Today was a big day for motorcyclists traveling in Oregon, as the Oregon Legislative Assembly has now passed Oregon Senate Bill 574, which allows lane-sharing under certain conditions on Oregonian highways.
On May 5th, the lane-sharing bill passed the Oregon Senate by a vote of 18 to 6; and now today (May 17th), the Oregon House of Representatives approved the bill with a vote of 42 to 14.
The lane-sharing bill now goes to Governor Kate Brown for signing, and if signed, it will go into effect later this year.
For those who don’t remember, SB 574 proposes legalizing lane sharing for motorcycles in Oregon when they are riding on a highway with a speed limit of 50 mph or higher; the flow of traffic is 10 mph or slower; and so long as the motorcyclist does not go faster than 10 mph than the traffic around them.
There are also a number of situations when lane sharing wouldn’t be allowed, like next to bicycles, in school zones, and through cross walks.
Of note, California has been practicing safe and legal motorcycle lane sharing for decades now, and the Golden State recently codified the practice. Still, the uptake of lane sharing in other jurisdictions in the United States has been slow.
This is despite strong research that the practice increases safety, helps reduce traffic load, and is better for the environment.
The passage of this law in Oregon is a big win for proponents to lane-sharing and lane-filtering, and Oregon becomes just one of a growing number of states to follow the lead of California enacting this type of legislation.
Source: Lane Share Oregon
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