Thursday, July 2, 2015
New Bike-related laws effective July 1
Among new Virginia laws that went into effect on July 1 are two that are bicycle-related. 46.2-816 was modified to ensure that motorists don't follow a bicyclist too closely by removing a single word, "motor" before the second occurrence of the word vehicle:
46.2-816. Following too closely.
The driver of a motor vehicle shall not follow another vehicle, trailer, or semitrailer more closely than is reasonable and prudent, having due regard to the speed of both vehicles and the traffic on, and conditions of, the highway at the time.
The second law, 46.2-804, now allows a motorist to safely pass a bicyclist by crossing the solid yellow line. The change is official recognition of common behavior by motorists:
Labels: 2015 legislative session, double yellow line, follow too close
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
Legislative Update from VBF - 11 Feb
Senate Bill 1220, Following Too Closely, was voted out of the House Transportation Committee with a vote by the full House expected later this week. The identical House version, House Bill 1342, was voted out of the Senate Transportation Committee and a vote is also expected later this week.See the full report from VBF from Bud Vye, including a call to action for NoVa cyclists. You can also see the status of all bike-related bills using VBF's bike bill spreadsheet:
"...we have only SB781 “Crossing the Double Yellow Line” and SB882 “the Dooring bill”, both of which will be heard in House Trans Sub2 next Monday. As usual, we can use the help of our Northern VA folks to ask Del. LeMunyon’s support and our Hampton Roads folks to ask Del. Taylor’s so we can get these bills out of this Sub Committee, which would appear to be our last major obstacle."
Labels: 2015 legislative session, follow too close
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Following Too Closely bill fails in Senate
While we're excited about the passage of the Three Foot Passing bill, SB 97, we were very disappointed that the Following Too Closely bill, HB 82, failed to report out of the Senate Committee on Transportation.The bill, sponsored by Del. Barbara Comstock of McLean, was approved by the House by a vote of 68-28. Since similar bills have passed the Senate in prior years, we were hopeful it would be approved this year. Unfortunately it failed to report by a vote of 11-4.
Objections were raised about enforceability. In our view, it would be easy to enforce if a cyclist were struck from behind by a motorist. It would be one less argument a motorist could use for hitting a cyclist since it would be illegal to do so. Currently tail-gateing of bicyclists is not illegal in Virginia; it's illegal in all other states.
See the Post article about the bill: More bike legislation scuttled by Virginia lawmakers.
From VBF:
After a decent amount of discussion, and several responses to questions by the State Police Rep to the effect that it was sometimes difficult to do so, but that it was as enforceable as a number of other laws, Sen. Newman of Lynchburg weighed in to the effect that it was primarily an Education problem and that he was suggesting that the bill be referred to some Accountability Commission that I am not familiar with, (and may have the name incorrect for).
Once VBF reports on the next steps for the bill, we'll pass it on.Thanks to Delegate Comstock for sponsoring the bill and working with the bike community to refine the language and work the bill through the House.
Labels: delegate comstock, follow too close, hb 82
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Three Foot Passing bill clears House Transportation Committee; Following Too Close bill fails in Senate
Please contact your Virginia Delegate and ask them to support this bill. To find out your Delegate see a link at the top of the Virginia General Assembly page or visit WABA's action page.
Unfortunately House Bill 82 was defeated in the Senate Transportation Committee. See Virginia Bicycling Federation's account of the vote. Thanks to Delegate Barbara Comstock who sponsored the bill and worked with cyclists to try to get it passed.
Labels: delegate comstock, follow too close, hb 82, sb 97, three feet to pass
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Following Too Closely bill still alive in Senate
See the Virginia Bicycling Federation update about HB 82, Following Too Closely, introduced by Delegate Comstock of McLean, being reconsidered in the Senate tomorrow, Wed. Feb. 26. The bill passed the house earlier. Please also visit the WABA alert page to register your support.Below is from the VBF update:
Also available as a Word document, please share and use this to get constituents to write to Senate Transportation Committee members, before their meeting Wednesday afternoon, 2/26.
