chewybrian 

I met Skip Beeler a couple years ago at a brevet ride. We both rode a 1000k ride around Florida. I spent half of one day riding in a small group with him, and had a great time. He rode a recumbent at a modest pace with a goal of simply having fun and finishing; I assume he did both. His latest actions as Cocoa Beach mayor move him up to near hero status in my eyes. He has the power to make a positive impact for other cyclists, and he's using it!

He's proposed new regulations to tack on extra fines for 'motorists' who hassle cyclists. The rules target people throwing objects, attempting to distract or scare the cyclists (the horn blowers), or failing to give them adequate room on the road (Florida has a 'pass by 3 feet' law). Other council members expanded the law to cover pedestrians, and rightly so.

I would love to see one of these tickets given in person some day. It would be difficult to enforce, as police would need to witness the act, which would be unlikely to happen in their presence in most cases. Still, putting the law on the books makes me happy. Thumbs up, mayor!

link to article

myrridin

Considering my experience in Texas, I would love to see such laws include in their language any other road users--including cyclists. I really don't see any reason such behavior should be condoned for cyclists...

chewybrian 

Hmmm... This side of the argument never occured to me. I've see some dumb and/or inconsiderate riding, but I've never been intentionally threatened, run off the road, or had things thrown at me by other cyclists.

I've had all this and more come my way from drivers. The worst I can recall was a guy leaning out the passenger window of a pickup truck with a hammer. I don't know his intention, but the results could have been ugly for me if he swung the hammer at me or the bike. I saw him coming in my mirror, and held my path until they got close and then rode off the shoulder into the grass; they did not come back. The every day honks and shouts and a few gatorade bottles and beer cans have come at me many times, although I agree with the article that *most* drivers are very respectful.