by Bud Vye
HB1270 — motorists to stop for pedestrians in crosswalks — was narrowly reported out of the House Transportation Committee on Tuesday by an 11-8 vote. A close look at the vote shows that all of the 8 opposing votes were by Republicans, and that three Republicans were not present.
All of the Democrats voted for the bill, and were joined by Committee Chair Joe May of Loudon and Edward Scott of Culpeper, both of whom are Republicans.
Bottom line, this vote may be very close on the House floor, which will be any day now, and persons who have voted one way in Committee have been known to change their vote when it gets to the floor.
PLEASE, everyone call their Delegate’s office ASAP and leave a message urging them to “support HB1270/Motorists to STOP for Pedestrians in Crosswalks” on the House floor.
If we can get a few Republican votes, we will clear this hurdle, and the bill will go all the way, since the companion bill SB644 is close to passage on the Senate floor.
Contact your delegates. Help spread the word. Forward this to your bike club and community mailing lists. Contact your town/city/county officials to alert them, and ask for their support. Use the “share this” link below to email this article, and bookmark it in social media. Blog this, or simply republish it.
This is a close vote — all it needs is a little push. So this time especially, your effort can make a difference.
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