WATERTOWN \u2014 A nonprofit cycling advocacy group is working to widen the gap for vulnerable road users in New York, such as bicyclists.<\/p>\n
The New York Bicycling Coalition says that 40 states plus the District of Columbia require that motorists give cyclists at least 3 feet of room when passing. New York state law requires only that motorists provide a “safe distance” when passing a cyclist. This, according to NYBC Executive Director Anne Savage, is too vague and subjective.<\/p>\n
Changing the law, she said, will not only address safety concerns, but could boost the growing bicycle tourism industry in the state.<\/p>\n
\u201cHistorically, these types of laws have been cycling specific,\u201d Savage said in a phone interview from Albany, where NYBC is based. \u201cAlmost every state in the union has passed at least a 3-feet law to protect cyclists. New York is very far behind.\u201d<\/p>\n
Three counties in New York are no longer waiting for the state to act. In October, Ulster County, on the heels of Monroe and Suffolk counties, became the third county in the state to pass a 3-foot law. It protects not just people on bicycles, but all \u201cvulnerable road users.\u201d In Ulster County, those users include pedestrians, horse riders, construction workers and emergency services workers.<\/p>\n
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Anne Savage, executive director of the New York Bicycling Coalition. NYBC<\/p>\n
Similar laws for vulnerable road users have been enacted in nearby states such Pennsylvania, Vermont and Massachusetts. In those states, the standard for safe passing is 4 feet.<\/p>\n
A New York bill addressing the issue<\/a> has been stuck in legislative traffic. In 2021, Sen. Pete Harckham, who represents Westchester County and parts of the Hudson Valley, and his Senate colleagues approved the \u201cShare the Road Provision\u201d that will require motorists outside of New York City to give bicyclists at least 3 feet of space on roadways when passing them. It has been stalled in the Assembly Transportation Committee.<\/p>\n \u201cThe current bill, which has been passed in the Senate for the last three sessions, protects cyclists and pedestrians,\u201d Savage said. \u201cA pedestrian in New York state law includes anyone who is using a mobility device, so anyone who is a wheelchair user is included, as a pedestrian, by matter of law.\u201d<\/p>\n Savage said that NYBC is in regular contact with Assemblyman Phil Steck, who represents the eastern portions of Schenectady and northern portions of Albany County and is sponsoring the bill in the Assembly. \u201cWe are hopeful that they will be able to achieve something this session,\u201d Savage said.<\/p>\n The office of Assemblyman William B. Magnarelli, chair of the Assembly Transportation Committee, did not respond to an inquiry concerning potential issues the committee may have with the bill. Magnarelli\u2019s 129th District includes Syracuse and surrounding areas.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have not gotten a convincing explanation of why this bill has been so hard to pass,\u201d Savage said. \u201cSometimes, they talk about enforceability, but the current law just says, \u2018safe distance,\u2019 which in my mind is substantially less enforceable than a specific set of feet. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s a coherent argument to say that defined safe passing would not be enforceable, because it would be clearly more enforceable than what we\u2019ve got now.\u201d<\/p>\n Laws in some states related to “vulnerable road users” include operators of Amish buggies. For example, Vermont\u2019s Vulnerable User Law, enacted in 2024 and requiring 4 feet of clearance, includes Amish buggies, as the law protects individuals operating non-motorized, animal-drawn carriages. Here, an Amish buggy leaves Heuvelton on West Union Street in the spring of 2018. Watertown Daily Times<\/p>\n The board of directors of the Adirondack Cycling Club, dedicated to the encouragement of all aspects of community bicycling, believes it is important for the organization to support the bill.<\/p>\n \u201cOur view is that any effort to increase cycling safety is a step in the right direction,\u201d ACC President Mark Malchoff said. \u201cIt certainly would improve upon the current and vague \u2018safe distance\u2019 language as defined in section 1146 of the Vehicle and Traffic Law. Let’s hope that Defined Safe Passing becomes the law in New York, or failing that, is soon enacted by numerous counties across the state.\u201d<\/p>\n Even though she advocates the bill, Savage does have some issues with it. She would prefer a law for all \u201cvulnerable road users,\u201d which, for example, would expand it to cover users such as Amish people in buggies.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are things about the current bill that we would like to see improved,\u201d Savage said. \u201cBut at this point, we are hopeful that we could pass something to bring New York into the fold of all the other states. Every single state that abuts New York has at least a 3-foot law. Most of them have a 4-foot law.\u201d<\/p>\n Counties take action<\/p>\n In Ulster County, the new law enacted late last year defines \u201cvulnerable road users\u201d as pedestrians, persons using service animals, plus the animal itself, an individual \u201cwaiting to board, or just having alighted, mass transit,\u201d workers on a highway and people \u201cwho due to race or economic disparity have been excluded from the expectation of safe, accessible transportation.