The lack of a safe passing bill is one reason Pennsylvania only rated 25th for bicycle friendliness by the League of American Bicyclists. PA's legislative grade was a C.
Pennsylvania is on the brink of joining ranks with those 18 states and there is now an opportunity for you to take action to urge passage of a state-wide safe passing bill.
Our friends at PA Walks and Bikes have let us know that at long last, Pennsylvania's House of Representatives recently passed a 4 foot safe passing bill, HB170. HB 170 will amend PA's motor vehicle code to provide the following protections:

Every car that passes a bike must give a minimum of 4-feet of clearance

It will be against the law for a motor vehicle driver to pass a bicyclist and then veer sharply in front of forcing you to jam on your brakes to avoid injury

It will be legal to ride a bike on the public road at less than the minimum speed

It will be legal for a driver to pass a bicyclist when it is safe to do so by crossing over a double line.

It's now up to the Pennsylvania Senate to pass HB170 with no amendments. If you are a Pennsylvania resident, please send a letter today to your state senator and follow up with a phone call to their office. Take action to help make Pennsylvania's roads safer for bicycling.