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Wednesday, Feb 8, 2012 - Posted by Rich Miller

Illinois Wants Ban On Texting While Biking

Lawmakers Say Problem Growing, Needs To Be Illegal

Texting while bicycling? Apparently it’s a problem in Illinois, and one lawmakers want to make illegal.

State Rep. Kelly Cassidy, D-Chicago, has filed legislation that would prohibit bicyclists from texting while on the road, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

* So, “Illinois” doesn’t necessarily want to ban texting while biking. It’s just a bill introduced by a state Rep. ten days ago. The legislation has no co-sponsors as of this writing, so I’m not sure where they got the idea that “Lawmakers” are saying the problem is growing.

* This topic is one of my biggest pet peeves about Statehouse news coverage - and not just in Illinois. Somebody introduces a bill, often an incredibly goofy bill (although I’m not saying that Cassidy’s bill is goofy by any means) and then it generates big, hugely misleading headlines all over the place. Then the bill fails and everybody moves on like it never happened. Hey, I’m guilty of this myself. I try to avoid it, but I don’t always succeed.

* As it turns out, Cassidy’s bill passed the House Transportation Vehicles & Safety Committee this morning by a 5-4 vote. But the measure still has a very long way to go. It needs to survive a vote by the full House, then a Senate committee and then the full Senate. It could be amended numerous times along the way. Then it goes to the governor’s desk where it could be vetoed, AV’d or signed into law.

Cassidy’s bill might actually become a statute. I really have no idea, but neither did that silly headline writer five days ago.

* The first round of the “bills in committee” period is kind of like spring training. Hope springs eternal. Legislators, not unlike baseball coaches, are eager to turn their new prospects into shining stars. And we always see a bunch of news stories about those prospects, who are often never heard from again. It’s kinda fun to watch, but the games don’t really mean much in the end.

The House and Senate’s committee passage deadlines are both March 9th. So, try to keep all the above in mind until then. Thanks.

24 Comments

- Bill - Wednesday, Feb 8, 12 @ 11:58 am:
They also get to talk about the bills they sponsored in their state subsidized district newsletters. It makes it seem like they are really working.

- Dooley Dudright - Wednesday, Feb 8, 12 @ 12:22 pm:
OMG! NO TXT ON BIKE? LMAO!

- Just Observing - Wednesday, Feb 8, 12 @ 12:27 pm:
Just poor journalism.

- ArchPundit - Wednesday, Feb 8, 12 @ 12:40 pm:
Texting on a bike seems like a self-correcting problem.

- TCB - Wednesday, Feb 8, 12 @ 12:56 pm:
Ban it, absolutely. If I were a lawmaker I’d co-sponsor it.

Hell, I’d go a step further….I’d ban bicyclists from riding on the roads. If tax payers are paying millions of dollars a year for bike trails, then these people should be using them & not disrupting traffic on state/county roads.

- Dirty Red - Wednesday, Feb 8, 12 @ 1:02 pm:
Thanks for the analogy, Rich. Like we weren’t anxious enough for the REAL spring training to start.

- Frank - Wednesday, Feb 8, 12 @ 1:08 pm:
TCB,

I’d like to know what bike trail you expect someone like me to use to get to my job in the west loop? Or, do you expect someone to forgoe taking their bike and drive to work? I’m sure that will go over real well.

- titan - Wednesday, Feb 8, 12 @ 1:19 pm:
And if a Bill with that Bill Number does pass, it may bear no more resemblance otthe original Bill than a Cocker Spaniel to a Polar Bear

- wordslinger - Wednesday, Feb 8, 12 @ 1:22 pm:
Bill introduction stories are the worst.

- Dave Dahl - Wednesday, Feb 8, 12 @ 1:48 pm:
Watch, now the reporter will try to claim he or she doesn’t write the headlines.

- Anonymous - Wednesday, Feb 8, 12 @ 1:59 pm:
“- Just Observing - Wednesday, Feb 8, 12 @ 12:27 pm:

Just poor journalism. ”
Try ‘just poor legislation’ instead.

