Petition: Enact a Law to Protect Bicyclists from Driver Harassment
Update: This is going out to a more appropriate group of people, please sign even if you signed the other one:
<a href="http://www.change.org/petitions/enact-a-law-to-protect-bicyclists-from-driver-harassment">http://www.change.org/petitions/enact-a-law-to-protect-bicyclists-from-driver-harassment</a>;
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I am a woman who commutes by bicycle (and train) daily from my home in Baltimore City to my office in Washington, D.C. I am urging you to enact a lifesaving law to protect bicyclists from driver harassment. Each morning I am forced to risk my life in order to choose a healthy, environmentally friendly and fiscally responsible mode of travel in Baltimore City. This is unfortunate as I do not face this same level of danger while traveling in Washington, D.C. Several times a week, despite using marked bicycle travel lanes and obeying all traffic laws drivers honk, scream, enter my lane of travel, pass too closely and brake suddenly in front of me for the sole purpose of communicating to me that I do not belong on the road. I have had drivers nudge me with their bumpers while screaming at me to "Get on the sidewalk" or "The speed limit is 35 mph, if you can't do 35 get off the road". This is terrifying, unfortunate and a real barrier to increasing this healthy and sustainable method of travel among all residents, but especially among women. Despite having clear descriptions of drivers, their vehicles and their license plate numbers, Baltimore City Police refuse to take reports of these aggressive drivers who are clearly displaying road rage. I'm told that unless a driver actually hits me and causes me injury that requires transport to the hospital or damage to my bicycle that I am unable to file a report of this behavior. In response to similar experiences around the nation, many local government groups have drafted new laws to protect cyclists from this life threatening behavior. Please send a message that all users have rights to our roads and should be protected from dangerous and aggressive drivers and help to pass a law to protect me and support cycling in Maryland.
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The older link:
<a href="https://www.change.org/petitions/barbara-mikulski-enact-a-law-to-protect-bicyclists-from-driver-harassment">https://www.change.org/petitions/barbara-mikulski-enact-a-law-to-protect-bicyclists-from-driver-harassment</a>;