Fort Worth City Council adopts Safe Passing Ordinance

by Bernie Scheffler of Fortworthology

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Fort Worth joins Austin, Beaumont, Edinburg, El Paso, Helotes, New Braunfels, and San Antonio on the list of Texas cities that have taken this step.

Last night Fort Worth became the eighth Texas city to adopt the Safe Passing Ordinance, which requires motorists to leave at least three feet of room when passing vulnerable road users in the same lane. The class of “vulnerable road users” includes cyclists, pedestrians, stranded motorists, agricultural users, tow truck drivers, construction workers, and others.

The ordinance is pretty much identical to the statewide Safe Passing Bill, which was passed by the Texas legislature in the 2009 session but was then vetoed by Governor Perry. Given the widespread support the bill had gained, the Governor’s veto was both shocking and discouraging.

Thankfully, instead of giving up, the Texas Bicycle Coalition began working on a strategy to get the law passed as an ordinance in as many cities as possible, to keep the pressure on for statewide protection. Many other states, including our neighbors in Louisiana, have already adopted Safe Passing bills.

With the City Council’s unanimous vote in favor last night, Fort Worth joins Austin, Beaumont, Edinburg, El Paso, Helotes, New Braunfels, and San Antonio on the list of Texas cities that have taken this step to protect the safety of vulnerable road users.

Pegasus News Content partner - Fortworthology