Transportation-Senator McGee (Email) and Representative Straus (Email)-and ask that they act favorably on these bills.
    • Call or email your State Senator and State Representative and ask that they tell the Joint Committee on Transportation Chairs to act favorably on these bills.
    • Cc [email protected] on all your emails, or send us a message telling us who you contacted.


Don't know who your legislators are? Find out here.

We were able to educate a lot of legislators about this legislation at the Bike/Walk Summit, so we think we are in a good position to move this legislation forward. We need your help again to get this legislation rolling.  As always, we couldn't do it without you.