A bill to legalize the practice of lane-splitting was pulled by its author, pushing off until next year a matter that divided motorcyclists and motorists.
The bill’s author, Assemblyman Bill Quirk (D-Hayward), cancelled a hearing set July 14 in the Senate Transportation and Housing Committee. The bill had attracted bipartisan support in the Assembly in late May.
Tomasa Duenas, a Quirk spokeswoman, said the assemblyman intends to “work out some concerns and looks forward to moving AB 51 next year.” The concerns, she said, relate to the proposed law’s implementation.
The legislation would have made California the first state to sanction lane-splitting by permitting motorcycles to drive between cars at speeds up to 15 mph faster than surrounding traffic, up to a speed of 50 mph.
