Email/call in your support TODAY for VA SB 264 to make cycling safer

[A to the L]

Hi all – I was just alerted to a bill that’s being reviewed in subcommittee today that would help protect cyclists in VA from dangerous drivers (or at least educate drivers and hopefully help stop it).

I’ll include the email I sent in case you can use it to jump off of, and I’ll post the original alert I received below.

Thanks everyone & enjoy your rides!

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To: delbcomstock@house.virginia.gov, delranderson@house.virginia.gov, delrminchew@house.virginia.gov, DelJCox@house.virginia.gov, DelBCarr@house.virginia.gov, DelSGarrett@house.virginia.gov, DelJWard@house.virginia.gov

Subject: PLEASE SUPPORT SB 264 — from a resident & cyclist who would like safer roads for every user

Dear Honorable Delegates of the Transportation Subcommittee No. 2:

I am writing to respectfully ask you to PLEASE SUPPORT SB 264.

I live in Arlington and I use my bicycle to commute year-round to work, go shopping, and as a tourist to take in other scenic parts of our beautiful state.

Cycling via our bike lanes, routes, and trails is practical and allows me to ‘live locally’ as a community resident and consumer.

But as a cyclist in this area, I am often followed too closely, passed dangerously, and many drivers take chances when overtaking me at high speed or while distracted. This is despite having successfully taken courses to be a safe, predictable and good cyclist on the roads and in heavy traffic.

Please protect me and fellow cyclists to make our roads and communities safer via SB 264 as it would:
“1) help educate motorists to be considerate of all drivers and passengers of non-motorized vehicles,
2) make it clearly illegal to harass or endanger the driver or passengers of any legal vehicle by tailgating, and
3) help improve justice for the drivers and passengers of lawfully operating non-motorized vehicles (including bicycles) who are injured by negligent following motorists.”

Unfortunately, all these points are indeed relevant to my daily commute. That is why I ask you to please support SB 264.

Thank you for your consideration and time.

Sincerely yours,

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Dear Supporter,

SB 264 [ leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?121+sum+SB264 ], which would prohibit motorists in Virginia from following bicyclists “more closely than is reasonable and prudent”, was passed by the Virginia Senate on January 24, and is now before the Virginia House of Delegates.

This Wednesday morning (2/22), SB 264 will be heard by the 7-member House Transportation Subcommittee #2, the same body that killed an identical House bill (HB 785, Lopez) on February 1 in an unrecorded and partisan voice vote.

Three of the 7 subcommittee members represent Northern Virginia, and at least two of them (Comstock and Anderson) voted to kill the identical house bill. Their contact information is:

* Delegate Barbara Comstock, R-34, McLean: , 804-698-1034

* Delegate Richard Anderson, R-51, Woodbridge, , 804-698-1051

* Delegate Randall Minchew, R-10, Leesburg, , 804-698-1010

Please email and/or phone their offices TODAY, to ask them to SUPPORT SB 264, which would afford cyclists, moped riders, and other non-motorized vehicle users the same legal protection from negligent following motorists that now applies only to motor vehicle occupants. If Subcommittee #2 votes to report SB 264, passage by the full House Transportation Committee and then by the full House of Delegates is likely.

Detailed talking points on SB 264 are posted HERE: novasmartcycling.blogspot.com/2012/02/sb-264-talking-points.html

_______

Topic

[StopMeansStop]

I’m not buying this. There are already laws on the books that cover passing and safe distance. This bill is grandstanding and will only serve to fuel the “us vs them” fire. I’d much rather have the legislature spend their time on more fruitful bills, like the Idaho Stop.

[A to the L]

Just an update for those who might be interested – unfortunately the committee voted 4:3 not to send the bill forward.

That info is per one of the delegates who kindly wrote me back. I found the text on the bill tracking site to be more confusing in its wording, “02/22/12 House: Subcommittee recommends passing by indefinitely by voice vote”

Does anyone happen to know what the committee found to be unfavorable about the bill? I haven’t been successful in locating that info.

Thanks much.

[Author]

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