To the Chairman and members of the Senate Transportation Committee of the 2014 Virginia General Assembly:
The Virginia Bicycling Federation respectfully offers the following points for the consideration of the Senators serving on the Senate Transportation Committee with respect to HB 82, known as the “Following Too Closely Bill”
1. This is a simple bill. One word would be removed from the existing § 46.2-816. The statute, as amended, would then be consistent with the Uniform Vehicle Code, which provides, in part:
Uniform Vehicle Code § 11-310— Following too closely
(a) The driver of a motor vehicle shall not follow another vehicle more closely than is reasonable and prudent, having due regard for the speed of such vehicles and the traffic upon and the condition of the highway.
2. Virginia is the only state that explicitly declines to protect all legal users of the roadway from unreasonable and imprudent motorists. 48 states follow the UVC language, and Alabama has vague language, i.e. “driver of a motor vehicle shall not follow … ‘another’ more closely than is reasonable and prudent….” Alabama’s statute then uses “vehicle” elsewhere in the statute – which may be interpreted as meaning that the “another” refers to “another vehicle.”
3. Without this amendment, §46.2-816 is in direct conflict with §46.2-800 which grants the operator of a bicycle, electric personal assistive mobility device, electric power-assisted bicycle, moped, or an animal or driving an animal on a highway the same rights and duties of a driver of a motor vehicle.
4. There is no reason to believe that the proposed revised statute would be any more difficult to enforce than the current statute, which is routinely enforced against drivers who rear-end other drivers. The Virginia State Police have testified, through their representative Danny Glick, that the enforcement of the revised statute would not pose any particular problem.
5. The Senate Transportation Committee has voted overwhelmingly in favor of previous versions of this bill in 2011 (15 -0) and 2012 (14-0) by many of the same committee members now serving. In the Senate, the bill was approved by margins of 40-0 in 2011 and 28-12 in 2012.
6. According to http://novasmartcycling.blogspot.com, the City of Virginia Beach requested this legislation in its Requested Code of Virginia Changes for 2010 and 2011.
For the foregoing reasons, on behalf of Virginia’s cyclists and others who choose not to, or cannot, operate motor vehicles, we, the Virginia Bicycling Federation, respectfully ask you, our elected representatives, to correct this glaring inconsistency within the Virginia Motor Vehicle Code. There is, quite simply, no rational basis for failing to pass this bill.
Labels: delegate comstock, follow too close, hb 82
Sunday, February 16, 2014
Support bike bills in VA legislature
Virginia Delegates and Senators: Support Bicycling!
Virginia bicyclists: now is the time to act. The Virginia legislature is considering three separate bills which addresses street safety for bicyclists. All three bills have survived their respective legislative body and now are crossing over sides. For this bills to become law, they must now pass out the House and Senate. Please take a moment and ask your elected represenatives to support the bicycling bills.
Support: HB 82 — Following Too Closely
This bill would require drivers of any vehicle to not follow more closely than is reasonable any other vehicle, including bicyclists.
Support: SB 97 – Three Foot Passing Law
This bill requires motorists to leave three feet of clearance while passing bicyclists. 22 other states and Washington, DC that have similar statutes require motorists to pass by three feet or more.
Support: SB 225 - Opening and closing motor vehicle doors.
If this law is enacted, drivers and passengers in Virginia will be legally required to exercise care when opening their car doors with respect to adjacent traffic. Dooring of bicyclists by drivers and passengers can cause serious injury and this bill seeks to reduce the potential of dooring.
Thanks to WABA and Virginia Bicycling Federation for their work on this effort.Virginia bicyclists: now is the time to act. The Virginia legislature is considering three separate bills which addresses street safety for bicyclists. All three bills have survived their respective legislative body and now are crossing over sides. For this bills to become law, they must now pass out the House and Senate. Please take a moment and ask your elected represenatives to support the bicycling bills.
Support: HB 82 — Following Too Closely
This bill would require drivers of any vehicle to not follow more closely than is reasonable any other vehicle, including bicyclists.
Support: SB 97 – Three Foot Passing Law
This bill requires motorists to leave three feet of clearance while passing bicyclists. 22 other states and Washington, DC that have similar statutes require motorists to pass by three feet or more.
