Tomorrow, the D.C. Council’s Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary will hold a hearing on proposed legislation that would increase civil actions available to cyclists who claim to have been assaulted or intimidated by drivers. But Councilmember Phil Mendelson (D-At Large), who will chair the hearing, says that he is “not sure what the bill does,” noting that civil and criminal remedies already exist for cyclists who are hit by drivers.

Mendelson remained open to insights from the city’s cyclists, and said that any conflicts between cars and bicycles would not fade quickly.

“I think we’re going to be struggling with car-bike relations increasingly for some time, because this city has done a lot to promote bicycle use. We’re going to see a lot more accidents and many more complaints and we have to figure out what the solutions are,” he said.

The Washington Area Bicyclist Association, which has advocated for the law, said that the current system does not offer cyclists any workable remedies, and that changing the economic incentives in civil cases would move toward accomplishing said remedies.

In late September, the D.C. Office of Police Complaints released a report in which it said that police officers should become more aware of cycling related laws and more carefully investigate when cars hit cyclists. That report stemmed from a hearing in February held by Mendelson.