Riley said:...devastating expose in the Bismarck Tribune about the sordid history of the bill's principal
author (available now at bismarcktribune.comn020503b.htmlOpen ↗...
Senator urging bike registration had run-in with bicyclists
A Fargo senator who has introduced a controversial bill to levy a $50 registration fee on serious
bicyclists was accused of intentionally striking a bicyclist on a road north of Fargo in 1997.
Sen. John Syverson, R-Fargo, is the primary sponsor of Senate Bill 2391, which would require
long-distance bicyclists who ride outside city limits to register with the state...The state would
issue a registration decal that would be good for two years, and the money collected would be
deposited in the state highway fund for the construction and maintenance of bicycle paths.
But bicycle enthusiasts from all over the world want to stop the bill in its tracks, including a
Fargo man who says Syverson harassed and then intentionally struck his bike while he and two friends
were bicycling on Cass County road 31, a few miles north of Fargo.
According to a Cass County Sheriff's report on the incident, Paul Sadosky and two friends were
riding their bikes southbound when Syverson approached them from behind in a pickup. The bicyclists
said Syverson began honking on his horn continuously, even though they were riding single file along
the side of the road and there was no oncoming traffic.
Sadosky told the sheriff's deputy that Syverson then pulled in front of him and abruptly turned in
front of his bike and hit the brakes. Sadosky said he tried to stop but ran into Syverson's rear
bumper and into the tailgate, totaling his bike.
According to the sheriff's report, one of the other bikers then tried to stop Syverson by blocking
his pickup with his bike, but Syverson backed up and left. The bicyclists got his license number,
however, and called the sheriff's department.
While a deputy was en route to take the report, Syverson called the department too. He later told a
deputy that when he encountered the bicyclists they were "hogging the road" and when he honked at
them, one of them threw water at his pickup and moved farther into the driving lane.
According to the report, Syverson said he stopped, backed up and drove around the bikes, but then
one of the bicyclists tried to throw his bike at Syverson's pickup. The deputy noted that Syverson
"demonstrated a dislike of bicyclists in general riding on highways" and told the deputy about a
previous incident when he notified authorities about a bicyclist on the interstate, only to be told
that it was perfectly legal for them to ride on the shoulder of the interstate.
"He was not happy with this," the sheriff's deputy's report says. "Syverson stated more than once to
me that he wished we could do more about bikes traveling on the roadway, that they are unlicensed
vehicles, do not pay taxes for the roadway, therefore have no right being on the roadway and
interfering with the travel of motorists."
In an interview with the Tribune, Sadosky said although it's a common reaction for a bicyclist to
throw water at an aggressive driver, his group did not do so. He said after the incident, he
contacted Syverson's insurance company repeatedly over the next few months, but didn't get anywhere
until he hired a lawyer. A few days later, she had a $3,000 check waiting for him, and he used it to
buy a new bike. ... "That incident was a long time ago, and it has no relevancy to the bill,"
Syverson said Tuesday. "I'm not a vindictive person."
He said the incident didn't even cross his mind when he introduced the bill... "I think the safety
of our bicycle friends is more important than an incident that happened years ago," he said. ...
Syverson said he's gotten e-mails protesting his proposed bill from the Netherlands, Maine,
Michigan, California, Washington and Missouri. He said due to the heavy opposition to the
registration fee, he will suggest an amendment deleting that part of the bill.
--Karen M. only five states??