Support: SB 225 - Opening and closing motor vehicle doors.
If this law is enacted, drivers and passengers in Virginia will be legally required to exercise care when opening their car doors with respect to adjacent traffic. Dooring of bicyclists by drivers and passengers can cause serious injury and this bill seeks to reduce the potential of dooring.
Labels: dooring, follow too close, hb 82, sb 225, sb 97, three feet to pass
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Following too closely bill moves to full House
Here is a summary from Bud Vye of Virginia Bicycling Federation:
HB82/Don’t follow too closely sailed right out of House Transportation this morning, 17 – 1, with Delegate Barbara Comstock carrying it, and with very little discussion. It now goes on to the House Floor, where EVERYONE in the state can contact their Delegates, giving them a heads up that the bill is on its way, and urging them to support it.
As mentioned previously, Del. Scott Garrett, who is the House Trans Sub 2 Chair, kept his record intact of never* having supported a bill that would help bicyclists or pedestrians, as he cast the lone dissenting vote.
A vote on HB 320, the bill to require motorists to stop at a crosswalk if another motorist is stopped, was delayed so that the language could be discussed further:
As mentioned previously, Del. Scott Garrett, who is the House Trans Sub 2 Chair, kept his record intact of never* having supported a bill that would help bicyclists or pedestrians, as he cast the lone dissenting vote.
The other bill on the docket that we are supporting did not have such smooth sailing, as Del. Kory’s HB320 which will penalize drivers who pass other drivers that are stopped at a RR Xing or Crosswalk with a Pedestrian in it, was Passed By for the Day, after some questions were raised by Dels. Hugo & Habeeb regarding the severity of the penalty. Although this bill was supported by the representative of the State Police about as strongly as he ever supports a bill, and is not really adding that much to the existing code, Chairman Rust gave the impression that the language needed some further discussion with the State Police.
Although being Passed By in this fashion is usually only a brief delay, I wasn’t clear if the motion meant until Thursday, or a full week until next Tuesday’s meeting.
Although being Passed By in this fashion is usually only a brief delay, I wasn’t clear if the motion meant until Thursday, or a full week until next Tuesday’s meeting.
Labels: follow too close, hb 320, hb 82, no passing at crosswalk
Monday, January 20, 2014
Following too closely and Don't pass a vehicle stopped at a crosswalk make it out of House Subcommittee
Two bills that will improve bike safety made it out of Virginia House Subcommittee 2 this morning. The two bills are HB 82, sponsored by McLean Del. Barbara Comstock, which changes the "following too closely" law so that it would apply to bicyclists, by removing a single word, "motorist." Virginia is the only state where it's not illegal to tailgate a bicyclist. FABB worked with Del. Comstock to ensure that only the second occurrence of "motorist" was struck from the existing language so that it would not apply to bicyclists following other bicyclists. Del. Comstock agreed to modify her bill to make this change.The second bill is HB 320 sponsored by Del. Kory, which makes it illegal for a vehicle to pass another vehicle that is stopped at a crosswalk. On many multi-lane roads cyclists and pedestrians have been struck when one car stops, the cyclist proceeds, and the second car does not stop.
The bills will next be heard in the full House Transportation Committee, possibly as early as tomorrow. Herndon Del. Rust is chair of this committee and it would be helpful, especially if you are a constituent, to send Del. Rust a note asking him to support these bills.
Thanks to VBF, Jeff Anderson of FABB, and others for speaking out at the committee meeting in support of these bills. It was an early morning for Jeff who left Vienna at 4:50 a.m. so he could get to the 7:00 a.m. meeting.
Labels: crosswalk, follow too close
Friday, January 10, 2014
2014 Virginia bicycle legislation
The Virginia legislative session began this week in Richmond. A number of bike-related bills have been introduced. FABB is working with Delegate Comstock, who introduced this year's version of the Following Too Closely bill. She has agreed to modify the bill in committee to ensure that it only applies to motor vehicles, not bicyclists drafting other bicyclists.HB277 would require motorists to actually stop for pedestrians or bicyclists in a crosswalk instead of simply yielding. HB320 would prohibit a motorist from passing another motorist who is stopped for a pedestrian or bicyclist in a marked or unmarked crosswalk. These could be an important changes for cyclists who use the W&OD Trail, or any other trail where it crosses multiple lanes of traffic. Often one motorist will stop for a cyclist but others will continue to zoom past. That could have been the case on Sunrise Valley Dr in Reston where cyclist Cat Freck was struck last year.
