There is a new law requiring drivers to give bicyclists at least three feet of room on Monroe County roads. 

The law is dedicated to Carrie Ray, a Brockport second grade teacher at Barclay Elementary who was struck and killed while riding her bike in October of 2019 on Sweden Walker Road. In Monroe County, at least 150 bicyclists are struck by vehicles every year, and resulting on average in four fatalities.

"It's my hope that this bill actually causes no more tickets to be written," Carrie's husband, Michael Ray, said. "That if this is able to educate one other person to take seriously the responsibilities, to share the road with others, that it's your responsibility to control your vehicle in a manner that keeps everyone around you safe, to be proactive instead of reactive, we won't have any more tickets to write and this bill will have done exactly what it needs to do."

“Carrie Ray’s 3-Foot Passing Law to Protect Bicyclists is a critical and life-saving piece of legislation,” Monroe County Executive Adam Bello said in a statement. “Unfortunately, New York State law doesn’t give concrete guidance about how much space we should give bicyclists on the roads – the law just says drivers must remain a ‘safe distance’ from cyclists. We all know that passing too closely is a dangerous and potentially deadly threat to cyclists and this new law defines a set standard distance that will help ensure that when our kids, spouses, moms and dads go out for a bike ride on a nice day, they are safer and better protected on our roadways.”

“This law puts Monroe County at the forefront of bicycle safety, as more than 30 states require a minimum 3-foot distance to pass bicycles," Legislator Rachel Barnhart said in a statement. "This law will raise awareness and provide clarity to drivers about how to safely share the road with cyclists.”

State law says drivers must maintain a safe distance from bicyclists, but this Monroe County law put a set distance drivers need to give bicyclists.