“Pass with care, 4 feet to spare” is a catchphrase from the New Jersey Bike & Walk Coalition to help us all be safer drivers.
Also termed the “4-foot Rule”, New Jersey’s Safe Passing Law protects bicyclists, walkers, runners, and other non-motorized people on the road. In essence, we drivers need to give those vulnerable road users four feet of space before passing. Think of it as moving over half a lane.
If it’s not safe for us to move over, then we must wait behind and go 25 mph or less until it’s safe for us to pass.
Since the law was enacted two years ago, the WWBPA has worked hard to spread the word. You might have seen us at the Wet Windsor Farmers Market with a pool noodle strapped to bicycle handlebars to indicate four feet of clearance. The WWBPA has also distributed postcards, bookmarks and car magnets at our community events, the library, and in membership thank-you letters. When children stop at our table, we often quiz their parents about the law
Now the WWBPA has bought a 6-foot-by-2½-foot banner to further alert drivers to the new law. Thanks to the support of Mayor Marathe, the Police, Recreation, and Land Use departments, the banner will be rotated to various locations around the township. The WWBPA appreciates the help Public Works personnel have supplied to hang the banner, which is currently along Princeton Hightstown Road (County Road 571) at Community Park.
Tags: safety