HIGHWAY FUNDING BILL REINTRODUCED The new Surface Transportation Bill, H.R. 3, a reincarnation of last year's highway package that failed to pass Congress due to budget impasses, was introduced in the U. S. House of Representatives on February 9th and will take up where prior Congressional negotiations left off.

This time around, the House version of the highway reauthorization legislation includes similar motorcycle-friendly language contained in last year's Senate proposal; including the establishment of a Motorcyclist Advisory Council to "coordinate with and advise the Administrator (of the Federal Highway Administration) on infrastructure issues of concern to motorcyclists"; a call for the completion of a motorcycle accident causation study; and would establish grants for motorcycle safety and awareness efforts.

The House bill authorizes $299 billion to fund highway projects for the next six years.

Last year, House and Senate conferees were unable to hammer out a compromise that would appease both chambers and the White House, as President Bush threatened to veto any package over $256 billion.

The Senate version of the bill has yet to be reintroduced.


NORTH CAROLINA MAY BAN CHILDREN ON MOTORCYCLES Representative Nelson Cole introduced a bill in the North Carolina legislature, HB-39, which would make it illegal for anyone under the age of 10 to ride as a passenger on a motorcycle.

"This has nothing to with helmets - they just can't ride at all," said Sam Nobles, State Legislative Officer for CBA/ABATE of NC and Lobbyist for NC BikePac. "If you have been complacent about getting involved in bikers' rights, this one ought to wake you up! How would you like to explain to your child or grandchild that you can no longer take them for a ride, because your government doesn't think you are responsible enough to make decisions for your own family?"

So far there is only one sponsor to the bill, and CBA/ABATE of NC is asking help from bikers across America to help shut this bill down now. "Our goal is to generate enough e-mails and phone calls to Rep Cole to shut this down before he has time to get cosponsors," said Cotton Tedder, President of CBA/ABATE of NC and member of the board of the National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM).

You can contact Representative Nelson Cole at Nelsonc@ncleg.net or phone (919) 733-5779. Remember to be polite and considerate, but let him know your views about kids being able to go riding with their parents.


PENNSYLVANIA CONSIDERS BAN ON "SELF SERVE" GAS The Keystone State is considering legislation that would prohibit self-service gas stations. House Bill No. 73, dubbed the Gasoline Station Dispensing Safety Act, which states in part:

"The General Assembly finds and declares as follows:
Because of the fire hazards directly associated with dispensing fuel at a fuel dispensing facility, it is in the public interest that gasoline station operators have the control needed over that activity to ensure compliance with appropriate safety procedures, including turning off vehicle engines and refraining from smoking while fuel is dispensed."

"…When customers, rather than attendants, are permitted to dispense fuel, it is far more difficult to enforce compliance with safety procedures."

"…Exposure to toxic gasoline fumes represents a health hazard when customers dispense their own gasoline, particularly in the case of pregnant women."

"…The significantly higher prices usually charged for full-service gasoline in states where self-service is permitted results in discrimination against low-income individuals, who are under greater economic pressure to undergo the inconvenience and hazards of dispensing their own gasoline."

The bill goes on to prescribe penalties for "non-authorized users" and stations that do not comply, and describes training and certification of attendants to qualify them to pump your gas.

"In my opinion, this bill is an answer to a question nobody asked!," said John Mullendore, Legislative Coordinator for ABATE of Pennsylvania and a member of the board of directors of NCOM. "Let your representatives know that this is not a good idea especially with motorcycles. I will fill my own tank, thank you."

Currently only the state of New Jersey prohibits "self-serve" gas pumps. Oregon bikers won exemption from such a law in 2001, winning their right to pump their own gas thanks to the legislative efforts of BikePAC, ABATE of Oregon and Oregon Aid to Injured Motorcyclists (AIM) Attorney Sam Hochberg who helped draw statewide attention to the problem.


HONDA PLANS TO DEVELOP AIRBAGS FOR MOTORCYCLES Japan's Honda Motor has launched research into developing the first safety airbags that could be mounted on motorcycles, reported the mass-circulation newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun.

Japan's largest motorcycle manufacturer aims to commercialize motorcycle airbags in about three years, the paper reported on January 5, 2005 without citing sources.

Honda plans to develop an airbag that will fit under the handlebars and protect the driver from the head to lower back when it is opened in the event of an accident, it said.

No immediate comment was available from Honda.

