Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA) reports:
– HB661 advanced to House Transportation Committee. Bill includes three safety provisions which are Virginia Bicyclist Federation (VBF) priorities: Bicyclist Safety Yield, Bicyclist Proceed on Walk Signal, and Riding Two Abreast.
– language in HB269 to regulate e-bikes is likely to change. VBF prefers HB1120, so controls on inappropriate use of motorized bikes do not create excessive impacts on appropriate use of e-bikes. Florida Bicycling Federation has more details on how to keep e-bikes and “e-motos” separate.
Virginia Bicycling Federation also reports:
– HB812. requiring riders to obey bicycle traffic signals at intersections, advanced to House Transportation Committee
– HB1012 did not advance. It would have directed Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) to prioritize in Northern Virginia (Planning District 8) the removal of snow and ice from certain state-maintained sidewalks and crosswalks defined as a school access corridor. (Sidewalk above is outside WalMart next to Unity Reed High School, 5 days after snow fell last Sunday.)
– SB832 passed the Senate Transportation Committee and was referred to Finance and Appropriations. It requires VDOT to identify vulnerable road user safety zones and place automated traffic enforcement systems (such as cameras) in them.
Also, SB393 (Virginia’s Great Outdoors Act) proposing $50 million in state funding for trails, died in the Senate Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources committee. In the House of Delegates, HB641 has been referred to the Finance Committee and scheduled for a hearing at Subcommittee #1 on February 9.