Rocky is right on. I'm also an experienced rider, you'd be surprised how many people honk obnoxiously just because they think I'm in "their way". crafty said: "Stay off the roads unless you can match the posted limit". FYI - the posted limit is the legal maximum, not the obligatory minimum. Time for crafty to turn in the Yugo and surrender his driver's license.

I think Wisco needs to be concerned with thier drunk driving laws first!

Door Prize!!!!! Just wait until the tunnel is built.......

crafty says "stay off the roads unless you can match the posted limit". It's this type of ignorance that makes passing laws like this necessary. Too bad the Gazette can't set a standard that you have to have an I.Q. of at least 70 to post on these boards. That would cut these postings down dramatically.

Stay off the roads unless you can match the posted limit. And for God sakes, learn the definition of SINGLE FILE.

klick: Oh, yeah! I forgot. (Tossing out my bike as I type this.)

For those who don't bike much - here is the choice in many situations:

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Going down a semi-residential street at about 18 MPH. Car parked on right. I need to move from the right into the traffic lane to avoid hitting the car - and need to be more than a door's width from the car, but the driver a half of a block behind me can't be bothered to slow to 18 when I pull out and speeds up to ride my rear wheel, laying on the horn (25 mph street). It is an all too common occurrence.

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I'm a big boy and very experienced urban cyclist, and I don't scare easily, but having to pull into traffic to pass a parked car is one thing I hate doing. I can usually speed up to a 25 MPH speed limit to match the cars, but it is still scary. Parked cars are very dangerous.

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The real reason behind the law is that currently cyclists have no recourse if someone carelessly opens a car door and causes them injury. This law no longer excuses such negligence on the part of a driver (or passenger).

SarahB you don't need to ride a bike , remember you can fly. top of the (evnin) to ya

aletheia
Does Doyle bicycle? LOL Oh, rats. Probably not.
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If Doyle used a bicycle he would have too go back to the old baloon type tires (BOOM)

So the state has a multimillion dollar Doyle-deficit with out of control spending along with high taxes and these guys are sitting in Madison concerned with bike riding. Sounds like your government at work for you.

at least there is a good part of the econ going to hell http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/02/10/immigra...

Look out for #1. You can't trust your fellow man to keep you safe.

wow i feel the love in the room tonight!!

STAY SAFE!!

OK Opinionsforfree, I'll go back to my crossword. Why don't you crawl back under your rock?

With more and more people choosing biking for health, financial, or environmental reasons, it is probably a necessary evil to enact a law which penalizes those who flap open their car doors without looking first.

aww my feelings are so hurt

Hey eric... I think Opinionsforfree and nutty must have had trouble understanding what this news story was about. Obviously they are concerned that they'll be the next ones to leave! Good riddance I say.

also dont bikes have to stop at stop signs? 90% dont..

sannio...thank you! I needed that laugh today. I do believe Fort Atkinson has some sort of ordinance in regard to this. An old boss of mine, who had just moved to the area, opened his door into traffic while parked downtown. He received a citation. I think its a great idea. Although, it should already be common sense. And to ticket the bicyclist? Don't they have to look out for enough things out there already?

ericbakkum plus it's only the top view article on CNN. So go back to your crossword puzzles and get off the computer

The bike riders have to follow the laws as well. A lot of times you see them going too fast and too close to the parked cars to be able to avoid a collision. Maybe this is why there is the law people are supposed to ride 3 feet from parked cars. I think sometimes because the people are on bikes they feel they have more rights than cars. Bike riders dart in and out of traffic, in and out of parked cars. maybe bike riders are more irresponsible than they want to admit. I think there are enough laws on the books, and a little common sense on both parts would go a long way.

All this time I've been careful opening my car door, and I didn't have to be?

Opinionsforfree: What does your link have to do with this story? Absolutely nothing. It's people like you who make this forum a meandering joke.

This will help reinforce the idea that bikes are equal users of the road. People don't know that on a bike you can take the entire lane if you need to for safety, for instance.
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Unfortunately this will do little to eliminate the other hazards such as the car that turns in front of you because they "just didn't see you" (didn't look). Nor will it eliminate the petty harassment that bicyclists sometimes are subjected to (insults, thrown items, once I was "air horned" for no reason at all). And unfortunately we'll still have the numbskulls who think that you walk in the street WITH traffic and bike AGAINST, which is the opposite of what you're supposed to do.
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Maybe we can do that in the next stage, where we make idiocy illegal....

I absolutely agree with this proposed law! Cities like Madison need it especially. In my UW-Madison student days, I had to bike a good 10 miles each way from campus to my job. Most of the route was on busy streets with heavy parking. Not a day passed when I did not have to shout "BIKE!!!" at least a dozen times when I saw people who did not look start to open their car doors as I quickly approached. Many times the biker's choice in that situation is to swerve to the left and risk getting struck by a fast-moving car or to hit the brakes and strike the door that was just opened into his/her path. The bike was my only transportation option due to parking issues, no city bus available late at night, too far to safely walk in the dark, my being too poor to pay for a taxi, etc.

Enough laws! Give me a break!

This should be common sense. I quote George Carlin: "You would be amazed at how many dumb people you can meet in a single day"

3 feet is insufficient space for a 2-door anyway.

Good idea!