Governor Jerry Brown of California has until Sept. 30th to sign or veto bills passed by the CA Legislature or to let them become laws without his signature. One of the bills that made it to his desk is SB1464, which would provide bicycle riders with a 3-foot buffer from passing motorists ("Give Me 3") The bill's author has put the word out today that the Governor intends to veto the bill
The rationale for the Governor's veto is completely off-the-wall, a late hit out of bounds. The Governor vetoed last year's version of the bill in much the same way.
Meanwhile, the Governor is begging Californians to vote yes on his Proposition 30, a mess of an income tax/sales tax bill that is the lynchpin of the current fiscal year's budget. If the Governor cannot convince people to vote for his Proposition, massive budget cuts above and beyond the Draconian cuts already in place via this year's budget will have to be imposed. To avoid horrible budget cuts, the Governor really, really wants more money from folks like me.
As a cyclist who has been on the wrong side of too many unsafe motor vehicle passes, I think the proposed 3 foot buffer is a good thing. Cyclists will obviously be better off with a safe passing law than without one. It won't harm motorists to slow down a bit when they pass bike riders and it will be helpful for them to learn that safe passing is the law. Safe passing laws have worked well in the 20 or so other states that already have them.
Hey, Governor Brown, you clearly value what's in my wallet. But another veto of the safe passing bill means to me that you don't care about my safety when I ride a bike. You want my money but you don't care about my life? Then why should I vote for your pet initiative?
And next time the Safe Passing Bill comes around in a Legislative Session, maybe the bill should press for 4 feet instead of just 3 feet. How would you like that, Jerry?