By Bob Katzen

This bill considers a person using a non-motorized vehicle who is crossing the roadway in a marked crosswalk where traffic control signals are not in place or not in operation, a pedestrian. Non-motorized vehicles include bicycles, scooters, roller blades, roller skates and skateboards.

“In the past two decades, Massachusetts has created miles of long, linear parks that are beloved by people who are walking, jogging and on bicycles,” said the bill’s sponsor Rep. Tommy Vitolo (D-Brookline). “Where these parks are divided by roads, unsignalized crosswalks are relied upon. [This bill] aligns the law with current safe practices—that all park users are expected to use the crosswalk safely, and all people driving are expected to yield to those in the crosswalk.”