Senator Larry George, R-Sherwood District 13 has introduced Senate Bill 541 to legalize lane splitting in Oregon (PDF). The current text of the bill is pretty light – basically limiting lane splitting to 20 MPH in cases where traffic has slowed to 10 MPH or stopped.
While its good to see some action on this – especially since Rob, who runs LaneSharingWorks, reported being blown off by his OR representative just recently – as a Californian, the 20/10 MPH limitations seem too strict.
We’ll keep reporting on any progress on making lane splitting / lane sharing legal in Oregon. If you’re an Oregon resident who believes lane splitting should be legal (and not some out of state commentator like me) it’s time to get involved – talk to your representative, follow LaneSharingWorks, like this Motorists in favor of lane sharing in Oregon Facebook page – and most importantly, be a good ambassador for lane splitting and the motorcycle community.
Here’s the text of SB 541 as introduced:
[…] I’m glad to see this kind of language from the AMA, and hope it represents a shift on their part to a more pro-lane sharing stance. This can only help in states like Oregon, where there’s currently a bill to legalize lane splitting (SB 541). […]