THE (LANE-SHARING) BATTLE CONTINUES

Oregon’s Motorcycle Advocacy groups got Lane Sharing passed in the House and Senate only to be stonewalled by the Governor’s veto, but sights are set on 2023

By Kali Kotoski

The votes had been counted in Oregon’s House of Representatives and it was time to break out the champagne and celebrate. A six-year effort to pass lane-sharing legislation finally appeared to be on the path of victory. With overwhelming bipartisan support, the Oregon Senate and House passed Senate Bill 574, which would have permitted motorcyclists to filter between lanes, on multilane highways, when traffic had slowed.

It was already reason for celebration as previous versions of the bill had failed to advance to a vote in 2015, 2017 and 2019.

Then, on the night of May 27, the messages and emails started pouring in announcing that the unthinkable had happened. Despite overwhelming lawmaker and rider support, Governor Kate Brown (D) vetoed the bill, citing concerns over noncompliance and public safety.

“We knew it was intellectually possible that Brown could veto the bill, but it still really set us back when it actually sunk in,” said Patrick Leyshock, co-founder of the Sang-

Froid Riding Club and lead legislative advocate for the 2021 session.

Oregon’s current political climate, like most states in the nation, is hyperpartisan, and while the bill failed this session, motorcycle advocates in the state have come a long way in refining their approach since the caustic fights over helmet laws.

One of the lessons learned over the years has been figuring out how to play the game, explained ABATE Legislative Affairs Director Don Mason. And getting the bill passed through the House and Senate is proof that Oregon’s advocates are on the right track.

“Back in the day, it was a lot of pounding on desks and rallying as many motorcyclists as possible to protest on the capitol steps,” said Mason, who has worked for the past 15 years to adapt ABATE’s strategy for the digital age.

“Those were the only tools we really had at the time, and when things didn’t work out there was a lot of apathy and defeatism amongst us,” he said. “But we slowly started to realize that no longer works to achieve results. What works is getting certain politicians elected or reelected, having them on speed dial and supporting their pet projects. Also, you need to have a great team.”

The four leading members of the team include Leyshock, Mason, motorcycle attorney and advocate Christopher Slater, and Executive Director for BikePAC of Oregon Paula Leslie.

Each member comes from a different riding background and reaches a different riding community. For example, Slater is a sport bike rider while Mason and Leslie are from the V-Twin crowd.

“Different riding groups have different attitudes and opinions. But that is exactly why I started bringing riders to ABATE meetings because we all want to support our rights and safety,” Slater said.

For Leyshock, who already had political experience as a member of the Governor’s Advisory Committee on Motorcycle Safety, what really brought the four together was when the AMA flew up former U.S. Senator and AMA Vice President of Government Relations Wayne Allard to testify in favor of lane sharing in 2015.

“We all just randomly met during those legislative hearings and realized we would be stronger by working together,”

Patrick Leyshock Don Mason Paula Leslie

said Leyshock.

Soon, the group put together a threepillared platform that stressed the environmental benefits of reducing emissions with motorcycles, increasing rider safety and alleviating congestion in urban areas. The platform could be deployed no matter where the legislator sat on the political spectrum.

“With that platform, it didn’t matter if we were talking to a Republican or Democrat or someone from a rural or urban district,” Leyshock said. “We could send the right person to the right lawmaker to get support and not burn bridges.”

After six years, the proof of the approach comes down to votes and signatures. The group had roughly 20 percent of the legislature signed onto the bill and it passed with broad bipartisan support in typically gridlocked chambers.

“Really, the most important part when talking to legislators is trying to get a sense of their concerns and address those concerns,” said Leslie.

Leyshock said most of the credit should go to the boots on the ground. That includes Leslie, Kevin Molskness, Ned Thanhouser and Kris Regentin, the Lane Share Oregon Communications Lead. Credit also goes to Slater, who has actively converted lane-sharing skeptics into believers through his social media outreach and legislative education to his followers.

While the team has taken a big hit being this close to the finish line, the support and energy they have already created bodes well for the 2023 session as long as they can keep up the momentum.

“When bureaucratic inertia blocks a measure to improve rider safety, that is a problem,” Leyshock said. “But we got the votes this year and we need keep all of our supporters for the next session. First, though, we are going to take the summer off to ride motorcycles.”

Christopher Slater