VTA Supports: 1. SB 281 - Senator Ebbin This is a much-needed bill to correct a conflict between state code and federal code. Until this conflict is resolved, transit agencies, presuming they have the capital to purchase new vehicles, now must purchase buses on the open market and spend more of their limited resources. We are already experiencing an international manufacturing, labor, and supply chain crisis. Delaying procurement places Virginia at the bottom of the waiting list for new vehicles just at the time the federal infrastructure bill funds are anticipated. 2. SB 488 - Senator McClellan Transit agencies are excited at the prospect of transitioning to zero-emission vehicles as capital funding comes available. Technical and cost issues need to be factored into the transition process. While there are no dedicated state funds now for this Transition Fund, it establishes the framework for transition and can accept federal, private, and foundational funds. The Transit Zero-Emission Transition Fund is not intended to be a capital fund to purchase fleet vehicles. It is intended to be a supporting yet critical additional sources of revenue to ensure a smooth transition to zero-emission vehicles.

I SUPPORT Senator Marsden's bills. I OPPOSE SB 362. I oppose this both as an advocate for better bicycling infrastructure and as a motorist. When two cyclists ride abreast, if I need to pass them, I spend HALF as much time in the other lane passing them. That makes it safer for me behind the wheel. If they have to ride single file, it will take me longer to pass them. This is completely passing over how overturning the provision that cyclists can ride two abreast makes cycling less accessible.

Support SAFETY. Say NO to SP362 and to more Mandates for Bicyclists. For bicyclists, especially younger riders, visibility is a high priority. Slow moving vehicles are more likely to be seen when driving their vehicles (horse drawn buggys, farm tractors, bicycles) near the middle of the lane. Motor vehicle drivers should always be in control of their vehicle. In the Western Part of the state, there is a chance that deer will be in the road. The Commonwealth of Virginia advocates for Healthy communities and Virginia is for Outdoor lovers. Say NO to more mandates for bicyclists.

In 2010, I was hit by a car while cycling. The car was trying to pass me while I was riding with a friend and the car hooked me because it didn't have enough space before an oncoming car approached. I was hospitalized with several broken bones that took years of physical therapy to be able to ride my bicycle again. Bicycles move surprisingly fast for most people in cars and lines of cyclists are hard to pass safely. If I was allowed to ride side-by-side that day, I would not have been hit. The responsibility to pass safely needs to reside on the driver and drivers CAN NOT do this. Hooking from cars kills cyclists. We should all oppose SB362.

I have been cycling in Richmond since I was a child and it has always been dangerous. HB2622 was a good step towards increasing the safety of cyclists and commuters. SB362 asks cyclists and commuters to turn around and check for car traffic constantly. This alone is dangerous. I ask any VA House/Senate delegate to go on a bike at commuting speeds (15+mph) and turn 180 degrees to check for traffic. You will find your bike heading into oncoming traffic or the ditch while checking for cars. SB362 is a dangerous bill that insists on cars owning the entire road and squeezing bikers/cyclists onto the side of the road or ditch. In Richmond, our streets are small enough that forcing us to dodge cars is counterproductive to sharing a road. Bicyclists are not obstacles. We are commuting. SB362 is to regress to the days where cyclists are not worthy of commuting and are to be pushed or run over. Virginia is slowly moving towards environmentally friendly commuting and SB362 asks cyclists to risk veering off the road to avoid getting hit by a car rather than asking the driver to simply wait a few seconds for an optimal passing window (something drivers have already been asked to do on roadways and highways for years). There is a reason why passing responsibilities on roadways, rivers, oceans, ski slopes, etc have always been given to the passing party: we do not burden people with the constant monitoring and anxiety of people behind us potentially hitting us. The legal burden to constantly monitor traffic behind us will get cyclists killed. SB362 is a death sentence.

