SB 70 remains absent from the Senate Transportation Committee agenda. We’re monitoring – waiting for just the right moment to contact the members of the committee.
By Jessica Giard, SDBC Board Secretary
When I think of the need for a 3-foot law, I think of South Dakota’s rural roads. These roads are what make this state great for long-distance bicycling and touring by bicycle. Scenery is unmatched. And, as a cyclist, you experience that unmatched scenery unlike you would in a vehicle. And, that, I think, is a huge magnet for bicycle tourists.
BUT these rural roads tend to have little to no shoulder, and cyclists are likely to share the road with motorists unaccustomed to safely sharing the road. These may even be the type to honk at you for using the road (if not more egregious acts), but wouldn’t think twice of a pedestrian walking on the side of the road.
Living in Chamberlain, one road that fits this bill is Highway 50 heading north out of Chamberlain. I’ve driven it, and I’ve cycled it. Some of you have, too. Following the Missouri River, the scenery is both amazing & challenging.
I have been told I’m crazy for bicycling that road. Maybe I am, especially considering the non-existent shoulder, the heavy spring & summer recreational traffic (RVs and trailered boats) and people driving the hills & curves too fast.
But, here’s the thing. Roads like Highway 50 – which connect South Dakota’s rural communities – are exactly why a 3-foot law should be considered. These are the roads that carry bicycle tourists across the state. These are roads that the pockets of communities of bicyclists in South Dakota’s communities use for riding.
Until all the highways in South Dakota are built with wide shoulders and lanes meant for sharing, a 3-foot law will serve as a standard, objective measure to keep cyclists and motorists safely sharing the road.
The existing law does not provide a solid enough measure of what safe passing of a cyclist is. By standardizing 3 feet – which some say isn’t enough – is a start to support a campaign to safely share the road with South Dakota’s growing bicycling community.
