On Tuesday Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry announced proposed changes to the current City Code related to bike safety that has not been amended since 1985.
A committee made of representatives from the bike community, Fort Wayne Police Department, City Transportation Engineering, City Planning, the Greenway Consortium, City Council and the City Legal Department, spent months crafting the changes.
Amy Hartzog is the City’s Greenway Assistant and is also an avid cyclist. She says among the many proposed changes, she’s most excited for the Three-foot zone rule which would require a driver passing a cyclist to leave at least three feet between the vehicle and the bike, until safely past the bicycle.
Hartzog also says, "we've seen several communities across the United States go towards this type of law or ordinance change, so I'm looking forward to seeing Fort Wayne have that three foot when passing, because sometimes cars just pass entirely too close to cyclists and we need some space on the roads."
The ordinance amendments were scheduled to be introduced to City Council Tuesday night and will be discussed on September 4th.