I oppose SB 362, which would require groups of bicyclists who are traveling two-abreast on roadways to immediately move to single-file formation when approached from the rear by a faster-moving vehicle. Two-abreast bicycling is safer and preferable for many reasons, especially because standard travel lanes, which are only 10 to 12 feet wide, are not wide enough for a motor vehicle to safely pass even a solitary bicyclist, unless that motor vehicle FIRST SLOWS to the approximate speed of the bicyclist and then passes VERY slowly and carefully. Bicyclists require at least four or five feet of space to simply stay upright and travel straight, and the Code of Virginia requires motor vehicles to leave at least a three-foot safety gap when passing a bicyclist. Considering that an average sedan is AT LEAST seven feet wide (including both side mirrors), the MINIMUM space for a sedan to pass a bicyclist within the same lane is at least 14 feet (4 feet for the bicyclist, 3 feet for the safety gap, and 7 feet for the width of a sedan). Moreover, because the roadway edge often contains debris and potholes and is beside a ditch, it is not reasonable to expect people riding bicycles to often ride all the way to the right. Since safe same-lane overtaking of a bicyclist by a sedan traveling at a typical speed limit is not physically feasible at all, allowing two-abreast bicycling at all times--as enabled by the Bicyclist Safety Act (HB 2262) enacted in 2021--make perfect sense. In 2015, the Code of Virginia was changed to allow motorists to cross a solid-yellow centerline to carefully pass a bicyclist or pedestrian ahead on a two-lane roadway, and most drivers do readily cross the centerline to pass bicyclists safely when there is no closely approaching on-coming traffic (as they did prior to 2015). In short, motorists should pass a single bicyclist--or a group of bicyclists--in the same general manner that they pass a slower auto ahead; namely, by changing lanes. Nearly all adult bicyclists who ride in groups on rural roads are also frequent motorists who fully understand that following motorists dislike being slowed by a bicyclist ahead, even for a moment. Group-riding bicyclists are constantly vigilant to the possible presence of overtaking motorists and almost always actively cooperate with those motorists to facilitate their safe overtaking (and to discourage motorist overtaking when the conditions are unsafe). We bicyclists are well aware of the dangers of much heavier and faster following vehicles, and we have a very strong self interest in minimizing road rage among their drivers. Thus, no law is really needed to require bicyclists to get into single file formation. In fact, I will usually pull off the roadway entirely if two or more vehicles are backed up behind me. For our safety, however, we do not wish to ride single file until the following motorist has first slowed to bicycling speeds and thus can pass more safely. Thank you for considering my statement, and please oppose SB 362.

I am writing to express opposition to SB362, the bill that would undo much of the strides made with the riding 2-abreast portion of last year's Bicyclist Safety Act. Riding 2-abreast has been noted through several studies to be faster, and safer, for both cyclists and vehicles. As a comparison: Is it faster/easier to pass a tractor trailer? Or a car? When bikes are 2-abreast, it shortens the time necessary for a vehicle to pass the riders, which increases safety for all parties. Riding 2-abreast also allows families in particular added safety by allowing a parent to insulate a child from traffic, and have increased ability to communicate verbally with their child about any road hazards. I use this method often when riding with my own small children. The passage of the BSA last year included that vehicles must make a full lane change to pass cyclists. So it should not matter how many cyclists are next to each other in the lane. The car still needs to completely change lanes. Having riding 2-abreast as law self-policing the full lane change version of the BSA. Beyond all these benefits, there is the issue that the scenario presented as cause for the original bill may not even be true. https://vpm.org/news/articles/29809/lawmakers-change-gears-on-recently-passed-bike-law I am requesting that the Transportation subcommittee not allow this bill to advance in the interest of cycling safety throughout the Commonwealth.

