All three components of SB 470 originated at WisDOT. BFW has been involved with them over past few years.
BFW supports parts 1) and 2). BFW does not support part 3) as written. (which deletes the last sentence of:) 347.489 (1) No person may operate a bicycle, motor bicycle, or electric personal assistive mobility device upon a highway, sidewalk, bicycle lane, or bicycle way during hours of darkness unless the bicycle, motor bicycle, or electric personal assistive mobility device is equipped with or, with respect to a bicycle or motor bicycle, the operator is wearing, a lamp emitting a white light visible from a distance of at least 500 feet to the front of the bicycle, motor bicycle, or electric personal assistive mobility device. A bicycle, motor bicycle, or electric personal assistive mobility device shall also be equipped with a red reflector that has a diameter of at least 2 inches of surface area or, with respect to an electric personal assistive mobility device, that is a strip of reflective tape that has at least 2 square inches of surface area, on the rear so mounted and maintained as to be visible from all distances from 50 to 500 feet to the rear when directly in front of lawful upper beams of headlamps on a motor vehicle. A lamp emitting a red or flashing amber light visible from a distance of 500 feet to the rear may be used in addition to but not in lieu of the red reflector. BFW wants the last sentence modified to read: A lamp emitting a red light visible from a distance of 500 feet to the rear may be used lieu of the red reflector. This is of the sake all of those who solely rely on a red redlight to be legal. Currently no rear light is legal without unless there is also a reflector. Ironically those who solely rely on a rear reflector are legal, but not as safe as a user of a red light. Dealers will still be required to sell all bikes with a red reflector, but the user/owner can change it out to a red light. I hope I was clear on the issue. Mike Rewey *************************** On 18 Feb 2008 at 16:45, Ross, Arthur wrote: Matt Logan asked <I just ran across this Bill in the Senate, introduced last week, . . . Does anybody know the story behind this bill?> My understanding is that this bill is basically a clean-up bill for some items that have come up over the years but remain unaddressed or confusing in the statutes. 1) Including hand cycles in the definition of the bicycle has come up as there are more people using these vehicles. Are they bicycles or a different type of wheelchair? The answer determines where they can be operated. The bill clarifies that hand cycles should be considered bicycles and are legal on the street. 2) When the bicycle bill passed in 1995 was drafted (a few years earlier), there was a large, somewhat heavy, flashing yellow rear light for bicycles called the Belt Beacon on the market (I have one if anyone unfamiliar with it wants to see this historic relic). The current statute language was written to make that light legal by allowing the use of an amber flashing light on the rear of a bicycle. About the time the bill was passed, the red LED flashers came out and they are now extremely common. It is unclear if these popular lights are actually legal in Wisconsin. The bill clears this up by allowing rear lights to be any color . 3) This was included in the early drafts of the bicycle bill that passed in 1995, as Tim remembered, but was taken out to gain the support of a legislator who, to be polite, didn't get it. The right-arm right-turn signal has been included in the Uniform Vehicle Code for years, and it is the easiest thing to teach (point in the direction you want to turn), especially for those of us with directional dyslexia. Arthur Ross, Pedestrian-Bicycle Coordinator City of Madison Traffic Engineering Division 215 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Suite 100 PO Box 2986 Madison, WI 53701-2986 608/266-6225 _______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [email protected] http://www.danenet.org/mailman/listinfo/bikies Michael W. Rewey 5522 Comanche Way Madison, WI 543704-1026 cell: 608.698.6673 home: 608.249.6673 email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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