OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (BRAIN) — The North American Bikeshare Association is claiming another victory as an Oklahoma bill that would have pre-empted local control of dockless bikeshare did not make it to the House floor last week.
NABSA helped defeat similar legislation in the Florida Legislature earlier this year. Both bills would have pre-empted local government powers to regulate bike share.
NABSA's executive director, Samantha Herr, said, "Legislators in Oklahoma have sent a clear and powerful message that bike share needs to be regulated at the local level."
According to NABSA, the Oklahoma bill did not account for cyclists' safety, data privacy, right-of-way management, the needs of communities and other critical policies.
"As a leader in the bike share industry, NABSA works hard to encourage its members as well as advocates to share their voices and fight for safe, equitable bike share systems everywhere," Herr said. "This bill's defeat is a victory for the bike share industry, as well as users of bike share systems, to uphold the standard that bike share providers work with communities to develop the system that best meets each community's needs.
Following the defeat of the Florida bill, NABSA expelled bike share company Ofo from the association, saying Ofo violated association rules by lobbying in favor of the bill. Ofo also supported the Oklahoma legislation. A spokesman for Ofo said the company was entitled to have its own position on the legislation and said it chose to leave the group.
