Looney, Harp Go To Bat For Cyclists

It's refreshing to see that at least one of the Mayoral candidates is at work, doing the job she is paid to do.

Subjective, arbitrary and about as useful as the 1500 foot drug free zone around schools. People in wheel chairs are being run over? Is there an epidemic of pedestrian getting mowed down?

I'd also like to see some legislation that levies criminal charges and $500,000 fines against people and corporations who willfully, intentionally, and repeatedly mug the public by not paying their sales taxes and have delinquent accounts in excess of 5 years.

Actually yeah, there is a problem with pedestrians getting hit, combined with the fact most pedestrians struck by cars are struck in crosswalks.

I think its great that this bill has finally passed, however a driver who kills a cyclist faces only $1,000 in fines and a driver retraining course? This seems fairly light to me. Someone who recklessly kills a cyclist should have their license revoked.

Razzie, did you miss the story where Toni Harp bailed out of the capitol and had the entire chamber delay a vote, so she could give a song-and-dance to the leadership of Local 34 regarding her mayoral campaign?

As an avid cyclist, I'm glad to see that this legislation is making its way to the house. Congratulations to Senators Harp and Looney for all of their hard work on behalf of New Haven and their constituents.

If this is the case,Then Jay walking laws should be enforced and also on the bikers who run lights.

Of course, all the cycling people are for fines and worse. That's what nanny believers do - they empower government who empowers bureaucrats to carry out their special interests. I'd be more impressed, if this is such an issue, if Harp/Looney took $50K in taxpayer money and did a marketing campaign for safe driving, respect for each other etc. What we have here is a stealth law, designed to appease the horse and buggy crowd, a law that nobody will know about until and unless, god forbid somebody gets run over.

Madcap: How many people in New Haven were run over last year or any year? Where the driver was at fault somehow? It's really epic? More people are whacked by gun toting thugs each year than are irresponsibly run down by cars.

Are these not the same two who voted for Driver's Licenses for Undocumented Immigrants.

@Noteworthy
Yes, the national rate of children struck by cars is half the rate in New Haven.

The burden of proof--when discussing documented statistics which are freely available online--does not fall on the other party.

@ Curious
I must have missed that story. The one I read was about how she met her duty to vote on pending legislation and still was able to screen before the Committee, like all the other candidates who wanted endorsement.

I would like to know the position of Toni, Gary, Henry, Matt, Kermit, and Zulu on the sale of city streets to Yale.

So now, if one runs over a pedestrian or cyclist, and kills or seriously injure them, and it is the driver's fault, they might have to pony up ten large, and maybe take a class. Pathetic. Kill a fellow driver, and one is looking at seven years.

Yes, Noteworthy, this is a problem. I remember Chef Lewis telling us at a community meeting how pedestrians being stuck and killed by cars was not far behind the murders in numbers.

Whenever I take my children to school, their mother's house, or we walk down town, it is a tactical exercise: where is it safest to cross, keep your head on a swivel, get out of the danger zones quickly,...

The problem with this bill is what if you hit someone and you have no witness.And will you deport Undocumented Immigrants who now will have Driver's Licenses.

No, we will not deport anyone because we're a civilized state. You know people who don't like undocumented people were so outraged over license many didn't notice that along with that bill, another bill was passed saying police in the state should not give any information over to ICE if they arrest someone not here legally unless the person is a violent criminal.

Insurance and private civil suit liability is already a profoundly more punitive measure than this very weak bill. If Sen Harp and Sen Looney really want to make a difference, pass a bill allowing New Haven to collect traffic fines (which right now go to the state and therefore disincentivize local traffic enforcement). If cops could enforce the law an NOT drain the city budget, we would see a lot more enforcement and there would be a real cultural shift in the city.