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karen · Easyrider Joined: 23 Jan 2009 Posts: 55

New York Freedom Riders New York Legislation and news -2/26/10

NEW YORK UPDATES:
Motorcycle, helmet, gang, rights: no updates
[NOTE: Senate Committee agendas have not been posted.]

NY NEWS:

N.Y. Gov. David Paterson Ends Election Campaign
Embattled Paterson Bows to Pressure, Clears Way for Attorney General Cuomo By DEVIN DWYER and RICK KLEIN Feb. 26, 2010

New York Gov. David Paterson said today he will end his election campaign -- just weeks after saying that he would only leave office if voters threw him out at the polls or he's carried out "in a box."

Full story: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/ny-gov-david-paterson-ends-campaign-full-term/story?id=9811780
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Rep. Michael McMahon's message to Gov. David Paterson: Resign By Tom Wrobleski February 26, 2010, 4:28PM

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Rep. Michael McMahon (D-Staten Island/Brooklyn) today called upon scandal-plagued Gov. David Paterson to resign from office and hand off to Lt. Gov. Richard Ravitch, a veteran of city and state government.

Full story: http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2010/02/rep_michael_mcmahons_message_t.html
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Senator Stachowski Forum/Town Hall: Virtual Budget Town Hall Meeting 2/25/10: http://www.nysenate.gov/event/2010/feb/25/virtual-budget-town-hall

Video:
http://www.nysenate.gov/video/2010/feb/26/virtual-budget-town-hall
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From NYC Motorcycle Advocacy Group: http://nycmag.org/

Council Member Jessica Lappin has introduced into NYC Council Int. No. 46: requiring the Department of Transportation to create a plan for parking motorcycles. Though this is a great start, we do not believe that motorcyclists should have to pay for a "lockable box" to insert and display our Muni-meter receipt.

Int. No. 46

By Council Members Lappin, Brewer, Gennaro, James, Koppell, Lander and Nelson

A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to requiring the department of transportation to create a plan for parking motorcycles.

Be it enacted by the Council as follows:
Section 1. Legislative findings and intent. Persons cannot park motor vehicles in areas controlled by muni-meters without first purchasing the amount of parking time desired from the meter, and displaying a payment receipt in the vehicle windshield if such requirement is indicated. The Council finds that persons parking motorcycles have little to no means of securing such payment receipt on the vehicle for display. Thus, payment receipts for motorcycles are often lost, damaged or stolen. This bill would address this problem by requiring the Department of Transportation to create a plan to address motorcycle parking in areas controlled by muni-meters.
§2. Subchapter two of chapter one of title nineteen of the administrative code of the city of New York is amended by adding a new section 19-175.4 to read as follows:
§ 19-175.4 Plan for street parking of motorcycles in areas controlled by municipal meters. a. Definitions. For the purposes of this section, the following terms shall be defined as follows:
1. "Motorcycle" shall have the same meaning as defined in section 123 of the New York state vehicle and traffic law.
2. "Muni-meter" shall have the same meaning as defined in section 19-167.1 of the code.
b. The department shall make muni-meter payment receipt holders equipped with locks that can be fastened securely to motorcycles available to motorists for cost . c. No later than one hundred twenty days after the effective date of the local law that added this section, the department shall create and implement a plan for motorcycle parking in areas controlled by muni-meters. Such plan shall include, but not be limited to, developing a method to secure muni-meter receipts on motorcycles
§3. This local law shall take effect sixty days upon enactment.

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UPDATES:

Arizona
2/25/10

HB2475 went through the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee today. It passed 7-0 This bill has basically four(4) conditions that are important. They are: • Allow Lane splitting only when traffic is stopped.
• Establishes a start date of Jan. 1, 2011 in order to allow education.
• Places a one year sunset on splitting to be able to see the results
• Allow Lane Splitting in Maricopa County only to begin with.
The biggest factor on this bill is SAFETY and to try and reduce the number of rear end accidents. DPS is behind and support of this bill along with AAA.

