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For all Virginia cyclists: support SB 252 and SB 101



 
 
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  #1  
Old February 24th 04, 06:26 PM
Luigi de Guzman
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default For all Virginia cyclists: support SB 252 and SB 101

The following forwarded by WABA:

****
SUPPORT SB 252 AND SB 101
IN VIRGINIA HOUSE OF DELEGATES

SB 252 (Deeds) and SB 101 (Devolites), two bills that would improve
bicycling conditions in Virginia, will be heard by the Transportation
Committee in the Virginia House of Delegates this Tuesday and need
*your*
support TODAY. Both bills have already been passed by the Virginia
Senate
(with amendments) and are now before the House. Please email, phone,
or
fax your delegate and nearby members of the House Transportation
Committee
in support of these bills *today* (see contact info below).

A short and simple request to please support SB 252 and SB 101 should
be
sufficient. Delegates must hear that these bills are widely supported,
so
please act promptly and forward this alert widely. During business
hours,
you can leave a brief phone message for your delegate with the
Constituent
Viewpoint Hotline, 1-800-889-0229 (or 804-698-1990), only knowing your
address. To identify and contact your delegate, use the "Who's My
Legislator" tool at
http://conview.state.va.us/whosmy/constinput.asp.
If you already know your delegate's last name or House District
number,
send email using or phone their
office at
804-698-10XX, where XX is their House District number. The main fax
number for delegates is 804-786-6310.

Please act promptly. If these bills are approved (reported out) by the
House Transportation Committee on Tuesday afternoon, the full House of
Delegates will vote on these bills this week. Bill summaries follow.
For
more and updated information, go to http://leg1.state.va.us/.

******

SB 252, Operation of Bicycles and Similar Vehicles (Deeds), would
amend
six sections of the Code of Virginia regarding the
operation of bicycles and similar vehicles to 1) clarify a two-foot
minimum safe passing distance for (motor) vehicles (Sec. 46.2-838); 2)
allow bicyclists to signal right turns and stopping with either the
right
or left arm (Sec. 46.2-849); 3) allow bicyclists to ride two abreast
when
not impeding "the normal and reasonable movement of traffic" (Sec.
46.2-905); 4) remove the authority for local mandatory sidepath
ordinances
(Sec. 46.2-905); 5) cite the current (CPSC) helmet safety standard in
the
section (46.2-906.1) that allows local bicycle helmet ordinances; 6)
direct that all transportation on wheels move with (not against) other
traffic (Sec. 46.2-932); and 7) allow (steady or blinking) lights and
reflectors, in addition to a white headlight and a red rear reflector,
for
bicycling between sunset and sunrise (Sec. 46.2-1015). The Virginia
Senate passed this bill (40-0) on 2/6/04 with minor amendments.

*****

SB 101, Pedestrians (Devolites), would amend Sections 46.2-923 and
46.2-924 of the Code of Virginia, relating to pedestrians crossing
highways, to require drivers to stop for--not merely yield
to--pedestrians
in crosswalks, when necessary. SB 101 would also benefit bicyclists
crossing highways on sidewalks or shared-use paths. The similar SB 451
(Whipple), which also passed the Senate, has been merged with SB 101
as
one bill. A similar bill, HB 539 (May), died in the House last week
because some delegates opposed requiring drivers to stop for
pedestrians
in crosswalks when necessary.

Ads
  #2  
Old February 24th 04, 06:33 PM
Luigi de Guzman
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default For all Virginia cyclists: support SB 252 and SB 101

This is what I wrote to my state delegate. It's rather too long, I
guess, but it needed saying.

***

Dear Mr. Petersen:

I write to you as a flagrant and frequent violator of the law. As a
cyclist here in Fairfax, I often ride along Old Lee Highway, which has
a parallel bicycle path. I never use it, preferring instead to use
the road itself. The path is dangerous, setting fast, downhill
bicycle traffic against cars wanting to pull out onto Old Lee
Highway--cars don't see or expect traffic to be approaching them so
quickly from the wrong side. This is unacceptable, so I ride on the
road. My action, however, is illegal under the present law, which
compels me to use the parallel bicycle path when provided. SB 252
would permit me to ride safely, responsibly, and legally.

