Motorists must give 3ft to bikes in Maryland

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By Kirsten Robbins | Tuesday, Feb 16, 2010 10.00pm

Motorists are now required to leave at least 3ft of space when passing cyclists on streets in the US state of Maryland.

The state’s senate approved House Bill 461 last week and motorists in violation will be fined a maximum $500 misdemeanor charge.

The Bill requires that drivers, when overtaking a bicycle, an Electric Personal Assistive Mobility Device (EPAMD) or a motor scooter, must pass safely at a specified distance, except under specified circumstances.

It also requires motorists to yield the right-of-way to a person who is riding a bicycle, an EPAMD or a motor scooter in a bike lane or shoulder under specified circumstances. A House of Delegates committee will review the conditions of the new measure this week.

“Delegate Jon Cardin has been one of the main drivers behind this very important bike safety rule,” said Bill Kelly, chairman of the College Park Area Bike Coalition in Ellicott City, MD.

“The House Bill 461 was needed to make and keep cyclists safer on our busy roadways [and] also, to encourage folks to ride their bikes sometimes and not their autos to benefit all of us. There are five or six related Bike Safety Bills in this session.”

College Park Area Bike Coalition (CPABA) is a group that is devoted to bicycle advocacy, education and safety, and it backed the new piece of legislation.

“The 3ft bike clearance was requested several years ago and was a composite of many approaches to keeping cyclists safer when they biked on the roadways,” Kelly said.

“Some autos and motorists seemed to want to play chicken with bikes to see how close to the handlebars they could come and scared the cyclist into not riding on the road which is their right because bikes are a legal vehicle in all 50 states. Without a stated Three Foot Bike Clearance Law the police could not charge the errant motorist.”

This is not the first time the Maryland Senate has reviewed a bill to protect cyclists. In 2008 a similar version, House Bill 143, was also designed to force motorists to provide 3ft of space when passing cyclists and to yield to cyclists riding in a bike lane at intersections. However, it did not pass.

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User Comments

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  • Good news for MD!

    Here's a site listing all the states who currently have adopted legislation for a 3 foot safe distance and others that are pending approval.

    http://www.bikingbis.com/blog/_archives/2008/3/5/3549263.html

  • all good, but yet again we keep hearing of laws being passed, upheld and serious punishments being given in other countries and not the UK. One tip that seems to work is to attach lights to end of the handlebars or at the elbows, this gives a true picture of how wide you are rather than a narrow strip of lights in the centre. I particularly find drivers more cautious when the light is dancing around on the end of a cord.

  • Dear Bike Radar,

    Unfortunately, your information is not quite correct. Here in Maryland, there is _no law_ yet requiring three feet of passing distance. But there are people working hard right now to try to get one. In our screwy system, the Senate is only one voice of the state legislature. Both the House of Delegates and the state Senate must pass identical versions of the bill, and then the governmor must sign it, before the bill becomes law. So far, only the Senate has passed its version. Next, the Environmental Matters Committee must report the bill favorably. The committee held a hearing on the bill yesterday, but it is not known if they will report the bill favorably. If that does occur, then it would go to the full House for a vote. Let's hope Maryland joins the 14 other U.S. states and the District of Columbia, which already require at least three feet of passing distance when motorists are passing bicyclists.

    All the best,

    Greg Simmons

    Juris Doctor Candidate, 2011, University of Maryland School of Law

    President, School of Law Cycling Club

  • Go greg, it's your birthday, .... party like it's your birthday.... ahem, sterling work BR, yet again... still it's certainly a nice thing to know if it does eventually come into force...

  • Minnesota has had this law for at least 5 or 6 years. Most of the police don't even know about it much less enforce it.

    When I have asked officers about whether they are aware of the 3 foot law and if they are do you enforce it, they just smile or laugh.

  • Thanks for that helpful explanation, Greg. I run across news articles all the time that say something got passed by the house or the senate and they never explain whether it;s now law or it still has hurdles to cross and when the next thing is.

    I'm a Maryland resident and I would like to know what I can do to help this law get passed. I suppose I can write my Congress critter but after that, any ideas?

    Thanks

    c

  • dear commutergirl,

    There are a few things that you can do. Email me at gsimm002@umaryland.edu and we can chat further.

    Best,

    Greg

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