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Bill to Require New-Road Bike Lanes Dead Expense Cited As Reason for Rejection

Posted on: Friday, 18 March 2005, 03:00 CST

A bill that would require the state to build bike lanes has hit a roadblock.

State Rep. Randy Johnson, R-Celebration, chairman of the Growth Management Committee, said Wednesday that he would not put a bill sponsored by Rep. Anne Gannon, D-Delray Beach, on his committee's agenda, effectively killing it. Gannon's bill would have required the state Department of Transportation to include bike paths when it plans new construction. The law now says the department must only consider including bike lanes in road projects.

"While her heart's in the right place, it's very expensive," Johnson said. "If there was some way to do it and not make it a requirement, I'd hear the bill. Unfortunately we've already done that."

Johnson said the legislature already has discussed making bike lanes a requirement. He chaired the committee that changed the law in 2000 to require the department to consider bike lanes. It would cost millions to add bike lanes to every new road, taking into account engineering, grading, asphalt and other costs, he said.

Support for a stronger bike-lane law stemmed from the battle to add bike lanes to State Road A1A in Delray Beach, where homeowners feared more traffic and a loss of landscaping, and businesses feared losing parking spots. Transportation officials have not yet decided whether to build the bike lanes there.

Gannon and local bicycling advocates hoped more bike lanes would promote exercise, countering the national obesity crisis.

"It's obviously a pretty progressive piece of legislation," said Randy Scheid, president and founder of the Palm Beach County Safe Bicycling Coalition. "It puts the impetus on the state to make bike lanes happen on state roads. Obviously everyone has been very excited about it. We want to see it go through."

Gannon, who rides her bike for fun and exercise on A1A, has not given up hope.

"I'm working on it," she said, declining to elaborate.

Her office alerted bicycling advocacy groups to Johnson's opposition this week. The Palm Beach County Safe Bicycling Coalition quickly urged about 300 members to "bombard" Johnson's office with calls and e-mails.

He had received 635 e-mails and numerous calls by Wednesday. Johnson said he enjoyed talking to the bicyclists, who were "very nice and thoughtful."

"They've been doing a terrific job," Johnson said. "But I'm still not interested in hearing the bill."

meghan_meyer@pbpost.com

Source: Palm Beach Post

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