House Trans Com passing of 3ft law article at Pilotonline.com update

The discussion at the article includes 45 comments as of the time of this post.

They include:

Proper legislation and law enforcement for both drivers and cyclists will encourage us all to share the road.

The point is to recognize a safe passing distance between a car and a bike.

The issue at hand is that this area needs more transportation options than private motor vehicles.

We've lost sight of commom sense and decency toward each other. We're all in such a hurry to get - where? Where is the emergency? Why can't we all just share the road?

Increased education for both cyclists and motorists is also required to help diffuse tensions. Starting with an extra foot of space is not going to kill anyone, in fact, it may save a life.

"Currently, there are 16 states that have passed a law requiring motorists give cyclists three feet when passing. Safety is the number one reason for passing this law. The law protects both cyclists and motorists."

To continue the discussion, please visit the article at Pilotonline.com , use the Comment area below, or use @shareshoredrive at Twitter.

House to vote on HB1048 / 3 Foot Passing, please contact your Legislator to support

From Virginia Bicycling Federation:

The strongest anti-cycling sentiment was expressed by Del. Cosgrove of Chesapeake, Del. Knight of Virginia Beach, who clearly voted against the bill, along with Del. Villanueva of Va Beach, even though the representative of that City and Bruce Drees of the Tidewater Bicycling Assn. both spoke in favor of it.

Now its on to the Full House floor (either on Saturday or Monday), where Chairman Joe May of Loudon (who also appeared to vote against the bill) wished our patron, Kaye Kory, a good-natured “Good luck on the floor” after he announced the result of the voting.

Now, we need EVERYONE to contact their delegate. If you don’t know who it is, you can find out at the VA General Assembly’s Who’s My Legislator page…

http://conview.state.va.us/whosmy.nsf/main?openform

House Transportation Committee approves 3 foot rule

Great news!

From Pilotoline.com coverage:

After hearing testimony that 11 bicyclists were killed in crashes with cars last year, the House Transportation Committee approved a bill this morning to increase the required clearance when passing a bicycle from 2 to 3 feet.

And:

One committee member, Del. Barry Knight, R-Virginia Beach, suggested that “bicyclists ought to police themselves.”

3 Foot Passing rule moves to full House Transportation Committee

More information at VBF's site including contact info for Legislators:

HB 1048 Three Foot Passing was reported out of House Transportation Sub Comm 2 this morning by a 4-2 vote, with only Del. Garrett & Chairman Carrico voting against, and Rust absent. All of the discussion had to do with the 3 foot passing section; the following too closely section did not attract any attention.

Additional info about the importance of this legislation:

This bill would help educate motor vehicle drivers to pass the drivers of any non-motorized vehicle (including a bicycle) with a wider margin of error and thereby reduce the number of fatalities and serious injuries to these legal and legitimate road users.