- Huh? - Wednesday, Feb 8, 12 @ 2:14 pm:
Distracted driving, biking and walking are problems. We have all read stories about people having crashes when they were texting/applying makeup/reading etc.

My reaction when I read Richs’ write up was “Oh god not again”. Don’t the legislators have enough to do by holding Madigan’s coat and going for his coffee?

- TCB - Wednesday, Feb 8, 12 @ 2:50 pm:
@Frank

I’m obviously a down-stater who totally overlooked the idea of people who use their bike to commute to work (I’d be pedaling for about an hour if I were to try something like that), my apologies for overlooking this group of cyclists.

I just get really tired of driving down a state highway & getting caught behind a pack of bicycles & not being able to pass them……I’ve always wondered why people are allowed to bike on the roads……if you cannot maintain the minimum speed limit required of vehicles, you shouldn’t be on the highway.

- Jaded - Wednesday, Feb 8, 12 @ 3:37 pm:
What if you’re texting while riding your bike over the speed limit in a camera protected school safety zone? That could actually result in prison time.

- Yellow Dog Democrat - Wednesday, Feb 8, 12 @ 3:57 pm:
Yeah, and not unlike spring training we see alot of batters swinging in pitches in the dirt.

Maybe I’m crazy, but i cant imagine that cycling while texting is a major concern in Rep Cassidy’s district. More likely, some wingnut who hates cyclists anyway saw someone bikin and texting and their head exploded, so they sent a rant her way.

I don’t blame her for introducing a bill even. But do you really want to put your reputation out there as a former prosecutor and lead the public to believe your top public safety issue is biking and texting?

This is how Joe Moore got famous.

But hey, maybe I’m wrong. Maybe the icyclists are running rampant in Andersonville.

*icycling, icyclist(s) and ibikers…copyright pending.

- Skeeter - Wednesday, Feb 8, 12 @ 3:59 pm:
I like Kelly, but this is a bit ridiculous. Are we really going to make a specific law against everything that might be distracting? People do stupid stuff. Welcome to real life.

How about this proposal:

“It is hereby illegal to do anything stupid or dangerous while operating any sort of vehicle or machinery or while moving in any manner, and that includes leaning back too far in chairs, so cut that out right now!” We can call it Skeeter’s Law and just be done with it.

- TCB - Wednesday, Feb 8, 12 @ 4:00 pm:
YDD wouldn’t they be e-cycling, e-cyclist(s) and e-bikers??? or is that only if they are surfing the net while biking?

- Soccertease - Wednesday, Feb 8, 12 @ 4:26 pm:
lol, nobody really does this, do they? Awe $%%# my chain just came off.

- LakeviewJ - Wednesday, Feb 8, 12 @ 4:45 pm:
It is a problem, one that the Chicago City Council addressed like six months ago when they banned it.

- wishbone - Wednesday, Feb 8, 12 @ 9:00 pm:
“Texting on a bike seems like a self-correcting problem.”

Amen.

- lincoln's beard - Wednesday, Feb 8, 12 @ 9:18 pm:
I can’t count the number of forwarded emails I get from my mom about the latest scary/harebrained/offensive thing “the government” plans to do. This kind of story is where that crap starts.

- zatoichi - Wednesday, Feb 8, 12 @ 10:13 pm:
Just today I stepped close to serious trouble when I had to handle a donut, a glass of milk, a newspaper, while walking down some stairs during a break. There needs to be a law about that.

- Yellow Dog Democrat - Wednesday, Feb 8, 12 @ 11:34 pm:
Thanks for the validation, guys.

I thought maybe it was just me.

I say we pass Skeeter’s Law and be done with it, so we can get on to more important things like naming the state reptile.

- TCB - Thursday, Feb 9, 12 @ 8:17 am:
=I say we pass Skeeter’s Law and be done with it, so we can get on to more important things like naming the state reptile.=

That’s easy…..the Cameleon, in honor of Blago.

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