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From the President
Advocacy Update

The increasing centrality of advocacy to the Club’s survival — and certainly its growth — is more apparent every day. Our riding environment is becoming more constrained as development in the outer county and nearby counties puts more cars and more hurried commuters on the roads. Fortunately, by focusing on advocacy, we have the best opportunity in years to work with local government to help shape policies that can make a difference.

As an example, the next steps from Mayor Abramson’s Bike Summit have been taken. The members of the implementing taskforce, which was a key recommendation of the summit participants, have been appointed. They held their organizational meeting in April and agreed on a meeting schedule and a structure.

The Mayor also appointed an Executive Committee, which will meet twice a year to review progress, update the Mayor and advocate for resources as needed. (See Bike Summit Task Force for a list of the members of both groups.)

Everyone who is interested in making the summit’s goal of making Metro Louisville a bicycle-friendly community a reality is encouraged to get involved in the follow-on activities. The summit’s webpage (www.louisvillebicyclesummit.com) will remain the central communication point for Information on the work of the taskforce and involvement opportunities.

Another aspect of advocacy is found in the Brief for Amicus Curiae. You may have heard about a 2003 lawsuit that was filed in Bourbon County involving a cyclist who was injured when she was pushed off the road by a truck hauling a trailer. Notwithstanding the clear evidence that the cyclist’s injury resulted from the truck having moved back into the lane too soon after passing her, the jury rejected her claim and found for the driver of the truck.

Plaintiffs appealed when they learned from one of the jurors that the jury had speculated that the cyclist had sped up, thereby impeding the truck from passing safely.

Because it was clear that the jury acted based on its biases about how cyclists behave on the road, the cycling community came together to support an appeal to the Kentucky Supreme Court. The League of American Bicyclists spearheaded the effort. Our Club, together with the Bluegrass Bicycle Club, the Ashland Cycling Enthusiasts and the Bowling Green League of Cyclists joined forces to support the appeal by filing an amicus curiae (friend of the court) brief arguing that the decision by the Court of Appeals contravenes the public policy of the Commonwealth because it upheld a verdict based on anti-cyclist bias.

Vic Maddox, former Club VP Racing and a partner in the law firm of Tachau, Maddox and Hovious, wrote the brief. He has done an excellent job.

The LBC’s involvement in this case is just another example of how we are ready to stand up for cyclists’ rights.