The Sunnyvale City Council voted to approve the cyclist anti-harassment ordinance on Tuesday July 17, on a 6:1 vote, with Davis dissenting.
The ordinance, based on a measure passed last year in Los Angeles, enables a cyclist to file a civil suit against a driver who runs a cyclist off the road or attempts to do so. The driver would be liable for a penalty starting at $1,000. The cyclists would need to prove in court that the driver acted deliberately with the intent to injure or distract the bicyclist.
(Davis also voted against Sunnyvale’s Bus Rapid Transit proposal, which went down on a close 4:3 vote.)
The measure was initially approved on June 19. A “second reading” is required but does not usually change the outcome.
