ATTENTION California Motorcyclists, THIS IS FOR YOU. Please share share share! IT WOULD BE GREAT IF YOU ALL GOT INVOLVED INSTEAD OF A HAND FULL OF aging ACTIVISTS that you already owe a lot too but you probably do not know why. Find out why and pay up, get informed/get involved. From: ABATE News To: ABATE News Sent: Thu, Dec 4, 2014 4:23 pm Subject: Proposed Lane Splitting Legislation December 4, 2014 Well, Jim Lombardo our ABATE Lobbyist, has given us plenty of warning regarding possible lane splitting legislation in California and we now have a partial spot bill regarding the issue. Obviously this bill is not something ABATE can endorse, especially when it limits lane splitting to traffic speeds of 35 MPH or less. Jim has already contacted the authors legislative staff and they said it was introduced by their office because of the widespread newspaper and television coverage regarding lane splitting and the general publics ignorance of the legality of the issue. The staff members are willing to accept amendments to improve the bill language but are seeking to codify, or write into California law, lane splitting legislation to ensure it is not completely outlawed after the CHP was forced to remove their lane splitting guidelines last summer. We will discuss this issue in depth at our January BOD/PAC meeting and implement a plan of action to kill this bill or at least amend it into something that the riders of California can live with. Please attend our January meeting in Orange County to express your thoughts on this issue and help ABATE ensure a successful outcome with this pending legislation. Dave Hastings Executive Director Abate of California Added: Green underlined text Deleted: Dark red text with a strikethrough Vetoed: Red text 2015 CA A 51 Author: Quirk Version: Introduced Version Date: 12/01/2014 CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE--2015-2016 REGULAR SESSION Assembly Bill No. 51 Introduced by Assembly Member Quirk December 01, 2014 An act to amend Section 21658 of the Vehicle Code, relating to vehicles. LEGISLATIVE COUNSELS DIGEST AB 51, as introduced, Quirk. Vehicles: motorcycles: lane splitting. (1) Existing law requires, whenever a roadway has been divided into 2 or more clearly marked lanes for traffic in one direction, that a vehicle shall be driven as nearly as practical entirely within a single lane and shall not be moved from the lane until the movement can be made with reasonable safety. A violation of the Vehicle Code is a crime. This bill would authorize a motorcycle to be driven between rows of stopped or moving vehicles in the same lane if the speed of traffic is 35 miles per hour or less and the motorcycle is driven no more than 10 miles per hour faster than the speed of traffic. The bill would provide that these provisions do not authorize a motorcycle to be driven in contravention of other laws relating to the safe operation of a vehicle. By creating a new crime this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. Vote Required: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: YES Immediate Effect NO Urgency: NO Tax Levy: NO Election: NO Usual Current Expenses: NO Budget Bill: NO Prop 25 Trailer Bill: NO The people of the State of California do enact as follows: SECTION 1. Section 21658 of the Vehicle Code is amended to read: 21658. Whenever any roadway has been divided into two or more clearly marked lanes for traffic in one direction, the following rules apply: (a) A vehicle shall be driven as nearly as practical entirely within a single lane and shall not be moved from the lane until such movement can be made with reasonable safety. (b) Official signs may be erected directing slow-moving traffic to use a designated lane or allocating specified lanes to traffic moving in the same direction, and drivers of vehicles shall obey the directions of the traffic device. (c) (1) A motorcycle, as defined in Section 400, may be driven between rows of stopped or moving vehicles in the same lane, including both divided and undivided streets, roads, or highways, if both of the following conditions are present: (A) The speed of traffic moving in the same direction is 35 miles per hour or less. (B) The motorcycle is not driven more than 10 miles per hour faster than the speed of traffic moving in the same direction. (2) This subdivision does not authorize a motorcycle to be driven in contravention of other laws relating to the safe operation of a vehicle. SEC. 2. No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIIIB of the California Constitution because the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIIIB of the California Constitution.
Posted on: Thu, 11 Dec 2014 02:26:30 +0000