LA City Council Hears Anti-Harassment Ordinance

This Wednesday the Los Angeles City Council will hear the proposed anti-harassment ordinance, intended to provide cyclists with a new tool with which to combat bad motorist behavior. This  legislation would  give cyclists new recourse when encountering hostile motorists.Presently, we can only avail ourselves of existing civil protections, which in practice means it’s difficult to hold motorists to account for, say, driving with intent to harm, throwing an object from a motor vehicle, or any of the other dangers we face (recently enumerated on the LA DOT’s bike Facebook page). Give Westside Councilman Bill Rosendahl credit: he’s been a key supporter of the new LA bike plan has has put his considerable (metaphorical) weight behind the ordinance. Kudos to Mayor Villaraigosa, too, for getting behind the ‘give-me-three’ campaign, and more recently for his support for bike plan implementation and an executive order to city agencies to consider the needs of cyclists.

For cyclists, having a new arrow in the quiver increases the chance that we can focus on bad behavior directed specifically at cyclists. This marks another turn in the tide for LA Cyclists. Join fellow cyclists in chamber to hear the Council likely give the thumbs up. Item 19 on the agenda.