HB1811/Del. Collins’ House version of the bill to ban the use of hand held personal Communication devices while operating a vehicle was reported out of the House Courts committee today by a 14-3 vote, with Dels. Carroll Kilgore, Gilbert, and J.L. Campbell in opposition, and Carroll Foy not voting.

The only debate on the bill was caused by Del. Gilbert’s concern that a number of citizens may not have hands free communication capability in their cars for several years so he offered an amendment that would make an exception for drivers with older equipment like flip phones if they were communicating with their phone on their shoulder and not holding it in their hand. [continue reading…]

Not sure my heart can take all this good news at one time, starting with the defeat of the Hilbert-Gray ordinance in Richmond City Council on Monday night by a 6-3 vote with a number of RABA members included in what one account called 65 and another called “over 100” who testified against the proposal which would have permanently barred the installation of bike lanes on about 3.5 miles of Brook Rd. in Richmond’s Northside.

As Champe Burnley noted to me today, it wasn’t that long ago that he and I might have been among only a handful that would have been there to testify, and how heartwarming it was to see how far we have come in expanding the number of people who turned out to express their interest in continuing to expand the city’s bike infrastructure. [continue reading…]

Late on the House Trans Sub 1 docket, which started at 7 a.m., Del. Plum from Reston presented HB 2155, which would prohibit a motor vehicle from passing a vehicle stopped at a marked crosswalk. Champe Burnley representing VBF, and I, representing RABA, spoke in favor of the bill, while most of the opposition to it came from SubComm Chair Dr. Scott Garrett of Lynchburg, who has rarely, if ever, supported one of our bike or pedestrian safety bills. Most of his opposition to this bill as unnecessary cited the example of 9th St. right outside the building, which above Bank St. is one way and has 3 lanes going up the hill with many vehicles in the left lane turning left at Grace, while the vehicles in the other two lanes continue straight on up the hill to Broad. With a crosswalk coming from the Capitol grounds across 9th at Grace, all of whose occupants have good sight distance to cars coming up the hill toward them, Del. Garrett saw no need why cars turning left would need to stop for pedestrians coming across the 9th St. crosswalk.

Since this example was in no way related to the problem we were trying to solve where people on the W & OD Trail were crossing 4 lane streets in crosswalks, it was frustrating to me to see Del. Garrett get hung up on it and lead the other R’s on the sub comm to kill the bill by a 6-4 vote along party lines. [continue reading…]

Not feeling up to par on Wednesday, and knowing it would be a long day, I left it up to Champe to make the trip down there and cover both the Senate Transportation and the House Courts Committees. With the setup now during the construction of the new GAB building, both committees are held right across the hall from each other in the lower level of the Capitol, so it’s easy to go back and forth between the two.

With both scheduled for shortly after adjournment of each house, Senate Trans went first but SB 1550, Surovell’s Vulnerable Road user bill was not heard until after the Driver’s Card bill, which is supported by a large turnout of the Hispanic community and always requires a lengthy discussion. It would require such drivers to register and receive a Driver’s Privilege Card (not a Driver’s License, but similar to one, except that they would not have the right to vote) upon proof of insurance and legal presence in the U.S. As in the past, the bill went down on a party line vote (7-6), with all the R’s voting against it. [continue reading…]