Our view: Pedal harder on bike safety

General Assembly:

“Biking enthusiasts were only one for three this year in lobbying the General Assembly for traffic safety laws that would cut their risks of injury when sharing the road with far heavier, faster motor vehicles.

The Virginia Bicycling Federation focused on three bills, reasonable measures all, that might have passed on a surge of goodwill this year, what with Richmond preparing to host one of the world's premier cycling events in 2015. Except that, well, there will be races for a couple of open congressional seats in November.

Though avid bicyclists might fall anywhere along the political spectrum from far right to far left, lawmakers are ever mindful with every piece of legislation in election years of where partisan advantage might lie. And in Virginia, every year is an election year. Republican Del. Barbara Comstock of Fairfax, not known as a bicycle friendly legislator in the past, sponsored a bill this year (HB 82) to apply the state's prohibition against following too closely to tailgating non-motor vehicles - e.g., bikes.

The bill passed in the usually hostile House, only to die in committee in the Democratic-controlled Senate, where, The Washington Post reports, Transportation Committee Chairman Creigh Deeds voted to pass it by indefinitely, despite his past support.”

~Writes Christopher Chung in an editorial of The Roanoke Times

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Updates on HB 2

General Assembly:

“The House and Senate are taking similar approaches to HB 2 concerning development of a prioritization process for allocating funds for the Six-year Program. Though worded differently, House and Senate-endorsed language in the bill directs the Commonwealth Transportation Board to solicit input from localities, metropolitan planning organizations, transit authorities, transportation authorities and other stakeholders in development of this process, which is to be based on analysis that assigns “weights” for key factors like congestion mitigation, economic development, accessibility, safety and environmental quality. Elsewhere on the transportation front, HB 975 and SB 127 were signed by the governor this week. The bills repeal the $64 annual license tax on hybrid electric motor vehicles that was imposed beginning last July as part of the 2013 transportation package. The tax had been expected to generate nearly $10 million for highway maintenance by 2018. The House Transportation Committee has approved SB 97, which increases from two to three feet the minimum clearance between a passing vehicle and a bicycle or moped. The bill awaits a vote on the House floor next week.”

~ David Blount, TJPDC Legislative Liaison

Technology and Priority for Road Projects

General Assembly:

“This past week at the General Assembly, House Republicans pointed to legislation working its way through the legislature to promote greater use of technology, prioritize projects and using metric-based decision-making. Specifically, HB 2 as introduced, would have required each locality in a VDOT construction district to vote individually as to transportation priorities as to whether they prefer allocations for transportation projects that address congestion relief or that would promote economic development. The bill has been rewritten to have CTB cooperate with Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) in developing a prioritization process for allocating funds for the Six-year Program. It requires CTB and VDOT to develop and utilize a prioritization model for making determinations about all transportation projects. Stakeholders from various regions, including highway construction districts, MPOs and the CTB, will set “weights” for key factors like congestion mitigation, economic development, accessibility, safety and environmental quality. The House unanimously approved the bill on Friday. The House also has passed HB 1183, which creates the Virginia Transportation Solutions Working Group and authorizes it to advise the CTB on transportation policy, transportation innovation and technologies, and traffic congestion relief strategies, and HB 122, which directs the Secretary of Transportation and VDOT to create and implement statewide transportation technology goals and a five-year plan of action.”

~Writes David Blount, TJPDC Legislative Liaison

Transportation Revenue Lower than Expected

General Assembly:

“Transportation issues slowly are edging their way into the spotlight at the halfway point of this year’s General Assembly session, and from a funding standpoint, the news is not good. Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) officials this past week shared with key legislators, and in separate meetings in Richmond, local transportation planning staff, that updated transportation revenue forecasts are anticipating a nearly half-billion dollar reduction in the preliminary Six-Year Improvement Program for FY15-20 when compared to the current (FY14-19) program. The anticipated drop is driven by lower-than-expected revenues from the sales tax on gasoline and other fuels approved by the General Assembly last year. This development means that the transfer of funds from VDOT’s construction budget to the highway maintenance budget would continue beyond the previously-anticipated end of the transfers in FY17, and that the distribution of funds to localities through the construction formula, suspended since FY10, also will be delayed further. State construction dollars will continue to flow under a 2012 formula that reserves these funding decisions to the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB). Legislative leaders and local officials also have been told that federal funding is down, and at this point, it appears that the Highway Trust Fund will not be able to support any new obligation of federal funding in 2015.”

~Writes David Blount, TJPDC Legislative Liaison

House Transportation Committee upholds Local Authority for Red Light Cameras

General Assembly:

“HB 973  was defeated in the House Transportation Committee on a 13 to 8 vote. The bill would have repealed the existing authority for localities to establish and operate red light photo monitoring systems. Albemarle County Police Chief Steve Sellers testified on behalf of the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police in opposition to the bill.”

~Writes David Blount, TJPDC Legislative Liaison

Transportation reform up for discussion

General Assembly

“If you’re in Northern Virginia, traffic congestion is probably your biggest road problem. If you’re in Southwest Virginia, congestion isn’t even on the radar screen, but economic development and safety is. Virginia’s different transportation districts would weigh those priorities differently to decide on road projects under legislation House Republicans are pushing in the House of Delegates.