Moreover, the other provisions of SB 252 would bring the Commonwealth
in line with best practice in terms of bicycle safety legislation.
The provisions regarding lighting and the permitting the use of either
arm to signal turns are already common practice among responsible
cyclists everywhere in the world; SB 252 would remove a loophole that
motorists can exploit to escape culpability for colliding with and
injuring cyclists. They will no longer be able to hide their failure
to determine the intentions of a cyclist wishing to turn behind the
assertion that the signal was not made with the 'proper' arm, as the
present law would define it. Passage and enforcement of the minimum
overtaking distance provision would make life much easier for
law-abiding cyclists--cars and trucks overtaking us too closely are at
best a major annoyance and at worst a life-theatening issue. Being
struck by a side-mirror of a vehicle moving (as most do) above the
posted speed limit is very bad for one's health, indeed.

SB 101 must be passed; it is ludicrous for the General Assembly to
reject it. Cars *must* stop for *any* pedestrian in a crosswalk,
period. To do otherwise places the mere convenience of motorists
above the safety of pedestrians. Is the few minutes' delay that such
a stop would cause worth the life of a pedestrian--especially when
that pedestrian may be a child on his way to school?

Your support for these two bills would mean a great deal to me,
personally, and to cyclists living in and visiting the Commonwealth.


Sincerely,

TLP de Guzman
Fairfax City
  #3  
Old February 24th 04, 09:37 PM
Badger_South
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default For all Virginia cyclists: support SB 252 and SB 101

On Tue, 24 Feb 2004 12:33:16 -0500, Luigi de Guzman
wrote:

The path is dangerous, setting fast, downhill
bicycle traffic against cars wanting to pull out onto Old Lee
Highway--cars don't see or expect traffic to be approaching them so
quickly from the wrong side.


I think I would have said 'extremely' dangerous and life-threatening g.
Don't want him to think you're kidding around.

Anyway, how many cyclists are there in Virginia? I think it would help a
huge amt to give some numbers from some survey or something. That's what
impresses lawmakers, -constituency-....

Not logic, reality, safety, or any of the things that we're talking about.
(ok maybe I exaggerate).

If he could say he sponsored a bill knowing he had potentially 100K
cyclists over 18, including everyone who's ever ridden on campus,
recreational, health fans, etc., behind him/it, that could get his
attention.

Would there be something on the order of 50-100K bikers in the whole state?

The total pop is about 7.5 million. ~180 counties.

One percent of the population biking - 75, 000 bikers.
Two percent 150,000 bikers

I'm just guessin'...

-B


  #4  
Old February 24th 04, 09:49 PM
Luigi de Guzman
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default For all Virginia cyclists: support SB 252 and SB 101

On Tue, 24 Feb 2004 15:37:01 -0500, Badger_South
wrote:

On Tue, 24 Feb 2004 12:33:16 -0500, Luigi de Guzman
wrote:

The path is dangerous, setting fast, downhill
bicycle traffic against cars wanting to pull out onto Old Lee
Highway--cars don't see or expect traffic to be approaching them so
quickly from the wrong side.


I think I would have said 'extremely' dangerous and life-threatening g.
Don't want him to think you're kidding around.

Anyway, how many cyclists are there in Virginia? I think it would help a
huge amt to give some numbers from some survey or something. That's what
impresses lawmakers, -constituency-....

Not logic, reality, safety, or any of the things that we're talking about.
(ok maybe I exaggerate).

If he could say he sponsored a bill knowing he had potentially 100K
cyclists over 18, including everyone who's ever ridden on campus,
recreational, health fans, etc., behind him/it, that could get his
attention.


I'm under no illusions as to the chances of my letter actually being
read. I'm just another kook for the mail filter do plonk, or fodder
for some careerist kid down in Richmond, padding his resume by
slogging through interminable constituent mail.


Would there be something on the order of 50-100K bikers in the whole state?

The total pop is about 7.5 million. ~180 counties.

