The Cyclists' Bill of Rights

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The Cyclist's Bill of Rights (CBR) is a document which attempts to summarize the fundamental rights of cyclists. The document focuses on rights that are typically overlooked or ignored and rights related to infrastructure, while reasserting civil rights which cyclists are often denied. It was written by the Bike Writers Collective (BWC), a Los Angeles Metro Area based bike activist collective.

Contents

The Document

The first public draft of the Cyclist's Bill of Rights was first presented to the public during a meeting of the Los Angeles Bicycle Advisory Committee on February 5th, 2008. It was primarily authored by Mikey Wally, Stephen Box, and Alex Thompson, with substantial input from other members of the Bike Writers Collective. This is its text:


CYCLISTS' BILL OF RIGHTS

WHEREAS, cyclists have the right to ride the streets of our communities and this right is formally articulated in the California Vehicle Code; and

WHEREAS, cyclists are considered to be the “indicator species” of a healthy community; and

WHEREAS, cyclists are both environmental and traffic congestion solutions; and

WHEREAS, cyclists are, first and foremost, people - with all of the rights and privileges that come from being members of this great society; and

NOW, THEREFORE, WE THE CYCLING COMMUNITY, do hereby claim the following rights:

1) Cyclists have the right to travel safely and free of fear.

2) Cyclists have the right to equal access to our public streets and to sufficient and significant road space.

3) Cyclists have the right to the full support of educated law enforcement.

4) Cyclists have the right to the full support of our judicial system and the right to expect that those who endanger, injure or kill cyclists be dealt with to the full extent of the law.

5) Cyclists have the right to routine accommodations in all roadway projects and improvements.

6) Cyclists have the right to urban and roadway planning, development and design that enable and support safe cycling.

7) Cyclists have the right to traffic signals, signage and maintenance standards that enable and support safe cycling.

8) Cyclists have the right to be actively engaged as a constituent group in the organization and administration of our communities.

9) Cyclists have the right to full access for themselves and their bicycles on all mass transit with no limitations.

10) Cyclists have the right to end-of-trip amenities that include safe and secure opportunities to park their bicycles.

11) Cyclists have the right to be secure in their persons and property, and be free from unreasonable search and seizure, as guaranteed by the 4th Amendment.

12) Cyclists have the right to peaceably assemble in the public space, as guaranteed by the 1st Amendment.

And further, we claim and assert these rights by taking to the streets and riding our bicycles, all in an expression of our inalienable right to ride!

To download the Cyclists' Bill of Rights and to distribute, go to [1]

History

The Cyclists' Bill of Rights is the most ambitious and successful project of the Bike Writers Collective. As of July 11th, 2008, it has been endorsed by three neighborhood councils in Los Angeles, and LA City Councilman Bill Rosendahl has submitted a motion to the LA City Council to endorse the document, following the Mandeville Canyon Road Rage Assault.

Conception and creation

Stephen Box introduced the notion of a CBR in January 2007 when he and Enci Box began organizing the Bike Writers Collective. At the first meeting of the BWC, activists were enthusiastic about the concept, and felt that such a document could easily be integrated into many other campaigns. Then called the Bicycle Bill of Rights, the document was conceived as a vehicle for rallying cyclists and coherently expressing cyclists' needs.

The members of the Bike Writers Collective, primarily Alex Thompson, Mikey Wally, and Stephen Box, then scrambled to cobble together a document. Simultaneously they initiated a campaign of blog posts and Midnight Ridazz forum discussions to explain the value and intent of a Cyclists' Bill of Rights.

The first public draft of the document was presented by Mikey Wally to the Los Angeles Bicycle Advisory Committee on February 5th, 2008.

After the announcement and reading of the CBR, the BWC went on a blogging campaign to inform the cycling public about the document. When this campaign died down, mention of the CBR vanished, except for the occasional mention in a blog entry describing an injustice cyclists.

Early neighborhood council endorsement

On March 17th, St. Patrick's Day, the East Hollywood Neighborhood Council (EHNC) considered endorsing the CBR. The EHNC debated amending the document briefly, and heard the opinions of the seven members of the BWC present. The EHNC then endorsed the CBR by a unanimous voice vote. A brief publicity blitz followed in which articles praising the EHNC appeared on LAist, CICLE, and BWC member blogs.

The document then fell out of the public eye for sometime. During that time the BWC members, Stephen and Enci most of all, promoted the document quietly in the underground cycling scene and amongst neighborhood councilpersons.

In June, Erik Knutzen, of the BWC and Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, presented a motion to the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council to endorse the CBR. The committee approved the motion. Then, on July 1st, the council endorsed the CBR with a 16-1 vote, with BWC members and the EHNC president and vice president speaking in support. Spencer Strauss was the only naysayer, disagreeing with the eighth right, which codifies the right of cyclists to be engaged as a constituency.

Nine days later the Atwater Village Neighborhood Council endorsed the CBR by a vote of 10-2, again with the usual BWC presence. Lenore Solis and Luis Lopez dissented.

Mandeville Canyon assault and Rosendahl's initiative on behalf of the CBR

On July 4th, 2008, two cyclists participating in the Holiday Ride, a regular roadie ride, were seriously injured when they were assaulted by a motorist. The two cyclists, who were descending Mandeville Canyon Road at approximately 30mph, were confronted by an aggressive motorist who cursed at them for taking the lane. When the cyclists argued back, he passed them, swerved onto the shoulder and slammed on his brakes, causing both cyclists to go flying. One smashed into his rear window (nearly losing his nose), while the other broke his collarbone.

Afterwards community outcry was explosive. The story broke in LAist, followed by local TV stations, and finally the LA Times. In an interview on local network news, and later in the Times, LA City Councilman Bill Rosendahl, whose district includes the assault location, asserted that a bicyclists bill of rights was needed. The topic came again in the LA City Council Transportation Committee meeting five days later. Rosendahl, who is on the committee, again asserted that he supported the document, and went on to indicate that the council should take a look at it. On Friday, July 12th, Rosendahl, together with Councilwoman Wendy Greuel and Eric Garcetti submitted a motion in support of the CBR, which finishes:

I THEREFORE MOVE that the City Council hereby affirms and supports efforts to promote improved conditions for cyclists, and encourages appreciation for the "Cyclists' Bill of Rights."

I FURTHER MOVE that the Department of Transportation, the Planning Department, the Department of Public Works, and the Los Angeles Bicycle Advisory Committee, in consultation with the City Attorney and the Police Department, be directed to report with recommendations on how to incorporate the principles enshrined in the "Cyclists' Bill of Rights" into the City of Los Angeles Bicycle Master Plan and other relevant documents and practices.

The rights

Each of the rights was added to the document after careful consideration about the nature of challenges cyclists face, and appropriate ways of phrasing cyclists rights succinctly and accurately.

1) Safety and Security

2) Access

3) Law Enforcement

4) Judicial System

5) Routine Accomodations

6) Planning

7) Signals, Signage, and Maintenance

8) Community Role

9) Transit Accommodation

10) End-of-trip Amenities

11) 4th Amendment Rights

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrents shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

12) 1st Amendment Rights

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exersise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. (Ratified December, 1791.)

References and External Sources

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