In before teh lockdown!
It ain't just the Dimmys. Texas Senator John Carona (R) has offered a Trojan Horse lane splitting bill... catch is that a rider splitting lanes must wear a helmet.
81R4578 JAM-D
S.B. No. 506 By: Carona
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT relating to the operation and movement of motorcycles during periods of traffic congestion.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: SECTION 1. Section 545.060, Transportation Code, is amended
by amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsection (e) to read as follows:
(a) An operator on a roadway divided into two or more clearly marked lanes for traffic:
(1) shall drive as nearly as practical entirely within a single lane, except as provided by Subsection (e); and
(2) may not move from the lane unless that movement can be made safely.
(e)
The operator of a motorcycle may operate the motorcycle for a safe distance between lanes of traffic moving in the same direction during periods of traffic congestion if:
(1)
notwithstanding Section 661.003(c), the operator and any passenger wear protective headgear that meets the safety standards adopted by the department; and
(2) the operator operates the motorcycle:
(A) at a speed not more than five miles per hour greater than the speed of the other traffic;
(B) in traffic that is moving at a speed of 20 miles per hour or less; and
(C) in a location other than a school crossing zone or a location where the posted speed limit is 20 miles per hour or less.
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2009.
Hope it gets batted down again; the author of said bill has recently started beating the drum for mandatory helmet use in Texas. This latest effort is nothing more than an attempt to get the nose of the donkey in the door... and the whole a$$ will be right behind.
