The Illinois Senate has passed a bill that would provide greater protections to Illinois Bicyclists. Senate Bill 2951 has passed the Illinois Senate and is now in the Illinois House. The bill passed by a vote of 55-00-02 meaning that 55 Senators voted "Yes", none voted "No', and 2 voted "Present." With this kind of near unanimous support, the bill should have a strong chance of passing the Illinois House and hitting Governor Quinn's desk for signature and becoming law.
Senate Bill 2951, as amended, would amend Section 11-703 of the Illinois Vehicle Code by making it illegal for the driver of a motor vehicle to "crowd" or threaten a bicyclist by unnecessarily driving the motor vehicle close to, toward, or near a bicyclist.
The bill also amends the Illinois Criminal Code in the following ways:
- Provides that every person convicted of crowding or threatening a bicyclist shall be guilty of a Class A misdemeanor if the violation does not result in great bodily harm or permanent disability or disfigurement to another.
- Provides that if a crowding or threatening a bicyclist violation results in great bodily harm or permanent disability or disfigurement to another, the person shall be guilty of a Class 4 felony.
- Provides that a person commits Projecting or throwing missiles at bicyclists, a Class A misdemeanor, when a person projects or throws any missile (defined as any object or substance) at or against a bicyclist.
The Chicago Reader linked to this blog post in an article you can find by clicking here.
