City did not repeal (yet) as it wants to retain the education
portion. The Mayor says they will repeal the helmet requirement after
the education isportion is implemented.
from http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/sited/story/html/257711
City Council does an about-face on bicycle helmet law repeal
2006-05-16
by JEFF CHEW
PORT TOWNSEND -- With Mayor Mark Welch swinging the City Council vote
4-3 Monday night against rescinding a controversial bicycle helmet
requirement, the council instead voted unanimously to develop a
comprehensive bicycle and motorist safety education program.
The safety education program is proposed to be devised by city staff in
60 to 90 days, at which time the council could choose whether the
proposal goes before the city Public Safety committee or Public
Transportation committee -- or both.
The action came after more than an hour of debate, with Welch riding
hard on bicycle and motorist education as being most important.
``I continue to not support a helmet law,'' Welch said.
The mayor said he was concerned that the education program would not be
developed expeditiously, and once that was done the council could then
repeal the bike helmet law.
``I want to see something happen in a brief amount of time,'' he said.
Original motion
Councilman Frank Benskin agreed with Welch, but Benskin's original
motion to postpone rescinding the helmet law until the city's Public
Safety Committee could address the matter failed.
``My motion is not a delaying tactic,'' Benskin said. ``I want to see
something happen.''
That motion failed 4-3, with Welch joining Michelle Sandoval, Scott
Walker and Catharine Robinson in opposition.
Sandoval, Walker and Robinson all supported rescinding the ordinance,
agreeing that they saw no use in it being left on the books while an
education program was devised.
``It was a bad law when it was passed last year,'' Sandoval said,
adding that it would remain bad if allowed to continue.