ALLENTOWN, Pa. – Two Democratic state senators were in Allentown Tuesday morning, promoting new legislation trying to make the streets safer. They spoke at the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission meeting.
One of those bills was written after a young girl lost her life last year.
Senate Bill 824 would allow PennDOT to add bike lanes to state roads, and Senate Bill 1008 would add new state regulations for e-scooters.
Lehigh Valley state Sen. Nick Miller said these laws have come about in part due to an increase in crashes and deaths of pedestrians, bikers, and people on scooters or e-bikes.
Senate Bill 824 tries to make the roads safer by allowing PennDOT to add bike lanes to roadways in the future. The idea would be to move parked cars out from the curb and put a bike lane in between.
The other bill is known as Abby’s Law. It was named for a girl who lost her life on an e-scooter last year in Delaware County.
“On June 14th, Abby and her close friend Bella Jones, were thrown from a single electric scooter into oncoming traffic as they entered the road from the sidewalk. Those girls were hospitalized, and Abby later passed away due to her injuries,” said Sen. Tim Kearney (D), 26th District.
“Abby’s Law would set the rules for e-scooters, and those rules right now are you need to be 16 to ride. If you’re 16 or 17, helmet use is mandatory. Only one person can ride a scooter at a time.”
At the meeting, attendees heard from PennDOT representatives and organizations like the Coalition for Active Mobility in Pennsylvania, giving their input on what they’d like to see included in these bills.
Both bills have been referred to the transportation committee in the State Senate and are now waiting for a hearing.