During the 2009 session of the Oregon State Legislature, the BTA will be working with legislators, local governments and other advocates to pursue improvements and refinements to Oregon laws, described in brief below.
Check the BTA blog for weekly legislative updates. As the legislative session moves along we may ask you to send an email or make a phone call in support of one of these laws - your support is crucial!
Funding for Non-Motorized Transportation
HB 2001: The BTA is working hard on a number of fronts to increase the amount of funding for bicycle infrastructure and programs.
Vehicular Homicide
HB 3399: A person who causes the death of another person when operating a vehicle with a suspended license or no license at all, without insurance, or when impaired could be found guilty of Vehicular Homicide, which is a Class C felony.
HB 2690 The BTA is seeking a change in Oregon law that would allow bicyclists to treat stop signs as yield signs, slowing down and safely rolling through if they can see that no other auto, bike or pedestrian traffic is approaching.
School Siting
Current law does not require school districts to consider transportation costs when deciding on locations for new facilities. This promotes the idea that siting schools away from population concentrations is more cost effective than locating them within communities. The decision to locate a school on the edge of a community increases the reliance on costly busing or parents having to drive their children to school. Locating schools within communities creates a community asset that is accessible to more of the population, increases walking and biking to school, and reduces the environmental damage caused by motorized vehicles.
Drivers' Education
Recognizing that driver education and training is insufficient at the time of licensing and nonexistent at the time of renewal, the BTA is seeking a change in statute that would require an undetermined amount of behind the wheel training by a certified trainer. At renewal, drivers would be required to pass a multi-question test on line or at a DMV office in order to refresh their understanding of existing laws and inform them of changes to the law.
Crash Reports
Minor changes to the current Oregon Traffic Accident and Insurance Report form would clarify reporting requirements for bicyclists and encourage bicyclists and pedestrians to file reports when they have been involved in a crash.