WABA published a summary of Virginia bike bills in Bike Legislation to Watch in the 2014 Virginia and Maryland Sessions. :
Virginia Bills:
HB 82 — Following Too Closely: This bill would require drivers of any vehicle to not follow more closely than is reasonable any other vehicle, including bicyclists.
SB 225 – Dooring Legislation: If this law is enacted, drivers and passengers in Virginia will be legally required to exercise care when opening their car doors with respect to adjacent traffic. Dooring of bicyclists by drivers and passengers can cause serious injury and this bill seeks to reduce the potential of dooring.
SB 97 – Three Foot Passing : Current Virgina law requires drivers to exercise care when passing vehicles, including bicyclists, and to give at least two feet when passing. This bill seeks to extend the passing distance to three feet, in line with D.C. and Maryland law.
HB277 – Pedestrians crossing highways: This bill would clarify the duties of vehicles to stop to allow pedestrians (and bicyclists) to cross highways at marked crosswalks. The full bill language helps to define many ambiguities that exist in current law.
HB320: Reckless driving; passing other vehicles at intersections: This bill seeks to amend the legal reckless driving statute by prohibiting a person from overtaking or passing another vehicle stopped at a marked or unmarked crosswalk at an intersection when a pedestrian (or bicyclist) is present.
HB 82 — Following Too Closely: This bill would require drivers of any vehicle to not follow more closely than is reasonable any other vehicle, including bicyclists.
SB 225 – Dooring Legislation: If this law is enacted, drivers and passengers in Virginia will be legally required to exercise care when opening their car doors with respect to adjacent traffic. Dooring of bicyclists by drivers and passengers can cause serious injury and this bill seeks to reduce the potential of dooring.
SB 97 – Three Foot Passing : Current Virgina law requires drivers to exercise care when passing vehicles, including bicyclists, and to give at least two feet when passing. This bill seeks to extend the passing distance to three feet, in line with D.C. and Maryland law.
HB277 – Pedestrians crossing highways: This bill would clarify the duties of vehicles to stop to allow pedestrians (and bicyclists) to cross highways at marked crosswalks. The full bill language helps to define many ambiguities that exist in current law.
HB320: Reckless driving; passing other vehicles at intersections: This bill seeks to amend the legal reckless driving statute by prohibiting a person from overtaking or passing another vehicle stopped at a marked or unmarked crosswalk at an intersection when a pedestrian (or bicyclist) is present.
Labels: crosswalk, dooring, follow too close, three feet to pass, virginia legislature
Saturday, February 23, 2013
2013 Virginia Bike Bills
The Virginia legislative session officially ends today. This morning the Senate will be voting on the Transportation bill, HB2313, which earlier passed the House by a vote of 60-40. That bill will have a significant impact on bicycling in Northern Virginia, both positive and negative. Bike facilities will be included in most proposed local transportation projects. Many of those project involve road widening and major grade-separated interchanges, both of which often make conditions worse for cyclists. |
| Sen. Chap Peterson who introduced dooring bill. Photo: Connection Newspapers |
Bicycle Bills in VA Legislative Session
Several bike bills were introduced at the start of the 2013 Virginia legislative session. Below is a brief summary of how they fared. See the VBF website for more details.
- SB 736, Motor vehicle doors; requires drivers and passengers to wait for reasonable opportunity to open—Also known as the "dooring" bill. Introduced by Senator Chap Peterson. Failed to report (defeated) in Transportation (7-Y 7-N)
- SB 959, Crossing highways: Allows local governing bodies to adopt ordinances requiring users of shared-use paths to stop before crossing highways at marked crosswalks. Passed by Senate 40-Y, 0-N and House 90-Y, 6-N. Awaiting Governor's signature. Sponsored by Sen. Favola. Text of the bill:
- D. Where a shared-use path crosses a highway at a clearly marked crosswalk and there are no traffic control signals at such crossing, the local governing body may by ordinance require pedestrians, cyclists, and any other users of such shared-used path to come to a complete stop prior to entering such crosswalk. Such local ordinance may provide for a fine not to exceed $100 for violations. Any locality adopting such an ordinance shall install and maintain stop signs, consistent with standards adopted by the Commonwealth Transportation Board and to the extent necessary in coordination with the Department of Transportation. At such crosswalks, no user of such shared-use path shall enter the crosswalk in disregard of approaching traffic.