Honda wants to commercialize the product after finding ways to minimize production costs and working out the best suitable shape of the airbags, the daily said.

The newspaper said that the technology had been offered before, on BMW motorcycles, but it had proved too costly at more than $2,000 for most buyers.


ARIZONA MULLS EMISSIONS TESTING FOR MOTORCYCLES Arizona is currently the only state to require motorcycles to pass emissions-testing, which are required only in Pima and Maricopa Counties as part of the state's clean air plans. But that may soon change as collectible-car and motorcycle enthusiasts are nibbling away at the state's vehicle-emissions policy, successfully arguing that they should be exempt from the vexing test because they barely put a dent in air quality.

A state study backs them up, although only for the 6,200 motorcycles registered in Pima County, where Tucson is located. The 22,000 motorcycles in more populated, and polluted, Maricopa County, home of the city of Phoenix, would not get the same pass.

However, motorcycle and collector-car enthusiasts say they see House Bill 2357 as the first step in efforts to exempt their vehicles entirely from the test, regardless of location.

A study done by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality concluded that a blanket exemption would harm the clean-air plans in the Phoenix and Tucson areas. But certain groups would have only a "negligible impact" if they were exempted.

Bobbi Hartmann, a lobbyist for ABATE of Arizona, is hoping to persuade lawmakers this year to exempt all motorcycles. The MMA of Arizona and the Arizona Confederation of Motorcycle Clubs agree, and are also lobbying for passage of the emissions exemptions.

Arizona, she said, is the only state that tests motorcycles and the test, she argues, gives a skewed picture of emissions since it's done only when motorcycles are idling, and air-cooled engines don't run clean at idle, making it difficult for them to pass emissions testing.

"The two big things, looking at the big picture as far as emissions, is that motorcycles are absolutely nothing," Hartmann said. "And the fact that they're testing only under idle is unfair."

The bill, which won unanimous support from the House Environment Committee, later passed by a near-unanimous vote on the House Floor on February 2nd and will be taken up next in the state Senate.


NEW MEXICO GOVERNOR SUPPORTS LID LAW FOR ATV RIDERS Governor Bill Richardson has pledged his support for an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) safety bill that would require riders younger than 18 to wear a helmet and eye protection and pass a training course.

SB 252 would also establish a fee that would both pay for the training and be used to establish new ATV trails and recreation areas, require adult supervision for all riders 12 or younger and prohibit passengers on vehicles that are designed for one rider.

Richardson said 62 New Mexicans have died as a result of ATV crashes in the past 10 years. A quarter of them were 18 or younger, according to a University of New Mexico study.

A similar bill passed in the Senate last year but died in the House when time ran out on the 30-day session.


LONE STAR BIKERS FIGHT HELMET LAW Okay, so Texas was one of a handful of states to recently rescind their states' mandatory helmet law for adult riders, but in order to ride lidless a rider must be at least 21 and complete a safety class or carry a minimum amount of medical coverage.

Those requirements may change now that a state lawmaker has introduced legislation to allow anyone 21 and older to ride without a helmet, regardless of safety training or health care insurance.

Proponents feel they have a right to decide whether or not to wear a helmet, especially on hot summer days, but opponents of the measure fear that further weakening the helmet law could result in more fatal accidents. Now it'll be up to the legislature to decide.


CHANGING GEARS When Fox Cable Networks Group re-launched Speed Channel in February 2002, executives thought that devoting two-thirds of their scheduling to fast-moving cars and a few motorcycle races were all the network needed to draw viewers. Now the head honchos are changing gears.

The network has gained more than 20 million subscribers, and now reaches 63.3 million homes, but ratings gains have not equaled the expectation that a growing nationwide interest in Nascar would deliver a big audience boost.

This February, Speed Channel hopes to do better by pushing past its car racing roots to, among other things, launch a new reality series for those who like to watch a good bike build. Only this time it's not Jesse James or OCC wrenching on a fabulous putt, it's just Joe Average.

"Build or Bust" is billed by Speed Channel as being a little different than typical reality shows. The customization occurs on motorcycles, and regular joes rather than specialists do the work. The series, which premieres February 23, gives motorcycle enthusiasts all the tools to build the bike of their dreams in 30 days. If the task is completed, the builder keeps the bike. If not, they get nothing.


QUOTABLE QUOTE: "The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is
marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again, who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who at best, knows the triumph of high achievement; and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."
Theodore Roosevelt, "Citizen in a Republic", April 23, 1910