This bill still has a long way to go and needs to get out of the House before going to the Senate. Thank you,

Mick Degn
Designated Lobbyist
Modified Motorcycle Association of Arizona(MMA) Lobbyist@mma-az.org 602=312-4554 C 520-509-1358 F
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http://www.abate-il.org/
ABATE of Illinois

24-FEB-2010
HB5029 (ATV / dirt bike limits) and HB5031 (helmet mandate) were not called at the hearings at which they were scheduled today. Because HB5029 contains an unfunded mandate requiring schools to add ATV / dirt bike issues to their curriculum, that bill was referred to the “Mandates” subcommittee. There was no explanation why HB5031 was not called.

It should be noted that many people took time off work and traveled considerable distances to attend these hearings. Those people filed their witness slips on the two bills. Those slips will stay with the bills and should be considered when and if the bills are ever called.

George Tinkham
A.B.A.T.E. State Legislative Coordinator
"Helping Democracy Work"
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http://www.massmotorcycle.org/content.aspx?page_id=5&club_id=769540&item_id=12331

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MMA Members win fight for their rights and yours in Sterling Monday, 22 February 2010

The Massachusetts Motorcycle Association (MMA) reported to its membership that “Motorcycle Only” checkpoints were initiated in the small Town of Sterling, MA last July 15th stopping any and all Motorcycles without probable cause for “safety checks”. These stops resulted in numerous citations issued for a range of violations including nonfunctioning lights, tire tread depth, helmets and exhaust systems. In October, 15 of those riders stood up for their rights and yours in front of a Magistrate and today, 4 more riders went before a MA District Court Judge and were found “Not Responsible” for all 6 charges.

The Sterling Police Department was joined by the Princeton Police Department and the RMV enforcement division out of Worcester and stopped all Motorcycles travelling at junction of Routes 140 and 62 for a “Safety Inspection”. Numerous Citations were issued, the majority of which were for after-market exhaust systems and non-DOT labeled helmets.

Appearing before Clinton District Court Judge Brennan, 4 MMA Members who did not have their cases dismissed during the October Magistrate Hearings were accompanied by MMA Gold Card Member, Attorney Paul Lancia. Mr. Lancia, working closely with the MMA agreed to represent these riders as a courtesy to the MMA in consideration for their time and lost wages in fighting these unjust citations. Today’s hearings consisted of Police Testimony, Testimony from the Riders, and Legal Arguments by Counsel and the Police. The MMA has collected much data and prior testimony from cases over the years, especially those concerning the Massachusetts General Law pertaining to Motorcycle Exhaust and Helmets.

Most of the testimony presented by Mr. Lancia and the riders centered on the fact that no sound test was done at the “Safety Check” to identify whether the exhaust was compliant with Massachusetts General Law, and no effort was made to determine if the exhaust was indeed modified beyond having been replaced. Regarding helmets, no effort was made to determine if the helmet was indeed legally compliant beyond checking if a DOT sticker was present.

Weighing all of the testimony, Judge Brennan issued “Not Responsible” findings on all citations.

Since all hearings are heard sequentially, time did not allow for all riders to be heard, and more hearings are scheduled for next Monday.

For More Information, see http://www.massmotorcycle.org or contact Chairman@MassMotorcycle.org
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http://www.mecalm.org/
ME- LD1675 noise MECALM update
MECALM- Maine Citizens Against Loud Motorcycles

TANSPORTATION COMMITTEE STARTS NOISE CRACKDOWN WITH VISIBLE INSPECTION STICKERS FOR MAINE BIKES; ORDERS STUDY OF OTHER NOISE MEASURES

