SEATTLE NEWS ARCHIVES & FEATURES
Motorcyclists could get a break on Seattle-area highways
Feb 9, 2016, 5:50 PM
Motorcycles could soon bypass stalled Washington traffic if a new bill passes in Olympia. (AP)
(AP)
We’ve all been there. You’re stuck on the road, inching forward, then stop. Another inch, and then stop. Commuters on I-405 can testify to this experience.
Imagine the same sluggish scenario, but now motorcyclists are weaving past stalled cars — making more room for everyone else.
Related: WSDOT admits that traffic is worse on I-405 after express toll lanes
That’s the idea in a new bill sponsored by state Senator Tim Sheldon, (D-Potlatch). Senate Bill 5623 would allow for motorcyclists to pass to the left of slow traffic on the road.
Motorcycles would be allowed to pass at 10 miles per hour faster than surrounding cars, but not exceed 25 miles per hour. In other words — if traffic is at a dead stop, motorcycles can move around it at 10 miles per hour. If traffic is moving 5 miles per hour, motorcycles could ride past at 15 miles per hour. And so forth, up to the limit of 25 miles per hour.
“For years I have argued that we could reduce congestion and improve safety by giving motorcyclists greater freedom on our highways,” Sheldon said. “But I think the meltdown on the 405 has made it imperative that we do something.”
The bill does not allow motorcycles to lane-split — when motorcycles or bicycles travel between cars in two different lanes. It only allows travel on the left shoulder.
Sheldon also argues that slow traffic can become worse if motorcycles — many of which are air-cooled — break down in the roadway from overheating. He also notes that motorcycles are more at risk from rear-end collisions when traffic slows to a halt.
“This bill is a creative solution to traffic congestion, and a way to improve safety on our public roads,” Sheldon said. “Motorcyclists are at a much greater risk of injury in a rear-end accident, and the chances of an accident increases in the sort of stop-and-go traffic we have been experiencing lately. If we give motorcyclists the freedom to pass on the left of a divided highway, they’ll be able to get out the way, and the road will be that much clearer.”
The Senate has passed SB 5623, 34-15. It now moves on to the House.
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