By Sharon Aron Baron
A Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety bill filed by Representative Christine Hunschofsky, D-Parkland, unanimously passed the Infrastructure & Tourism Appropriations Subcommittee Wednesday.
It previously passed the Tourism, Infrastructure & Energy Subcommittee unanimously on March 22, 2021.
House Bill 605 would expand Florida’s 2002 Move Over Law to include pedestrians and bicyclists traveling in a separate, protected bicycle lane.
The bill would require the driver of a motor vehicle overtaking a bicyclist traveling in a bicycle lane to pass at a safe distance of at least 3-feet and require the driver of a motor vehicle passing a pedestrian or bicyclist occupying the same travel lane to move out of their lane or stay at a safe distance behind the pedestrian or bicyclist until they can safely vacate the lane.
“Florida is the deadliest state in the country for bicyclists, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and Broward County is one of the top-ranking counties in Florida for bike accident fatalities,” said Rep. Hunschofsky. “This is not a statistic we want to be a leader in, and I am pleased to be working towards mitigating this. Passing this legislation is a good step to improving public safety in Florida.”
District 96 includes Coconut Creek, Parkland, a majority of Margate, and the north and east area of Coral Springs.
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