Please pass these bills that support cycling safety.

Chair and Members of the House Transportation Committee, I’m writing to urge you to support HB661 and advance it out of committee. These updates are practical, proven safety measures that will help protect people walking and bicycling on Virginia roads—especially at intersections, where too many serious crashes happen. Safety Yield (stop-as-yield for bicycling under limited conditions): A data-backed approach recommended by NHTSA and already used in multiple states. It improves predictability and reduces risky “full stop / restart” moments at intersections. Delaware saw a 23% reduction in bicycle-involved crashes after adopting it. Proceed on WALK signal (straight/right with yielding): Extends the intersection-safety benefits of Leading Pedestrian Intervals by allowing bicyclists to clear the conflict zone earlier—while still yielding to pedestrians and other traffic. Riding two abreast (clarified rules, keeping higher-speed restrictions): Improves visibility, promotes safer passing behavior, and helps families and less experienced riders ride more safely—without changing right-of-way rules. Delegate Carr’s HB812 (Bicycle Signal Faces): Enables VDOT to use bicycle signal faces where appropriate, improving clarity at intersections and reducing conflicts by giving people biking a clear, dedicated signal indication. These are common-sense, evidence-based steps that bring Virginia in line with best practices already working elsewhere. Please support HB661 and HB812 and vote to pass them out of committee.

I am in full support of bills HB661 and HB812. I have spoken to many people who would love to bike, but feel it is too unsafe. These bills take actionable steps to remedy that and make biking more accessible.

I believe HB661 is important for the safety of Virginia citizens, for both the bicyclists and the vehicle drivers who want to avoid the bicyclists. The law has been proven to be beneficial in other states and is recommended by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. I also believe in the importance for safety in HB812 and HB1010.

I am highly supportive of these bike safety improvement bills as they will help reduce crashes, increase visibility and make me and my family much safer while we are traveling by bike which is our main method of transport (we do not have cars). Please support these bills and all of the provisions in them. Thank you

Please support HB 661, HB 812, and HB 1010! As someone who frequently bikes, walks, and drives throughout the Richmond region and elsewhere in Virginia, these are common sense bills that have worked in other states and localities and will make our streets safer too!

I support and encourage the passage of HB661.

Please vote for these bills. People on bikes have been getting killed, we need better laws (and infrastructure) to support other non-car modes of travel.

I am writing in in support of both HB661 and HB812 as both someone who bikes on our roadways and who is a Professional Transportation Engineer focusing on bike facility design. HB661 will increase bicyclist safety by allowing bicyclists to clear the most dangerous part of the road, intersections, in a shorter time frame be it by conducting a "Idaho Stop" (treating stop sign as yield) or by using the walk signal if it is on. I am also happy to see two-abreast riding rule modifications but wish the scope was broader. Riding two abreast when in a group creates a shorter group that takes less time to pass. Please consider if this could fit into the bill. Regarding HB812, I am writing in to support this bill to allow clearer and more widespread use of bike signals. Bike signals allow engineers to eliminate conflicts at intersections by allowing for turning vehicles and bicycles to have exclusive phasing. This means that we can eliminate cars turning over a bike lane while someone is biking in it and prevent these crash types. Thank you! -Greg

I write in support of this bill, HB661, which would make bicycling safer and easier in Virginia. This is important to me because bicycling is a major way that I get around. I also support HB812 and HB1010. Thank you very much. --Peter Harnik

Testimony in Support of HB812 To the Members of the House Committee on Transportation: I am writing to express my strong support for House Bill 812, which legalizes the the use of bicycle signals in Virginia. Bicycle signals are already an option in the federal National Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), 11th Edition but state code needs to be updated to allow their use. This bill will provide much-needed legal clarity and bring our state's traffic control standards into alignment with federal guidance. By providing traffic engineers with this federally approved tool, Virginia can, where appropriate, proactively design safer intersections for all road users. Currently, Virginia law creates a problematic legal ambiguity for bicycle signals. VDOT has stated an Attorney General's opinion exists that states bicycle signals are effectively not allowed under the existing code. This is because § 46.2-800 generally treats bicyclists as drivers of vehicles on roadways, while § 46.2-904 grants them "all the rights and duties of a pedestrian" when on sidewalks or shared-use paths. This binary framework leaves no clear legal standing for a traffic control device intended specifically for bicycles. Consequently, agencies like VDOT feel they are prevented from employing these devices on state projects. HB812 directly resolves this conflict by establishing a clear rule: where a bicycle signal is installed, the person operating the bicycle must obey it. This change would provide the legal certainty needed for state and local governments to use these traffic control devices. HB812 does not require the widespread installation of bicycle signals but simply allows traffic professionals to use them where appropriate. Furthermore, the bill in no way negates a bicyclist's existing responsibility to yield to pedestrians or other traffic. Because they are timed for bicycle speeds, and not vehicles or pedestrians, bike signals provide a safer and more efficient method for controlling bicycle movements at complex intersections, particularly those with dedicated bicycle facilities like cycle tracks and separated bike lanes. For the safety of Virginians and to empower our transportation professionals with the full suite of modern tools, I urge you to vote YES on HB812. Thank you for your consideration. John Bolecek