During a Monday news conference, House Speaker Bill Howell, R–Stafford, said a focus on prioritizing road projects comes after last year’s transportation funding reform bill put more money into transportation. ‘Now that we have this new funding we need to be sure we spend it in the most effective, most efficient way,’ Howell said. A number of lawmakers—including Del. Mark Cole, R–Spotsylvania—had proposed legislation this session that would have dictated how the Commonwealth Transportation Board prioritizes road projects.”

~Writes Chelyen Davis of The Free Lance–Star

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Transportation Bills

General Assembly

“On the transportation front, HB 2 as introduced would have required each locality in a VDOT construction district to vote individually as to transportation priorities as to whether they prefer allocations for transportation projects that address congestion relief or that would promote economic development. The bill is being rewritten to have the Commonwealth Transportation Board cooperate with MPOs in developing a prioritization process for allocating funds for the six-year improvement plan. Also, HB 854 and SB 470 are on their way to passage. The bills set a 35-mph maximum speed limit for gravel roads in all localities (currently the limit applies only to certain localities). The Senate has passed its version, while the House bill was approved Thursday in the House Transportation Committee.”

~Writes David Blount TJPDC Legislative Liaison

Panel rejects attempts to revise, reverse transportation deal

General Assembly

“Several legislative attempts to undo last year's landmark transportation deal, and the tax shifts that were part of it, died at a subcommittee meeting Friday. Committee members tabled a full repeal, likely relegating it to the legislative session's dustbin. They also tabled House Bill 40, which would have headed off a potential increase in Virginia's gasoline tax.

The bill sought to undo one section of last year's transportation funding overhaul that tied a future increase in the gas tax to Internet sales taxes. Many states are hoping Congress will give them more power to collect sales taxes on Internet sales. The way last year's transportation deal was written, the current 3.5 percent gas tax – charged at the wholesale level – will increase to 5.1 percent if Congress doesn't act by Jan. 1 of next year.”

~Writes Travis Fain of the Daily Press

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Bicycle-passing bill advances

General Assembly

“The Virginia Senate Transportation committee recently has approved a bill increasing the distance at which cars must pass bicycles, from 2 feet to 3 feet. Senate Bill 97, introduced by Sen. Bryce Reeves, R-Fredericksburg, has been unsuccessfully introduced in the past by Reeves and a number of other Republican and Democratic legislators. Previous opponents of the bill, including Sen. Charles W. Carrico, R-Galax, have cited enforceability issues as a reason for barring passage of the bill, saying that it is hard for drivers to know the difference between 2- and 3-foot distances while driving.

This bill would change the distance at which a car can pass electric personal assistive mobility devices (scooters and wheelchairs), mopeds and animal-drawn vehicles. Twenty-two other states and Washington, D.C. have similar laws that say drivers must pass bicycles with at least 3 feet of room.”

~Writes Lauren McLellan of the Tidewater News

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Bike-Related Bills in the 2014 Virginia General Assembly

General Assembly

“With Session to begin tomorrow, the VBF is currently working for the passage of three bills focused on cycling. Two bills, one requiring three foot passing and another for dooring, have been introduced in the Senate by Senators Reeves and Petersen, and Delegate Comstock has introduced a “following too closely” bill in the House.”

~Writes the Virginia Bicycling Federation

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Should a Governor be prevented from firing a political appointee over policy disagreements?

General Assembly

“Delegate Tim Hugo (R-Centreville) has filed a bill for the upcoming session of the General Assembly that would prevent future governors from firing members of the Commonwealth Transportation Board for opposing their priorities. Current law allows the governor to remove a member of the board ‘at his pleasure.’”

~Writes Charlottesville Tomorrow

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Senator proposes casinos to pay for transportation

General Assembly

Sen. L. Louise Lucas (D-18) offers a solution to paying for bridges, roads and tunnels: casinos. ‘Transportation is most near and dear to my heart, but I don’t like tolls,’ she told the audience during the annual Richard J. Holland Pre-Session Legislative Breakfast in the Smithfield Center on Friday. The event was sponsored by the Isle of Wight-Smithfield-Windsor Chamber of Commerce. The Virginia General Assembly convenes for its 60-day session beginning Wednesday, Jan. 8. Del. Rick Morris (R-64) and Sen. John Cosgrove (R-14) were also speakers for the occasion. Western Tidewater is included in each of their respective districts.

Stating that 39 other states legally allow casino gambling, she asked, ‘Why not Virginia?’ Lucas will again introduce ‘SB 19 Virginia Casino Gaming Commission; regulation of casino gaming, penalties.’

The bill, if passed, would not only create a gaming authority, but also allow casino gambling in qualified localities, such as being limited to places were at least 40 percent of the land is exempt from real property taxation. Further, the bill puts into law where the taxes go, with 90 percent would be directed to the Toll Mitigation Fund. That will be used to reduce tolls set up to pay for building and maintaining the Dominion Boulevard Bridge and Roadway Improvement Project and the Downtown Tunnel/Midtown Tunnel/Martin Luther King Freeway Extension Project.”

~Writes Stephen Cowles of the Tidewater News

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