The Maine legislature's Transportation Committee voted February 19, 2010 to require all motorcycles to carry a visible inspection sticker on the left front fork, a move aimed at the 38% of registered bikes that go uninspected each year. It also adopted a proposal by Maine State Police Lt. Chris Groton to form a task force to study further noise abatement measures such as roadside decibel testing and the EPA matching label ordinance and report back to the committee by January 15, 2011. Maine Citizens Against Loud Motorcycles (MECALM) looks foward to participating in the task force. The measure now goes to the Senate and House for approval. It's likely the visible sticker requirement would take effect in 2011. MECALM and others contend that many of the 20,000 uninspected bikes have illegally missing or altered mufflers that produce excessive noise.
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Tennessee
HB2551/ SB2649

Motor Vehicles - As introduced, adds motorcycles to lemon laws regarding warranty protections. - Amends TCA Title 55, Chapter 24, Part 1.

Actions Taken on HB2551
02/25/2010: Placed on Consent Calendar for 3/1/2010

Actions Taken on SB2649
02/25/2010: Passed S., Ayes 31, Nays 0
02/25/2010: Engrossed; ready for transmission to House
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Utah
http://le.utah.gov/~2010/htmdoc/sbillhtm/SB0105S01.htm

S.B. 106 Substitute
Motor Vehicle Noise Emission Standards -- Jones, P.

This bill is a substitute bill. The bill that was substituted is S.B. 105

Bill Status/Votes
Last Action: 25 February 2010, Senate/ received fiscal note from Fiscal Analyst
Last Location: House Transportation Committee
Bill Status/Votes Last Updated: 25 February 2010, 5:13 PM

Fiscal Note: http://le.utah.gov/lfa/fnotes/2010/sb0105s01.fn.htm

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NEW REPORTS: http://144.171.11.107/Highways1/Blurbs/TRBs_Website_is_the_New_Home_for_TRIS_163029.aspx

TRB’s Website is the New Home for TRIS
Last Modified Date: 2/24/2010

The Transportation Research Information Services (TRIS) database, formally housed on the National Transportation Library’s website, is now accessible through the Transportation Research Board’s website. TRIS is the largest database of published transportation research, containing some 650,000 records of journal articles, conference papers, technical reports, and books on all modes and disciplines of transportation. More than 50,000 of the records in TRIS provide links to the full-text documents.

With funding from the state departments of transportation, the component administrations of the U.S. Department of Transportation, and other sponsors of TRB, the TRIS Database has become the largest and most comprehensive resource for published transportation research. As part of the website change, the National Transportation Library is developing an information portal that will include access to TRIS and other transportation information resources. TRIS offers flexibility in searching. It includes both simple and advanced query screens and offers browsing of recent publications by mode.

TRIS allows users to print, download, e-mail, or share search results. TRIS also offers users the ability to subscribe to RSS (really simple syndication) feeds to get the latest publications on a specific topic and to submit publications for indexing.

TRIS does not contain the international records from the International Transport Research Document (ITRD) Database. TRISWorld, which is available to TRB sponsors, combines TRIS and an additional 113,000 records of international transportation research publications from the ITRD Database.

TRIS: http://tris.trb.org/
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www.totallymotor.co.uk/news/who-goes-there-car-visibility-getting-worse-$1361990.htm

Who goes there? Car visibility getting worse
Tuesday, 23 Feb 2010 14:48

Motorists are not only battling with snow and ice impairing their visibility, as research reveals the cars themselves are hindering their view.

Which? Car magazine carried out a survey and found that all-round visibility is generally worse than 15 years ago.

This is often because car roof and door pillars have been strengthened and become bigger as a consequence.

"It's vital to make sure a car protects its occupants in a crash, but accident research - and common sense - suggest that crashes are more likely if visibility is reduced," commented Which? Car editor Richard Headland.

Poor visibility puts vulnerable road users such as cyclists and motorcyclists at particular risk, he added.

Top of the magazine's survey for visibility was the Smart ForTwo Coupe, while the Porsche Boxster scored the worst.

Which? Car is calling for manufacturers to ensure a balance between crash safety and visibility when designing vehicles.

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