Update: “Following Too Closely” is out of committee, and up for a vote on the House floor. Please contact your delegate.

With a very short docket for the last Transportation SubComm2 meeting of the session this morning at 7 a.m., SB1060, our “3 foot passing and don’t follow too closely” bill was presented first by Sen. Bryce Reeves. He did a nice job of presenting it, only to be followed by Del John Cox launching into the slide show on his lap top of RABA cyclists riding more than two abreast and refusing to fall into single file formation when being approached from the rear by a faster moving vehicle. He continued by noting that he took these photos himself on Blanton Rd. near his home, and that we also could take such pictures almost any Saturday or Sunday morning.

An unusual, and lengthy, discussion followed primarily between he and I with other committee members chiming in occasionally, during which I stated that neither RABA nor VBF condoned this type of riding, would like to see some tickets issued to enforce the code (but the law enforcement units in our area don’t seem to have time to do so) and don’t think that improper riding should prevent the passage of legislation which would improve the safety of cyclists on the highways.

Eventually Del. Cox brought the discussion [continue reading…]

Update: “3 Foot Passing” was removed from SB1060 and is now dead for 2013.

A big disappointment today in the House Transportation Committee as SB736/ the Dooring Bill was supported by me, Jay Paul, Tim Miller of 2015, Charlie Finley of the Motorcycle Dealers Assn., and Mark Blacknell of the Washington Area Bicycling Assn. only to have Del. Garrett of Lynchburg move, and Del. Cox of Hanover second the tabling (killing) of the bill. That motion failed by a 8-6 vote, leading me to believe that the bill might be reported by a similar margin. Alas, it was not to be as Del. Dudenhefer of Stafford reversed his vote on the motion to report, resulting in a vote of 7-7 meaning that the bill was not reported.

Probably most frustrating to me was the fact that 7 members of the 22 member committee were not present, including three who had voted for the bill in SubCommittee, and whose votes I had counted on. In fairness, I must report that several votes I was not counting on also were absent, so that had every one been there I think the vote would have been very close, and we may well have lost, but I would have liked to see everyone on the committee present and voting, just to see where they stand.

I then went over to the Courthouse, [continue reading…]

Thanks to everyone who so generously donated, Willis Church has their showers up and running! Look for a follow-up story soon.

Cyclists Evin Thompson (left) and Volkher Schlegel rest at a picnic table outside Willis United Methodist Church in eastern Henrico County. Richmond Times-Dispatch photo.

Willis Church in Varina is an important hospitality stop on the TransAmerica Trail (USBR 76), a day’s ride from Yorktown.  The Richmond Times-Dispatch tells the story:

The church has opened its doors to cyclists for years, offering a roof and a cool (or warm, depending on the season) place to unroll their sleeping bags. Bikers can sleep in Sunday school rooms or the fellowship hall, cook in the kitchen and enjoy the solitude of the sanctuary. When a couple of large groups passed through this spring, church members prepared a spaghetti dinner for the visitors and listened to stories from the road.

“It’s been a really interesting part of our ministry,” said the Rev. Mark Rooks, the Willis pastor. “We are blessed to be able to serve people, and churches do that in all kinds of ways. We serve these people by offering them hospitality. As a person of faith, you receive a certain amount of blessing from being able to do that.

“It’s not about raising money or trying to get new people to join our church because we’ll never see most of these people again. But that’s what makes it such a good ministry because it’s not about any of that. It’s just about sharing the love of Christ — just being welcoming and open.”

Scores of cyclists stop at Willis every year: young and old, big groups and riders traveling solo. This year, the first rider came through in April, heading west; the final cyclist of 2011, traveling east, arrived in December. The only thing the church asks is that the cyclists sign the guestbook, which is filled with names from faraway places and lots of gratitude.

Willis Church would love to provide showers, but the new facilities would be costly for the small congregation.  So the Virginia Bicycling Federation has kicked off the “shower fund” with a $500 donation. $500 more came from Bike Virginia, and another $300 from RABA. We’re asking cyclists to donate the rest of about $2300 needed.

Please help Willis Church build new showers.  Donate any amount through our donation page, and select “Showers for Willis Church.”

The New River Valley Bike Kitchen looks forward to a successful second year under new director James Glass, a local businessman and consultant.  He starts on Feb. 18.

Read more at Roanoke.com.

The Bike Kitchen is a community bike workshop in Christiansburg that provides recycled bikes for low-cost transportation.  It is a program of a the New River Valley Bicycle Association, a local bike club.  A matching funds grant from Americorps VISTA helps pay the director’s salary — an innovative approach to keeping such programs going.

The best way to keep up with Bike Kitchen happenings is to follow their Facebook page. [continue reading…]