- E. A locality adopting an ordinance under subsection D shall coordinate the enforcement and placement of any stop signs affecting a shared-use path owned and operated by a park authority formed under Chapter 57 (§ 15.2-5700 et seq.) of Title 15.2 with such authority.
- SB 1060, Following too closely; passing other vehicles—Introduced by Senator Bryce Reeves, includes the three foot passing requirement. Defeated by House 42-Y 55-N.
- HB 1950, Following too closely—House version of the bill. Introduced by Del. Alfonso Lopez, it removes a single word, "motor," from the existing bill. Engrossment refused by House (defeated).
- HB 784, Exercise due care—Introduced by Del. Alfonso Lopez, it "Requires drivers to exercise due care to avoid colliding with a pedestrian or the operator of a human-powered vehicle." This should not be too much to ask. Passed by indefinitely (defeated) in Transportation by voice vote
- HB 1495, Handheld personal communications devices; prohibits use while operating motor vehicle, etc..—Also known as "Texting while Driving," introduced by Del. Rosalyn Dance. Incorporated by Courts of Justice into HB1907 and passed by the House 92-Y, 4-N, 2-A. Passed Senate 28-Y 12-N
Labels: dooring, follow too close, virginia legislature, virginia transportation bill
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
"Following Too Closely" bill defeated in the House
SB1060, the bill to modify Virginia code to prevent motorists from following a bicyclist too closely, was defeated in the VA House by a vote of 42-55. The bill would have removed two words from the existing code text (46.2-816): "The driver of aAn earlier version of the bill removed only the second occurrence of the word "motor" which would have allowed a bicyclist to draft another bicyclist. Even with the removal of the second occurrence of "motor", bicyclists supported the bill.
Thirty Democrats (all but one not voting) and 12 Republicans voted for the bill. A special thanks to delegates representing Fairfax who voted for the bill: Democrats: Keam, Plum, Bulova, Kory, Watts, Filler-Corn, Sickles, Surovell, Brink, Lopez, and Scott. Republicans: Comstock and Rust. Voting against the bill: Republicans: Albo and LeMunyon. Delegate Hugo did not vote. If your delegate voted in support of the bill, consider sending them a thank you note.
Virginia remains the only states that do not have a following too closely law that applies to bicyclists. See more info about the vote at the Virginia Bicycling Federation site.
Labels: follow too close, sb1060
Friday, January 25, 2013
3 foot passing and following too close bill passes Senate
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"Following too closely; passing other vehicles. Includes bicycles, electric personal assistive mobility devices, electric power-assisted bicycles, and mopeds among vehicles that the driver of a motor vehicle shall not follow more closely than is reasonable. The bill also increases from two feet to three feet the minimum clearance between a passing vehicle and an overtaken bicycle, electric personal assistive mobility device, electric power-assisted bicycle, moped, animal, or animal-drawn vehicle."
The next step is approval by the full Senate. See the VBF reports on the bill. Thanks to VBF for monitoring progress of the bill and speaking out in support during the committee hearing.Labels: follow too close, three feet to pass
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Following too closely bill passes House Transportation Subcommittee
HB 1950 is the VA House bill that would modify the current bill on following too closely so that it would apply to bicyclists. Thanks to all the cyclists who responded to alerts sent out by FABB, WABA, and others to ask Del. Barbara Comstock to support the bill. She reported today that she voted in favor of the bill and that it passed unanimously in the House Transportation Subcommittee. This is a great sign of bi-partisan support and bodes well for the bill once it reaches the House floor. Your support was key in getting this bill past. Thanks to Del. Comstock for her support.Update: We've heard that there was a minor change in the bill that
Update 2: The similar Senate bill, SB 1060, does not contain this language. It also changes the vehicle passing distance from two feet to three feet. If this bill passes, then the two bills will be reconciled and there's a chance the language from HB 1950 could be changed.