\u201d<\/p>\n For penalties, Ulster County says drivers guilty of violating the law are subject to a fine not to exceed $225 for a first offense, $325 for a second, and $425 for any third and subsequent offense.<\/p>\n \u201cWe would love to see the law statewide, and think that\u2019s what should be done, to apply to all counties,\u201d Savage said. \u201cWe are seeing counties taking matters into their own hands.\u201d<\/p>\n NYBC is aware of efforts in at least two other New York counties working to pass defined safe passing laws on their own, Savage said.<\/p>\n \u201cIf there was a county legislator interested in championing this in Lewis County, for example, they sure could,\u201d Savage said. \u201cYou could define for your community vulnerable road users however you wanted, because New York State does not have a defined list of vulnerable road users under state law.\u201d<\/p>\n The New York Bicycling Coalition is lobbying for a state law, common in other states, that would require motorists to give at least 3 feet when passing a cyclist.<\/p>\n Benefits of being bike friendly<\/p>\n New York, Savage said, is seeing an increase in the use of bicycles \u201cas a mechanism for both recreation and mobility.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the reasons I care about defined safe passing, besides it is good public policy to educate drivers on how to be safer with all vulnerable road users, is that the League of American Bicyclists classifies states on how bike friendly they are,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n In its 2024 State Ranking and Report Card, the League listed New York 15th in bicycle friendly states. It praised the 2024 adoption of \u201cSammy\u2019s Law,\u201d which allows New York City to set 20 mph speed limits in certain areas, and the growing number of municipalities reducing speed limits to 25 mph.<\/p>\n Also in its New York report card,<\/a> the League of American Bicyclists said the state should prioritize increasing its use of Federal Highway Administration resources for bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure.<\/p>\n \u201cNew York ranks in the bottom half of the states, with only $3.20 per capita spent on such projects,\u201d the report says. \u201cBy tapping into federal dollars, New York can accelerate the development of protected bike lanes, multi-use trails, complete streets initiatives, bike and pedestrian bridges, traffic calming measures and other improvements.\u201d<\/p>\n In late 2024, the village and town of Potsdam were awarded $158,568 from the U.S. Department of Transportation through the \u201cSafe Streets and Roads for All Planning and Demonstration Grant Program.\u201d<\/p>\n The village was the lead applicant for the project, which will allow the communities to create a Comprehensive Safety Action Plan that improves safety and accessibility to destinations within, to and from Potsdam.<\/p>\n \u201cIt took a while to receive our contract for this, but we have that in hand now and have released a (request for qualifications) for a qualified consultant to assist in the development of our comprehensive safety action plan,\u201d said Potsdam Mayor Alexandra M. Jacobs Wilke. \u201cWe have also been developing plans to be able to collect data and conduct demonstration projects and other public-facing activities that will happen hopefully starting this summer.\u201d<\/p>\n The mayor became aware of the grant opportunity because of her participation in the inaugural Active People, Healthy Nation Champions Institute, sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Smart Growth America.<\/p>\n \u201cWe hope to work closely with the state DOT on this along with other regional stakeholders, to look at ways to make our community easier to transit for everyone, whether you walk, bike, use an accessibility device or drive,\u201d Jacobs Wilke said.<\/p>\n \u2018Active\u2019 state plan being developed<\/p>\n Savage said that an updated bicycle master plan for the state, now in development, would also improve safety and tourism. The state DOT is developing a strategic plan to improve walking, bicycling, using micromobility (which includes scooters ), or using wheelchairs throughout the state.<\/p>\n The Active Transportation Strategic Plan<\/a> will provide direction and guidance for active transportation investments. \u201cActive transportation\u201d requires quality facilities so people can move around safely and efficiently. These include sidewalks, road crossings, bike lanes, shared lanes, shared-use paths and rail trails.<\/p>\n The draft plan is scheduled to be released this year.<\/p>\n Savage would like to see the state in the top 10 of the League of American Bicyclists ranking.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s preventing us from getting some bike tourism. If we had that, we could add more capacity for us to engage in bike tourism, which is obviously impactful in your neck of the woods in particular.\u201d<\/p>\n Bicycle safety is a two-way street, and Savage noted that NYBC also focuses on education for cyclists.<\/p>\n \u201cWe do a lot of cycling education and NYBC has materials available<\/a> online,\u201d she said. \u201cWe can also send materials to bike clubs for example, if they are going to do a bike gathering and they want to share information on how to ride safely.\u201d<\/p>\n In business with bikes<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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