Do we want better laws for bicyclists in New Jersey? Bicycling advocates in Delaware did, and they succeeded. Learn how. (Spoiler: It starts with engaging the police.)
A NETWORK OF BICYCLE CRASH ATTORNEYS.
WE ARE A NETWORK OF INDEPENDENT BICYCLE CRASH LAWYERS WHO SHARE A COMMON APPROACH TO THE LAW AND TO HELPING CYCLISTS. OUR BIKE CRASH ATTORNEYS HAVE HANDLED THOUSANDS OF CASES. WE KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A BICYCLE ACCIDENT AND BICYCLE CRASH, AND WHY IT MATTERS.
In October 2017, Delaware’S Governor Signed The Bicycle Friendly Delaware Act, Placing Into State Law Cutting-Edge, Pro-Bike Reforms.
“You say you want to change your state’s Rules of the Road even if the police are opposed? Bless your heart.
When it comes to the Rules of the Road in any state, the most important stakeholders are the police. Your state police will have a full-time lobbyist (or “liaison”) who attends every public safety committee meeting in your state legislature (and probably has been doing so for a decade or more). One way of attempting to reform the Rules of the Road in your state is to draft a bill without consulting with the police, find a willing legislator to introduce it, and let the chips fall where they may. Our comment on that strategy is “Bless your heart.” (According to Wikipedia, “bless your heart” is a phrase that is commonly used in the southern United States and which means “you are dumb or otherwise impaired, but you can’t help it.”)
Bike Delaware spent more time negotiating with the police on the text of the Bicycle Friendly Delaware Act than we did on any other aspect of the campaign. If you want to introduce a bill in your state legislature on a certain date, you should start negotiating with the police six months before that.”
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