Miracle on Washington Street

A few weeks ago, road cyclists received a miracle. It was on February 27th to be exact.

On that day, a Georgia Senator--one who previously said that we need a law to keep bicycles out of the way of motorists--became an advocate for bicycles!

At a Transportation Committee hearing the week prior, Senator Butch Miller and several co-sponsors offered SB 468, which would ban the currently-legal practice of bicyclists riding two abreast on Georgia roads and instead force them to ride single-file.

To their credit, leaders from Georgia Bikes! worked to maintain a constructive relationship with Senator Miller. They sought compromise and got one.

Miller accepted their watered-down amendment which substituted the outright ban of two-abreast riding with a vaguely-worded requirement for cyclists not to impede the normal and reasonable flow of traffic.

While the amended bill raised a host of questions about enforce-ability and other unintended consequences, Miller could rely on the fact that the same kind of vague limitation on cycling was already on the books in nine other states. Surely its passage into law would allow him and SB 468's co-sponsors to claim a win on behalf of their motorist constituents.

With the bill passing unanimously through committee and apparently destined for a vote in the full Senate, Miller told Georgia Bikes! the following Monday that he would not pursue passage of his bill and would instead work with Georgia Bikes! on the implementation of a Complete Streets policy. Complete Streets policies emphasize that public roads should be designed for moving people, not just automobiles, and should include facilities that improve safety and access for transit users, pedestrians, and bicyclists of all ages and abilities.

Some characterize Miller's intentions as always in keeping the interest of cyclists foremost, claiming that he rides a bike himself.

Oddly, he never mentioned that about himself during the hearing as he faced a long line of citizen-bicyclists criticizing his bill. For a two-term Senator, one would think Miller would have seized the opportunity to establish his credibility with this assembly of bicyclists.

As I described previously in this blog, Miller repeatedly acted in ways that seem to belie his stated intentions. Would bicyclists expect any more from someone who leads the Georgia Automobile Dealers Association?

Beyond the potent persuasive powers of Georgia Bikes!, what could account for Miller's dramatic turnaround? How did the discussion shift so dramatically, away from getting bikers out of motorists' way to developing streets that are conducive to non-automobile transportation?

For now it's best to leave the sleeping dog lie and celebrate the fact that we are not all riding in a line.

And to Senator Miller: thank you for seeing the light. I hope to see everyone at the GA Rides to the Capitol.

- As always, thank you for reading and stay in touch!