Sunday hunting bills are now dead for 2012. Thanks to all who came out to support bullet-free Sundays.

(Dear) Members of the House Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Committee:

On behalf of bicyclists and other outdoor users across the Commonwealth, I would ask you to oppose the various Sunday hunting bills being considered before the Committee.

There are approximately 310,000 licensed hunters in Virginia and another 40,000 non-licensed hunters according to DGIF estimates, out of a total population of over 8,100,000 residents in Virginia.  Reviewing DGIF statistics, the number of licensed hunters has been steadily decreasing from a high of 517,000 in 1988.  This means approximately four percent of Virginia’s citizens hunt and over 95% of our citizens do not.

Over the past 12 years, 600 hunters have been injured including 54 fatalities.

While the number of hunters is steadily decreasing, the number of citizens who engage in outdoor activities OTHER than hunting is growing. [continue reading…]

Update: the Petri-Johnson amendment has been defeated. But the current House bill will not survive the Senate, and the Senate has a bill of their own.

Once again, pro-highway forces in Washington are trying to cut all bike-ped funding from the federal transportation budget, as the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act heads through committee meetings and a vote this week. NRDC Switchboard calls it, “Worst. Transportation Bill. Ever.” Streetsblog DC calls it “A March of Horribles,” and a return to 1950s-era transportation policy; and they warn us, “This Is Not a Drill.”

We need you to act right now.

Contact your US Congress representative, and ask them to preserve federal bike-ped funding, by supporting the Petri Amendment. The Bikeleague has provided an automated form based on your zipcode, or you can find your representative and email or call them directly. [continue reading…]

A much smaller list of bills to be concerned with, as we approach the mid-point of the legislative session.

Still alive, and probably being heard this week, although dockets have not yet been posted, are…

Two bills in House Transportation Sub Committee 2 @ 7:00 a.m. on Wednesday:

• HB 706 Stop for Pedestrians in a Marked Crosswalk
• HB 785 Motorist not to follow a bicycle too closely

As we noted previously, Hanover’s Del. Cox chairs this 7 person Sub Comm, and it wouldn’t hurt if he got a few emails in support of both of these bills at deljcox@house.va.gov

Also on Wed., at 8:30 in House Agriculture…

HB 522 Motorized wheelchairs and other mobility devices to be permitted on trails (We support access on trails for the handicapped, but don’t want any loopholes that will permit other motorized vehicles on trails) Lee Ware from Powhatan is the only Richmond area delegate on this committee, & his email is dellware@house.virginia.gov

And then on Wed. afternoon, in Senate Trans. 1/2 hour after the full Senate adjourns (Usually about 1:15)…

SB633 Requiring helmets statewide for all cyclists age 14 and under (We are neither supporting or opposing this bill, feeling that 30 jurisdictions already have it, and it should be a local matter, rather than being mandated statewide)

On Thursday, in House Militia, Police, & Public Safety Sub Comm 2 at 7:30 a.m. it appears that we have 6 different bills restricting cell phone use by drivers. Ben Cline of Lexington is chair of this committee and can be contacted at delbcline@house.va.gov & Del. McQuinn of Richmond is on the 5 person sub comm. Her email is deldmcquinn@house.virginia.gov We are supporting these restrictions which seem to be making more headway year by year, so will see if any progress is made in this session.

Senate Ag. at 2 p.m. on Thursday we have SB571, requiring State Parks to set their camping fees not lower than nearby private campgrounds. We strongly oppose this bill, and our area has both Sen. Watkins (district10@senate.virginia.gov) & Sen. McEachin (district09@senate.virginia.gov) on Senate Ag.

We have two bills that we have in interest in, which have already passed the Senate and are awaiting Crossover to the House where we will probably see one of them (SB264 Motorist not to follow a bicycle too closely) in Sen. Cox’s sub comm at 7 a.m. on a Wed. morning.

The other awaiting crossover is SB464, the bill to repeal the ban on Sunday hunting on private land, with permission from the landowner.

We have opposed this bill, but it appears to have a lot of momentum behind it, and I will be surprised if it doesn’t sail on through the house, with the first stop being House Ag, on a Wed. morning, probably Feb. 8th.

Finally, a longer listing of all the bills we have followed that have FAILED or BEEN CONTINUED to next year, so we do not have to worry about them any more during this session:

• SB199 Stop for Pedestrians in Marked Crosswalks (we were ready to support this one, but the patron wasn’t happy with it and requested that it be continued)
• HB857 & SB101 Blacksburg to install contraflow bike lanes Both Withdrawn by the Patrons
• HB7 Bicyclist to proceed through red lights that don’t change Withdrawn by Patron
• SB333 Banning Mo-peds on highways higher than 35mph Withdrawn by Patron
• HB1225 State Parks to set camping fees not lower than nearby private campgrounds Withdrawn by Patron
• HB784 Drivers to Exercise Due Care not to collide with cyclists Failed in committee

A long list of Sunday Hunting bills have either been withdrawn or consolidated into SB 464, which appears to be the only remaining bill.

Thanks for the help of all who have made contacts. They have been helpful, particularly in having the bills listed above withdrawn.

Bud Vye, RABA & VBF Advocacy Director

Sponsored by Ride Solutions, the Roanoke Valley Regional Commission and the New River Valley Planning District Commission, the Roanoke Bike Summit will be held Monday and Tuesday, Feb. 27-28, at the Roanoke Higher Education Center. The purpose is to help area municipalities, universities and businesses work toward achieving a Bicycle Friendly award from the League of American Bicyclists. Target audience is officials and staff from these entities, and key citizen volunteers. But all are welcome, and the Summit is free of charge.

Three sessions will be offered: [continue reading…]