One percent of the population biking - 75, 000 bikers.
Two percent 150,000 bikers


That depends. Probably close to ten percent of the population at the
very least own bicycles, if not more. As to actual
cyclists-as-road-users, we're probably a very very tiny constituency.
If we were a significant constituency in and of ourselves, someone
would have offered me a spare tube yesterday when I flatted. (the one
day I forget my pump! ain't it always the way....). As it was,
yesterday, other than myself, I saw one other cyclist on the public
roadway who would be directly affected by SB 252--a roadie/commuter.

What I'd be interested to know is how many delegates are cyclists.
Not many, I'll bet.

-Luigi

"We should go to the masses and learn from them, synthesize their
experience into better, articulated principles and methods, then do
propaganda among the masses, and call upon them to put these
principles and methods into practice so as to solve their problems and
help them achieve liberation and happines."
-Mao Tse Tung, "Get Organized!"




I'm just guessin'...

-B


  #5  
Old February 24th 04, 10:32 PM
Matt O'Toole
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default For all Virginia cyclists: support SB 252 and SB 101

Luigi de Guzman wrote:

"We should go to the masses and learn from them, synthesize their
experience into better, articulated principles and methods, then do
propaganda among the masses, and call upon them to put these
principles and methods into practice so as to solve their problems and
help them achieve liberation and happines."
-Mao Tse Tung, "Get Organized!"


Luigi, when trying to organize something politically in the United States, DON'T
QUOTE MAO TSE TUNG!

:-)

Matt O.


  #6  
Old February 24th 04, 11:17 PM
Luigi de Guzman
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default For all Virginia cyclists: support SB 252 and SB 101

On Tue, 24 Feb 2004 21:32:54 GMT, "Matt O'Toole"
wrote:

Luigi de Guzman wrote:

"We should go to the masses and learn from them, synthesize their
experience into better, articulated principles and methods, then do
propaganda among the masses, and call upon them to put these
principles and methods into practice so as to solve their problems and
help them achieve liberation and happines."
-Mao Tse Tung, "Get Organized!"


Luigi, when trying to organize something politically in the United States, DON'T
QUOTE MAO TSE TUNG!



I assure you that my interest in Mao is largely poetic. He has a
lyrical style in his aphorisms which I admire. He might not have
really known the first thing about managing a major national economy,
but he had a poetical sense that was in every way superior to Lenin's
prose, which feels cold and brutal by comparison. And let's not even
get started on Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il.

This kind of lyrical style I think has been destroyed by the 24-hour
news cycle, the press conference, and the soundbite culture.
Political figures are not so poetic in their vision anymore. Reading
speeches by William Jennings Bryan or Eugene V. Debs and comparing
them with the present run of the political mill totally destroys my
faith in progress and the perfectibility of men and institutions.
Rhetorically and poetically, the present generation is merely
mediocre.

-Luigi



  #7  
Old February 25th 04, 03:24 AM
frkrygow
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default For all Virginia cyclists: support SB 252 and SB 101

Luigi de Guzman wrote:

On Tue, 24 Feb 2004 21:32:54 GMT, "Matt O'Toole"
wrote:


Luigi, when trying to organize something politically in the United States, DON'T
QUOTE MAO TSE TUNG!




I assure you that my interest in Mao is largely poetic. He has a
lyrical style in his aphorisms which I admire. He might not have
really known the first thing about managing a major national economy,
but he had a poetical sense that was in every way superior to Lenin's
prose, which feels cold and brutal by comparison. And let's not even
get started on Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il.

This kind of lyrical style I think has been destroyed by the 24-hour
news cycle, the press conference, and the soundbite culture.
Political figures are not so poetic in their vision anymore. Reading
speeches by William Jennings Bryan or Eugene V. Debs and comparing
them with the present run of the political mill totally destroys my
faith in progress and the perfectibility of men and institutions.
Rhetorically and poetically, the present generation is merely
mediocre.


What you say may be true, Luigi.

But what Matt says is still correct!