Labels: delegate comstock, follow too close
Monday, January 14, 2013
Contact Del. Comstock to support "Following too closely" bill.
Del. Barbara Comstock is the only Fairfax member on that committee. She voted against an identical bill last year. Please contact Del. Comstock, 804-698-1034, to ask her to support this bill. Some members of FABB discussed this issue with her at a recent town hall meeting and we hope she will support the bill this year. Your message to her could help get this bill passed.
Virginia is the only state that does not have a law protecting bicyclists from motorists following too closely. The bill deletes the second occurrence of the word "motor" from the existing bill:
§ 46.2-816. Following too closely. The driver of a motor vehicle shall not follow another motor vehicle, trailer, or semitrailer more closely than is reasonable and prudent, having due regard to the speed of both vehicles and the traffic on, and conditions of, the highway at the time."
This would not prevent a cyclist from riding closely behind another cyclist in the common practice of drafting, as it only applies to drivers of "motor" vehicles.For more information on this bill read Following too closely talking points written by Allen Muchnick of Virginia Bicycling Federation from last year's session. HB 1950 contains the same wording.
See also the recent alert sent out by WABA:
The 2013 session of the Virginia General Assembly is now underway and is scheduled to conclude on February 23.
HB 1950 (Lopez), which would prohibit motorists from rear-ending bicyclists (i.e., following bicyclists "more closely than is reasonable and prudent"), may be heard by a 7-member House Transportation Subcommittee as early as 7 AM this Wednesday, January 16.
Virginia is the only state that does not prohibit motorists from following bicyclists too closely, yet this simple and common-sense legislation has repeatedly been defeated by close subcommittee votes in the Virginia House of Delegates.
Northern Virginia has three representatives on the 7-member subcommittee that will soon hear HB 1950:
1) Delegate Barbara Comstock (R-34th District, McLean), 804-698-1034,
2) Delegate Rich Anderson (R-51st District, Woodbridge), 804-698-1051,
3) Delegate Randy Minchew (R-10th District, Leesburg), 804-698-1010,
Please email and/or call the Richmond offices of these legislators to respectfully ask, as your representatives on this subcommittee, that they support HB 1950 to better protect bicyclists from rear-end collisions. Reportedly, of the 10 bicyclists killed in Virginia traffic crashes in 2012, 8 had been rear-ended by motorists.
You can also identify and contact your state legislators from the Who’s My Legislator page.
WABA
Labels: delegate comstock, follow too close
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Delegate Tom Rust to hold Town Hall meetings
Delegate Rust will be holding three town hall meetings over the next couple of weeks. Del. Rust has opposed the three foot passing bill in the past. As we noted in an earlier post, this year Del. Lopez will be introducing two other bicycle-related bills, "following too close" "exercise due care" Virginia is one of only a few other states without these provisions. Why not attend one of these town hall meetings and ask Delegate Rust to support these bills?- Monday January 7th: Joint Town Hall with VDOT who will review snow removal plans.
- Time: 7:00 pm
- Where: Rachel Carson Middle School, 13618 McLearen Road, Herndon
- Saturday, January 12th:
- Time: 9:00 am
- Where: Town of Herndon, Mary Ingram Council Chambers, 765 Lynn Street
- Saturday, January 12th:
- Time: 11:00 am
- Where: Sterling Community Center, 120 Enterprise Street
- Following too close — banning motorists from tailgating/intimidating cyclists. See Talking points on Following Bicyclists Too Closelyfrom 2012
- Vulnerable road user protection, and/or due care. See Talking points on Exercise Due Care bill (HB 784)
Labels: delegate rust, due care, follow too close
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
McLean Town Hall with VA legislators
On Wednesday, January 2 the McLean Citizens Association will host a Town Hall meeting with several local legislators, including Delegate Barbara Comstock. Delegate Comstock cast the deciding votes last year to kill two bills that would help protect bicyclists: 1. A bill that would prevent motorists from following a bicyclist more closely than is reasonable. Virginia appears to be the only state where bicyclists are excluded from "following too close" provisions; 2. A bill that "Requires drivers to exercise due care to avoid colliding with a pedestrian or the operator of a human-powered vehicle." Virginia is one of only four states without this provision.Both bills will be introduced again this year by Delegate Alfonso Lopez. Support from Delegate Comstock is key to their passage. Why not attend this meeting and ask Delegate Comstock to support these bills? The meeting is 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. at the McLean Community Center, 1234 Ingleside Ave, McLean.
