HB1993/Janis “A driver who runs a red light is guilty of reckless driving” was Passed by Indefinitely by a unanimous vote this afternoon in the Senate Courts of Justice Criminal SubCommittee. This committee, which has a number of attorneys on it, generally felt that this bill was unnecessary, in that law enforcement already could charge a driver who ran a red light with reckless driving (if the situation was serious enough to warrant it — hit a vehicle, pedestrian, etc.) but should not be required to if the situation was not serious.
Had a chance to talk to Dels. Cox & Oder this afternoon.
Del. Cox has made his mind up, and feels that 2 feet passing is sufficient.
Del. Oder has been “beaten into submission” and will vote to report SB928, although he does not look forward to having to explain to the Speaker of the House (who apparently is opposed to the bill) why he is doing so.
Therefore, if Del. Cleaveland again supports the bill, we ought to get reported out by a 4-3 vote on Wednesday, and then go right to the House Trans. Comm. on Thursday morning. I think we have a shot at it there, although today’s newspaper article with the photo showing the small peloton riding two abreast while being passed is not helpful, as both Cox & Oder point to it as an example of what they are complaining about.
Several have shown concern about SB1234, which I believe is a Charlottesville request coming from their bicycle safety committee for permission to put opposite direction bike lanes on certain specific one way blocks if they should pass an ordinance to do so. My inclination is to support the bill and let that city do whatever they want in that regard, although it may have some difficulty getting reported from the SubCommittee.
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Regarding the unhelpful newspaper photo: I hope someone pointed out to Dels. Cox and Oder that the cyclists in that photo were not riding two abreast. Some were not excactly in line with the rider in front of them. But that doesn’t make for a “small peleton riding two abreast.”
As an aside, “peleton” refers to a large group of competitive and licensed cyclists participating in a sanctioned race usually run with official permission and police protection . It generally does not refer to a group of more or less organized recreational cyclists using public roads for their recreation. The latter group is usually the cause of friction between cyclists and motorists, not peletons in sanctioned races.
Spelling champ I’m not: “peloton,” of course (not “peleton”).