The 2020 Colorado Legislative Session ended on June 15, 2020 and although it was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some important bicycle legislation was successfully pushed through. Below is a brief summary of each bicycling-related bill, where it ended up and why it’s important to you as a cyclist.
The Bike Lane Bill
Senate Bill 20-061: This bill passed. Effective July 1, 2020, this bill recognizes the right of cyclists to all right-of-way when traveling in a bike lane and penalizes drivers for failure to yield. Read the signed Act here.
The Handsfree Bill
Senate Bill 20-065: This bill was postponed indefinitely by the House Committee on Transportation & Local Government , but would have required drivers to use a handsfree device when using a mobile phone while operating a vehicle. The Handsfree Bill would have also added fines to those drivers found using a mobile electronic device while operating a vehicle. Read the Final Fiscal Note here and Read the Final Demographic Note here.
The Speed Bill
House Bill 20-1178: This bill passed. Signed into law on March 27th, the Speed Bill requires the Colorado Department of Transportation to include the safety exposure of cyclists and vulnerable road users in any study aimed at raising speed limits on rural roads. Prior to this bill, it was not required that cyclists and other vulnerable road users be taken into account when evaluating a rural road and proposed speed limit increase. Read the signed Act here.
Bill Sponsors
We are grateful for the work of our peers at Bicycle Colorado and for the support of all bill sponsors. Let these state senators and representatives know you appreciate the work they do to support bicycle legislation:
- Senator Mike Foote – Bike Lane Bill
- Speaker of the House K.C. Becker – Bike Lane Bill
- Senator Chris Hansen – Handsfree Bill
- Representative Dylan Roberts – Handsfree Bill
- Senator Jerry Sonnenberg – Speed Bill
- Representative Richard Holtorf – Speed Bill