For more information on these bills, see the talking points developed by Allen Muchnick of Virginia Bicycling Federation:
- Following too close — banning motorists from tailgating/intimidating cyclists. See Talking points on Following Bicyclists Too Closely from 2012
- Vulnerable road user protection, and/or due care. See Talking points on Exercise Due Care bill (HB 784)
Labels: delegate comstock, delegate lopez, due care, follow too close, mclean
Friday, September 21, 2012
Bicycle bills in upcoming VA legislative session
Delegate Alfonso Lopez (49th District) plans to reintroduce the "Exercise due care" and "Following too closely" bills again in the 2013 session. Both bills would help educate motorists about the rights of bicyclists and the need for motorists to drive carefully around them. Below is are the bill numbers and text of the bills from last year's session:- HB 784 Exercise due care; Drivers to exercise due care. Requires drivers to exercise due care to avoid colliding with a pedestrian or the operator of a human-powered vehicle.
- HB 785 Following too closely; Includes bicycles, electric personal assistive mobility devices, electric power-assisted bicycles, and mopeds among vehicles that the driver of a motor vehicle shall not follow more closely than is reasonable.
It's hard to argue against these bills, especially the bill that requires drivers to be careful around pedestrians and bicyclists. Unfortunately Northern Virginia Delegate Barbara Comstock (34th District) thought otherwise and cast deciding votes in defeating those bills last year.
Both delegates represent Fairfax County residents. Thanks to Delegate Lopez for his support. During the legislative session we'll be sending out information about how you can support these bills. We'll also be asking cyclists to contact Delegate Comstock to ask her to support Fairfax bicyclists. We're trying to schedule a meeting with her to discuss her objections to the bills last year.
Labels: delegate comstock, delegate lopez, due care, follow too close
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Del. Comstock once again helps defeat bike bill
McLean Del. Barbara Comstock (R-34th District) once again voted with her Republican colleagues to defeat this bill. She voted earlier to defeat the House version of the bill. One way to voice your displeasure with Del. Comstock's vote is to contact her office.
Del. Comstock also helped defeat the bill that would require motorists to exercise due care around bicyclists and pedestrians. This is the full text of the bill: "Requires drivers to exercise due care to avoid colliding with a pedestrian or the operator of a human-powered vehicle." Virginia is one of only three states without this provision.
Thanks to Virginia Bicycling Federation for following the various bicycle-related bills this year and for attending the many hearings, testifying in favor of several of the bills, and getting the word out to other cyclists.
Labels: delegate comstock, follow too close
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Support SB 566, three feet to pass
The Virginia Senate Transportation Committee will meet today at 2 p.m. to consider Senate Bill 566:Careless driving; following too closely; passing other vehicles. Creates the offense of careless driving as a Class 3 misdemeanor. The bill also adds bicycles, electric personal assistive mobility devices, electric power-assisted bicycles, and mopeds to the list of vehicles that the driver of a motor vehicle shall not follow more closely than is reasonable. Also increases passing distance from two to three feet.
According to Allen Muchnick of Virginia Bicycling Federation, the careless driving language will be removed from the Senate bill. The Even without the careless driving provision the proposed bill will benefit cyclists by helping to prevent harassment by motorists who follow or pass too close. Besides Sen. Ticer, the patron of SB 566,
For more information on contacting your legislators, see Allen Muchnick's response to a question from Alan Young on why it is important to contact committee members, even if you do not live in their district.
VBF if posting frequent updates on bicycle-related legislature.
Labels: careless driving, follow too close, sb 566, three feet to pass
