By Alyson Thomson

On a beautiful Sunday morning last July, South Norfolk resident Peg Papanek decided to take a ride out to the Catskills on her customized Harley Davidson. However, this side of Canaan she was pulled over by a state trooper and handed a $75 ticket for having handlebars over the height of 15 inches. In the three years that Papanek had owned and ridden many thousands of miles on her bike this had never happened before. As she continued her ride that day she decided that if she didn’t like being ticketed for what she considered a pointless, archaic law, she should do something about it.

Papanek felt very strongly that the law restricted her right to choose handlebars that she considered were both the safest and the most comfortable for her. Papanek likes what are referred to in biker parlance as “ape hangers,” which are about 18 inches high. She has them adjusted so her hands are in a similar position to a steering wheel on a car, with hands at ten and two o’clock.  Riding with the lower “regular” handlebars strained the back, arm and neck muscles that Papanek uses in her profession as a self-employed massage therapist.

Peg Papanek, a driving force for change.

In the following days, Papanek spent hours researching on the internet to see what handlebar height restrictions there were in other states. She quickly discovered that 20 states have the same law as Connecticut, restricting the height to 15 inches. Fourteen states, including New York, have recently changed their height requirement to shoulder height and another 16 states have abolished the restriction entirely. She was unable to find any information as to why the 15-inch standard was chosen. Bikers, like the rest of us, come in very assorted heights and sizes.

Next Papanek approached bikers themselves at motorcycle gatherings. She went to Harley Davidson dealerships and bike repair shops and discovered there was a great deal of support for getting a change in the law. But Papanek had no idea where to start, so she talked to people outside Connecticut who had successfully had the height restriction changed in their states. She was advised to begin by approaching her own State Representative.

To Papanek’s delight, George Wilber was both sympathetic and extremely helpful. He offered to sponsor a handlebar bill to change the law, and put her in touch with his legislative assistant. Through him, Papanek learned the ins and outs of the legislative process, and how to express her questions in “legislative language” in readiness for her appearance at the public hearing. She also approached a Connecticut motorcycle insurance company and a law firm that represents motorcyclists for more information and advice.

Meanwhile, Wilber ordered a legislative research report be done on the history and safety of motorcycle handlebars. The 12-page report concluded that there are no safety issues around high handlebars. True to his word, when the legislature met again in January, Wilber, together with Representative Bruce Zaleski, sponsored Handlebar Bill 6937.

Papanek was hoping for a complete repeal of the restriction law. However, at the first public hearing in February she met a representative from the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) who told her that they would not support this. Subsequently the legislature’s Transportation Committee decided to replace the 15-inch handlebar height restriction with a shoulder-height restriction and included this provision in a DMV amendment bill. The bill passed both houses without opposition and was been signed into law by Governor Jodi Rell on July 1.

In less than one year since receiving her ticket, this very active and determined member of the Norfolk community has managed to change a law she didn’t like. And what of her feelings for the state trooper who issued the ticket in the first place? Papanek bears him no ill-feeling. Instead she is grateful for the opportunity he gave her to get more involved with the biker community, and for launching her on a steep learning curve through the legislative process in Connecticut. Who knows when this knowledge might be useful again? As an appreciative biker might say: “Go, girl!”

Photos by Matt Papanek.