Mass. Bill May End Bicyclists' Curbs

Bicycle riders will be allowed to ride on nearly all Massachusetts streets and highways if a bill now pending before the State Legislature is passed.

The bill, part of a three-bill package introduced by State Senator William L. Saltonstall '49 would ban bicyclists only from specifically designated limited access roads. Bicyclists are presently restricted from using many types of roads.

The two other measures would require statewide registration of bicycles in an effort to reduce theft, and require that riders comply with the same traffic rules as automobiles, including obeying traffic lights, riding in the correct direction on one-way streets, and the use of hand signals.

On a national level, the U.S. Senate has passed an amendment to the National Highway Act that would allow states to diver Federal highway funds towards the creation of bikeways. The measure is still in a House Committee, but its passage was seen yesterday as "pretty certain" by Doug Adler, a spokesman for the amendment's sponsor, Representative Edward Koch (D-N.Y.).