ILLINOIS: Quinn changes language in motorcycle bill

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http://www.sj-r.com/state/x1698393066/Quinn-changes-language-in-motorcycle-bill
Quinn changes language in motorcycle bill

By CHRIS WETTERICH THE STATE JOURNAL-REGISTER Posted Aug 29, 2011 @ 11:00 PM

Motorcyclists and others who get stuck at a red light controlled by a sensor that doesn’t detect their presence would have to wait two minutes before proceeding through the light, under changes Gov. Pat Quinn has proposed to a bill legislators sent him in May.
The version of House Bill 2860 passed by the House and Senate would have allowed motorcyclists to run red lights “after a reasonable period of time” if traffic sensors didn’t detect them at intersections. The governor’s office believes that it would essentially allow bikers to treat a red light as a stop sign.
In his amendatory veto message, Quinn said the bill “endangers our motorists, and its interpretation could vary from individual to individual and county to county.”
"The 'reasonable period of time' language contained in House Bill 2860 is too subjective and will result in confusion amonst law enforcement, the judiciary, and motorcycle operators," Quinn wrote. "By establishing a specific period of time, motorcycle operators will know definitively how long they must be stopped efore proceeding through an intersection. Similar laws enacted in other states established a specified time."
Quinn’s proposed changes, if approved, also would not allow bikers to disobey signs that bar them from making right or left turns on red, and a motorcyclist would still have to yield to oncoming traffic.
The Illinois State Police testified against the bill in May. It does not apply to the city of Chicago. Eleven other states have similar laws.
Back in May, a lobbyist for ABATE, a motorcyclist advocacy group, testified that bikers sometimes get stuck at a red light timed to change to green only when sensors implanted on the road detect a vehicle. Some motorcycles and bicycles weigh too little to trigger the sensors, he said.
The bill’s sponsors, Sen. Gary Forby, D-Benton, and Rep. Daniel Beiser, D-Alton, did not return calls seeking comment on Monday.