Cyclists Urged to Contact Gov. Little to Ask Him to Veto the Bills
BOISE, Idaho (April 1, 2025) — Senate Bill 1140 and Senate Bill 1144 will prevent any local highway district in Idaho from completing stand-alone bicycle and pedestrian safety projects*. These bills particularly target Boise and Ada County’s ACHD (Ada County Highway District).
The bills have already passed the Idaho Senate and the Idaho House of Representatives.
These bills were sponsored by Senator Mark Harris, a rancher from Soda Springs, Idaho. I have nothing against Senator Harris or Soda Springs. But why should a rancher from a town with a population of just over 3,000 dictate whether or not we can build bike lanes in Boise? It would be ludicrous for Boiseans to force Soda Springs to build bike lanes on their ranches. It’s also absurd for them to tell us whether or not we’re allowed to build bike lanes in Boise.
Alexis Pickering and Patricia Nilsson just won local elections to the ACHD board of commissioners. They won by 56% and 66% respectively. Both candidates ran on platforms prioritizing pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure and safety. Both their opponents had car centric policies opposing bicycle and pedestrian projects. A local election just gave a strong mandate to ACHD to continue improving pedestrian and bike infrastructure.
Now, less than 6 months later, a bunch of politicians who don’t live in Ada County are voting to overrule the results of that election and threaten ACHD members with jail time should they commit the crime of building a bike lane**.
It’s excessive regulation.
It’s government overreach.
* “Highway improvements to existing or new bicycle and pedestrian facilities may only be included in a project for the primary benefit of motor vehicles if such facilities (a) Provide a collateral or secondary benefit to the project; or (b) … are necessary to comply with existing federal law.”
– SB 1140
** “Any elected official, officer, or person who shall violate or aid in the violation of any of the provisions of this title … shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof be punished by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000), or imprisonment … or by both such fine and imprisonment”
– SB 1140
“Existing or new pedestrian and bicycle facilities may only be improved as a secondary or collateral benefit to any highway project or as necessary to improve the safety of pedestrian and bicycle facilities near schools, parks, or other designated pedestrian or bicycle areas.”
– SB 1144
If this upsets you let Governor Brad Little know that he should veto this bill:
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It was more than likely part of the Republican project 2025, so it MUST be good?!?!?
Sounds like total lunacy to me.
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