Sacramento State freshman Meshach Brown was almost swiped by a car on 64th Street and Folsom Boulevard. He said it was the second time in less than two weeks a car sped dangerously close while commuting on his bicycle.

Now one California assemblyman is helping bicyclists with Assembly Bill 1371.

According to Assemblyman Steven Bradford who wrote in a statement, motorists practice unsafe passing of bicyclists. They pass very closely and endanger not only bike riders, but put everyone on the road in danger of an accident.

“Bicyclists continue to be subject to harassment by aggressive drivers who drive too close to them,” Bradford wrote.

It could be easier and safer for students to ride a bicycle to school since Gov. Jerry Brown recently signed legislation into law.

The bill, authored by Bradford, establishes the Three Feet for Safety Act for motor vehicles passing people on bikes across the state.

The new law says if a motor vehicle overtakes and passes a cyclist, the driver of the vehicle must consider the size and speed of the vehicle and bicycle, as well as take into account traffic conditions, weather, visibility and narrowness of the road.

If the vehicle is unable to pass, the driver should slow to a reasonable speed and pass only when doing so would not infringe on the bicyclist’s safety.

Penalties for drivers who violate the Three Feet for Safety Act include a $35 fine. If a driver collides with someone riding his or her bike, the motorist could get a $220 fine, if proven responsible for the accident.

According to the fact sheet prepared by Bradford’s staff, “Common perceptions from motorists are that bicyclists should be required to move out of the way of automobile traffic or ride on the sidewalk. In reality, bicyclists have a right to share the roadways with motorists,”

Meshach Brown said if people felt safer, more people would ride their bikes in Sacramento.

“The law should probably do more,” Meshach Brown said. “It doesn’t do enough.”

Ricky Martinez, a junior transfer student, said he commutes on his bike everyday, sometimes twice a day.

“The people are afraid,” Martinez said. “With a new safety law, they might be more willing to ride a bike.”

Another bill, AB 206, authored by Assemblyman Roger Dickinson, will give commuters more options. It allows Sacramento Regional Transit to fit three bicycles on each bus – one more than the current bike racks can hold.

Currently, students who catch the bus via bicycle wait at the stop to find out the bike rack is full.

Meshach Brown said he could wind up being a half hour or more late if he had to wait for another bus.

Junior English major Eunsce Murimi said she would have to ride her bike at least an extra six miles if she was refused from boarding the bus for lack of bike space.

“It will definitely help to be able to put more bikes on the bus,” Murimi said. “It’s a real necessity for adequate room for people who need transportation.”

To environmental groups who supported this bill, it is not only about increasing options, it is also about decreasing the number of motor vehicles on the roads everyday.

Kathryn Phillips, director of Sierra Club California, said the club supports the law because it encourages people to use Regional Transit.

The Sierra Club has set goals to decrease pollution from automobiles, including minimizing street runoff from brake linings and oil that go into the water system and meeting state and regional targets for air pollution reduction.

Phillips said another bike on the bus allows one more person to use transit.

“Sierra Club wants to get people out of single-occupant vehicles to reduce air pollution and decrease greenhouse gas from automobiles,” Phillips said. “No single piece of legislation does much, but it’s part of a big puzzle and makes a contribution.”

Still, Phillips said there is inadequate room for bikes on Regional Transit light rail and buses.

Larry Robinson, program coordinator for the Land Use and Transportation unit of the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management Districts, said Sacramento needs more options to accommodate the increasing number of people choosing to bike their commute.

Robinson said a lot of people would have to walk 30 minutes to a bus stop or they could take a five minute bike ride instead. But if the racks are full, they cannot get on the bus, which discourages people from riding.

“The number one cause of air pollution is vehicles,” Robinson said. “In Sacramento, 70 (to) 80 percent of smog literally comes from vehicles. We need to give people options. This bill allows more people to use transit. More people can leave their car at home.”