Help Me Oppose the Scooter Assault on Bicycles

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Carey Rogers

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Mar 9, 2019, 5:01:16 PM3/9/19

to Walking and Biking Nashville Group, wbn-advocacy-...@googlegroups.com, East Nashville Cycle Group, east-nashville-walk...@googlegroups.com, TNBikeA...@googlegroups.com

Senate Bill 1107 and House Bill 1220 in the Tennessee General Assembly establish a definition and legal rights for “electric foot scooters” in state law. The bill was proposed by scooter companies such as Lime, Bird, Spin and Lyft. They have money and hired some very influential lobbyists. They are amending existing laws about bicycles and electric bicycles to accomplish their purpose. See my talking points for a more complete explanation.

I am opposed to any changes to bike laws that have existed since 1955. Scooters are not bicycles and this will only cause confusion and possibly subject bicycles to unintended legal ramifications. We want this bill to be rewritten so the current bike law remains unchanged.

I’m sending this to every bicycle advocate I know and hope you will join me in opposing this legislation and also encourage others to do the same. City governments are concerned about their ability to regulate scooters but we don’t want them regulating bicycles. People for Bikes, the advocacy group for the bicycle industry, is also opposed to the legislation. They were responsible for passage of the current electric bike law.

Read the talking points and communicate your opposition.

1. Contact your state Representative and state Senator

2. Contact your Mayor and City Council Member

3. Distribute this to every bicycle rider, bike club and bike shop you know

4. Ask Bike Walk Tennessee, local BWT chapters and Walk Bike Nashville to vigorously oppose this bill until it is amended

If they rewrite the bill in response to our criticisms (and the devil is in the details) then we should no longer oppose the bill.

The lobbyists for scooter companies and city governments will be negotiating in the back rooms of the legislature in the next two weeks. They will cut a deal and that is probably what will pass. Speak up now.

Carey Rogers

Nashville

carey...@comcast.net

Feel free to contact me if you have questions.

Some of you will get this twice (or more). Sorry about that. Yes the subject line is a little dramatic. So what?