Comments Document

The House approved the Bicyclist Safety Act last year by wide bipartisan majority, 75-24. Please let this law have a fair chance at its intended purpose of preventing crashes through increased rider visibility, efficient passing, and controlled overtaking. BSA explainer, 2021: bit.ly/bsa-2021 Demonstrably good for safety Delaware’s model legislation for the BSA showed a 23% reduction in bicyclist injuries at intersection crashes and 11% in bicyclist injuries overall in a 5 year comparative study. 2-abreast has only been in effect in Virginia for six months and has not had the time to generate enough data to show if it is not working. When requested for information about 2-abreast’s impact on bicyclist and driver safety, DMV gave no indication that it has had a negative impact and has not even had a chance to significantly begin implementing educational programs. In fact, 2-abreast cycling helps prevent the most common fatal crash types for bicyclists: being right-hooked when being overtaken, being left-hooked from the front, failure for motorist to yield when entering roadway, head-on collisions when drivers try to pass in too small of a gap, and for all crashes where visibility is a claimed cause. Good for parents and kids Parents riding on the outside of children on the way to school, a park, or a neighborhood store is an effective practice for keeping kids safe and adopting healthy lifestyles, regardless of car ownership status. “Riding two-abreast creates a much safer cycling experience for all riders, but particularly for children. When I ride with my daughter, I ride beside her, positioning myself closer to traffic. This allows us to be more visible to cars, ensures that cars cannot pass her too closely, and allows me to communicate with her easily if there are safety issues.” - Jenn Million, CPACC, New River Valley Bicycle Coalition, Blacksburg Good for drivers Riders riding side-by-side are half as long when in a group, making passing quicker and more orderly. Riding that way also increases riders’ visibility in all lighting conditions while discouraging passing too closely in the same lane (which is prohibited). Rider visibility is usually claimed by drivers who hit them. Stuart’s anecdote is dangerously flawed The bill’s patron gave an anecdote in committee about a driver of a large pickup pulling a horse trailer coming upon two riders traveling 2-abreast, while another motorist approached from ahead. Because of the “blind curve”, the driver “had to drive into a ditch”, which resulted in the death of the horse. He advocated for the driver of this large truck with a trailer to be able to “thread the needle” to avoid a crash, and that single file riders would have allowed that. This action by the driver could have easily led to a head-on collision with the oncoming car resulting in multiple fatalities, likely all parties involved. This is a dangerous position. Drivers of large vehicles are required to maintain control of their vehicles, including approaching curves at a manageable speed. The 2-riders could have been a tractor, horse-drawn trailer, a postal carrier, or any number of legitimate slow vehicles. This reversal of bicyclist choice is counterproductive, and would not have prevented a crash in this case or in many future cases.

VTA Supports: 1. SB 281 - Senator Ebbin This is a much-needed bill to correct a conflict between state code and federal code. Until this conflict is resolved, transit agencies, presuming they have the capital to purchase new vehicles, now must purchase buses on the open market and spend more of their limited resources. We are already experiencing an international manufacturing, labor, and supply chain crisis. Delaying procurement places Virginia at the bottom of the waiting list for new vehicles just at the time the federal infrastructure bill funds are anticipated. 2. SB 488 - Senator McClellan Transit agencies are excited at the prospect of transitioning to zero-emission vehicles as capital funding comes available. Technical and cost issues need to be factored into the transition process. While there are no dedicated state funds now for this Transition Fund, it establishes the framework for transition and can accept federal, private, and foundational funds. The Transit Zero-Emission Transition Fund is not intended to be a capital fund to purchase fleet vehicles. It is intended to be a supporting yet critical additional sources of revenue to ensure a smooth transition to zero-emission vehicles.

I SUPPORT Senator Marsden's bills. I OPPOSE SB 362. I oppose this both as an advocate for better bicycling infrastructure and as a motorist. When two cyclists ride abreast, if I need to pass them, I spend HALF as much time in the other lane passing them. That makes it safer for me behind the wheel. If they have to ride single file, it will take me longer to pass them. This is completely passing over how overturning the provision that cyclists can ride two abreast makes cycling less accessible.

I SUPPORT Senator Marsden's bills. I OPPOSE SB 362. I oppose this both as an advocate for better bicycling infrastructure and as a motorist. When two cyclists ride abreast, if I need to pass them, I spend HALF as much time in the other lane passing them. That makes it safer for me behind the wheel. If they have to ride single file, it will take me longer to pass them. This is completely passing over how overturning the provision that cyclists can ride two abreast makes cycling less accessible.