GOP Lawmaker Wants Permits For Bike Lanes

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A Minnesota lawmaker is suggesting that bicyclists be required to undergo safety training and get a special permit to use dedicated traffic lanes, an idea that quickly drew scorn from cyclists who called the idea misguided.

Rep. Duane Quam, a Republican from Byron, said he wasn't out to make life difficult for bikers. Quam said he was simply worried that a lack of education about biking laws was making riders unsafe.

"Let's do it when we have the time to give due diligence and have full input and discussion on it," Quam said. "There are times when something tragic happens and that is the impetus to 'Now we have to do something quickly' and you spend the next year fixing the unintended consequences."

After Quam's idea surfaced on social media Thursday, it drew a quick backlash on social media, with many Twitter users calling it pointless overregulation.

Ethan Fawley, executive director of the Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition, said Quam's legislation would do nothing but make riding more cumbersome.

"Obviously, I think that people who bicycle in urban areas around the state are feeling upset, misunderstood and confused by the proposal," he said. "(It) isn't solving any particular problem that anyone knows about."

Much like obtaining a driver's license, bicyclists would be required to attend an educational program and pass an exam while riders under 15 years old would be banned from using bike lanes.

Quam said he looked to motorcycle law as a basis for the rules, he said, and tailored them to better fit cyclists' needs. Quam said he is willing to compromise on the bill and would be amenable to add provisions to allow children to ride with their permitted parents, waive the $5 permit fee for low-income riders and accept testing that is done through schools.

But bicycle advocates said there are already robust biker education programs taking place in schools and driver's education classes.

Dorian Grilley, executive director of the Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota, said the group collaborates with schools to teach young drivers how to share the road. Years ago, students used to be taught safety tips in school, he said, but those programs were scrapped after funding was cut. Programs are slowly being reintroduced into schools, he said.

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