| Sources |
- [S74] Atchley Funeral Home Records, Volume IV, 1987-1999, Larry D. Fox, (Smoky Mountain Historical Society), 30 Oct 1995.
Edith Pauline Thomas Galyon obituary
- [S47] Sevier County, Tennessee and its Heritage, Sevier County Heritage Book Committee, (1994, Don Mills, Inc.), 135.
- [S106] The Mountain Press, 6 Apr 2007.
Law to protect cyclists while maneuvering Tenn. roadways
By: J.J. KINDRED, Staff Writer
April 06, 2007
Gatlinburg resident Jerry Huskey and his wife Jennifer ride bicycles. A lot.
The subject of a Mountain Press article three years ago, Huskey saw and was told of many situations where cars were passing too close to bike riders, thus causing some cyclists to be injured or even killed.
He decided to do something about it and contacted State Rep. Richard Montgomery, R-Sevierville. The two collaborated on a bill that would provide a bicycle rider on a road the same right to the road as a person driving a vehicle, and with the rights as the driver while on the road.
The bill, which was named the Jeff Roth Bicycle and Pedalcyclists Protection Act of 2007, passed several months ago. It was named after a man who was killed earlier this year in Loudon County after he rode his bike too close to a car.
"Jerry and I talked back in the summer about getting a bill," Montgomery said. "He knows a lot of people who ride bikes, and lot of people he rides with had situations where cars were coming close to them, and knew people who had been injured."
As Montgomery was drafting the bill, he learned State Rep. Doug Overbey, R-Maryville, had been drafting a similar bill.
"He had talked about a bill to keep at least a three-foot barrier between bicycles and vehicles," Montgomery said. "When Doug Overbey and I had bills drafted, the biggest thing was make sure we had the three-foot space in the bill. I amended Doug's bill to put the three-foot clearance in, and I signed and co-sponsored it because there was no need for two bills. I took care of all the concerns that Jerry had."
"A lot of other states have this, and it's not like I created this law," said Huskey, who is the human resources director at Ober Gatlinburg. "I saw that Florida had recently passed a law which dealt with the three-foot barrier when passing a bike. I looked at some things they had and sent them to Richard."
"Passing a law is easy, but getting awareness is the key of understanding and educating," Huskey said. "To me it was a reasonable thing. Everyone I talked to was in favor of it, and the bicycle shops were very aware of the resolutions out there."
Montgomery is optimistic that the bill will raise awareness among cyclists and motorists.
"The way Doug's bill read, I thought it was important we specified the three feet," he said. "I thought we needed to be more specific. More and more people are health conscious and there are more who are exercising in that way (riding bicycles). By law they have right to be on the road riding a bike, so we have to make sure people are courteous and be careful around those people."
* jkindred@themountainpress.com
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