The Virginia Bicycling Federation and RideRichmond will be holding a press conference on current bicycle bills and Bicycle Action Day rally tomorrow, Tues. Jan. 29, 10:30am. Download the press release, and please share.

PRESS ADVISORY: PRESS CONFERENCE ON BICYCLE BILLS
TOMORROW, JANUARY 29TH, 10:30AM 

The press conference will be held in House Briefing Room at 10:30am, followed by a rally and opportunity for cyclists to engage legislators and their aides. The rally will begin at 11:00am and will end at 12:00pm. All Senators and Delegates below will be in attendance to discuss and answer questions on the bills.

The event will focus on informing legislators and their aides on the significant economic impact bicycling has on our Commonwealth; positive benefits cycling has on Virginia citizens including military recruitment, health, and environmental impact; as well as the need for legislation that protects cyclists under the current Virginia code of having the same rights and responsibilities as motor vehicles.

Current advocacy issues will be discussed in detail at the press conference. These topics include:

• SB736, Patroned by Sen. Chap Petersen (D-Fairfax)
  • This bill intends to prevent collisions when a car door is swung into the path of a traveling vehicle.
• SB1060, Patroned by Sen. Bryce Reeves (R-Spotsylvania)
  • This bill intends to prevent collisions from a motor vehicle following a cyclist more closely than reasonable.
  • This bill intends to make the minimum passing distance when overtaking a cyclist three feet.
• HB1950, Patroned by Del. Alfonso Lopez (D-Arlington)
  •  This bill intends to prevent collisions from a motor vehicle following a cyclist more closely than reasonable.
• HB2041, Patroned by Del. Eileen Filler-Corn (D-Fairfax)
  • This bill intends to provide flexibility for creation of bikeways to public recreation areas and historical sites.

RideRichmond, Virginia Bicycle Federation, BikeVirginia, and other groups across the Commonwealth are united in protecting the freedoms of cyclists through making Virginia a safer and better place to enjoy bicycling.

Champe Burnley, President, Virginia Bicycling Federation:
“Making it safe for a child to bike to school, safe for a mother to cycle to the market for a gallon of milk, safe for someone to leave the car at home to commute to work on a bicycle is simply common sense public policy. I hope the General Assembly will support our efforts to make this a reality.”

Tom Bowden, President, BikeVirginia:
“If Virginia wants to compete with other states as a place where people want to live, to work, relocate their business, or to raise their families, the Commonwealth must provide them with safe, affordable and viable means of transportation. A multimodal infrastructure which includes the option to safely ride a bike is essential.”

Cycling has a number of positive benefits. Given the fact that the number one reason U.S. Army recruits are rejected is due to obesity, cycling is not only fun, but also an excellent cardiovascular workout that positively contributes to our national defense and security. As Governor McDonnell notes, with a large active duty and veteran military presence across the Commonwealth, this is something that must not be overlooked. Additionally, cycling helps cut our dependence on foreign oil. Legislation that protects human cyclists on the road creates incentives for increased ridership, decreased obesity, and decreased dependency on foreign oil. 

The time is now for the General Assembly to take cycling seriously as a transportation choice. If Virginia is truly committed to remain at the forefront of business friendly states, it must make a commitment to cycling and other transportation choices. We cannot pave our way out of congestion – we must encourage cycling, walking and public transit for our fiscal and physical well-being. Young creative workers will not move to or remain in a state that limits their transportation choices. Enlightened businesses know this, and increasingly, they seek to locate in bike friendly states and communities. Virginia will not remain the best place to do business with a narrow-minded and outdated transportation policy. Bikes mean business.

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Michael posted his own report yesterday. Bud Vye is our Advocacy Director, and point man in the legislature. Here’s his:

In the Senate Transportation Committee this afternoon, after hearing a thorough explanation of the Governor’s Transportation Funding Bill from Transportation Secretary Connaughton prior to it being referred to the Senate Finance Committee, and having a number of the more than 30 bills that were originally on the docket either stricken at the request of the patron, passed by for the day, or referred to another committee,

SB1060/Reeves, the Three Foot Passing and Following Too Closely bill was heard and quickly REPORTED (on a 14-0 vote) as only Tom Bowden on behalf of Bike Virginia, and I spoke briefly in support of it.

SB731/Carrico, which would ban Mopeds from all highways with speed limits in excess of 35 mph, was Passed by Indefinitely (Killed) by a 14-0 vote as I was the only one to speak against it, but the Committee Chairman responded that such a ban statewide would impose a real hardship on the people who ride them, and although Sen. Carrico has a problem with mopeds in the mountainous area he represents, a statewide ban is much too severe.

SB1038/Newman, was the final bill of the day, and several other bills were rolled into it, pertaining to the category of UNCONVENTIONAL VEHICLES, which includes ATVs, Mopeds, off road motorcycles and scooters. This bill was reported, and covers a wide range of requirements for these vehicles, which include for mopeds —– operator must be licensed, wear a helmet, with face shield or safety glasses, and may not carry more than one passenger. All of these recommendations have come out of a study committee that has been working over the past year. I cite the bill only for information, since none of its provisions pertain to bicycles.

Breaking: SB1060 is up for a vote on the House floor and needs your support now. It has already passed the Senate.

We are happy to report that SB1060 was passed unanimously out of the Senate Transportation Committee today. This law includes bicycles as a vehicle that drivers of a motor vehicle should not follow more closely than reasonable. Additionally, it updates the minimum passing distance of a cyclist from 2-feet to 3-feet. As this adds the 3-foot passing provision, we favor this bill over HB1950. Regardless, both are excellent bills and we are thankful to Delegate Lopez, Delegate Keam, and Senator Reeves for their respective bills. This now moves to the full Senate floor for vote.

We are also happy to report that SB731, limiting mopeds to travel on highways with speeds 35mph or less, was effectively killed today (also unanimously) until next session. This negatively affects citizens’ access to their place of work. If this were passed, it could create a slippery slope that may affect bicyclists as well.

A HUGE thank you to all of those who participated in the action alerts over the past couple of days. The General Assembly typically posts the docket the night before, so sending an email to your legislator is critical, and there is not a lot of time to do so. If you are curious who your legislator is, follow this link. A quick email may seem small, but legislators truly value hearing from their constituents.

A complete list of members, including email addresses, on Senate Transportation Committee is here.

A complete list of members, including email addresses, on House Transportation Committee is here.

Breaking: SB1060 is up for a vote on the House floor and needs your support now. It has already passed the Senate.

SB1060 passed Senate Transportation Committee with 100% support! Read reports from Michael and from Bud.

The Virginia Senate Transportation Committee will consider two bicycle-related bills on Wednesday afternoon (1/23/13).

You can identify and contact your state legislators from the Who’s My Legislator page.

If your Senator is listed below, call or email them directly.  Otherwise, you may also call or bulk email the entire 14-member committee by simply copying the email addresses on this page and pasting them into your email program.

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