--
Frank Krygowski [To reply, omit what's between "at" and "cc"]

  #8  
Old February 25th 04, 04:50 AM
Zoot Katz
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default For all Virginia cyclists: support SB 252 and SB 101

Tue, 24 Feb 2004 17:17:09 -0500,
,
Luigi de Guzman wrote:

Rhetorically and poetically, the present generation is merely
mediocre.


Not to mention functionally illiterate and innumerate.
http://www.efmoody.com/miscellaneous/illiteracy.html
--
zk
  #9  
Old February 25th 04, 05:09 AM
Matt O'Toole
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default For all Virginia cyclists: support SB 252 and SB 101

In all seriousness Luigi, thanks for posting this. I got an email newsletter
from the Bikeleague today, and they had no mention of it. Why not, says I?

Keep up the good work.

Matt O.


Luigi de Guzman wrote:

The following forwarded by WABA:

****
SUPPORT SB 252 AND SB 101
IN VIRGINIA HOUSE OF DELEGATES

SB 252 (Deeds) and SB 101 (Devolites), two bills that would improve
bicycling conditions in Virginia, will be heard by the Transportation
Committee in the Virginia House of Delegates this Tuesday and need
*your*
support TODAY. Both bills have already been passed by the Virginia
Senate
(with amendments) and are now before the House. Please email, phone,
or
fax your delegate and nearby members of the House Transportation
Committee
in support of these bills *today* (see contact info below).

A short and simple request to please support SB 252 and SB 101 should
be
sufficient. Delegates must hear that these bills are widely supported,
so
please act promptly and forward this alert widely. During business
hours,
you can leave a brief phone message for your delegate with the
Constituent
Viewpoint Hotline, 1-800-889-0229 (or 804-698-1990), only knowing your
address. To identify and contact your delegate, use the "Who's My
Legislator" tool at
http://conview.state.va.us/whosmy/constinput.asp.
If you already know your delegate's last name or House District
number,
send email using or phone their
office at
804-698-10XX, where XX is their House District number. The main fax
number for delegates is 804-786-6310.

Please act promptly. If these bills are approved (reported out) by the
House Transportation Committee on Tuesday afternoon, the full House of
Delegates will vote on these bills this week. Bill summaries follow.
For
more and updated information, go to http://leg1.state.va.us/.

******

SB 252, Operation of Bicycles and Similar Vehicles (Deeds), would
amend
six sections of the Code of Virginia regarding the
operation of bicycles and similar vehicles to 1) clarify a two-foot
minimum safe passing distance for (motor) vehicles (Sec. 46.2-838); 2)
allow bicyclists to signal right turns and stopping with either the
right
or left arm (Sec. 46.2-849); 3) allow bicyclists to ride two abreast
when
not impeding "the normal and reasonable movement of traffic" (Sec.
46.2-905); 4) remove the authority for local mandatory sidepath
ordinances
(Sec. 46.2-905); 5) cite the current (CPSC) helmet safety standard in
the
section (46.2-906.1) that allows local bicycle helmet ordinances; 6)
direct that all transportation on wheels move with (not against) other
traffic (Sec. 46.2-932); and 7) allow (steady or blinking) lights and
reflectors, in addition to a white headlight and a red rear reflector,
for
bicycling between sunset and sunrise (Sec. 46.2-1015). The Virginia
Senate passed this bill (40-0) on 2/6/04 with minor amendments.

*****

SB 101, Pedestrians (Devolites), would amend Sections 46.2-923 and
46.2-924 of the Code of Virginia, relating to pedestrians crossing
highways, to require drivers to stop for--not merely yield
to--pedestrians
in crosswalks, when necessary. SB 101 would also benefit bicyclists
crossing highways on sidewalks or shared-use paths. The similar SB 451
(Whipple), which also passed the Senate, has been merged with SB 101
as
one bill. A similar bill, HB 539 (May), died in the House last week
because some delegates opposed requiring drivers to stop for
pedestrians
in crosswalks when necessary.



  #10  
Old February 26th 04, 05:08 AM
frkrygow
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default The League these days [was: For all Virginia cyclists: support SB252 and SB 101]

Matt O'Toole wrote:

In all seriousness Luigi, thanks for posting this. I got an email newsletter
from the Bikeleague today, and they had no mention of it. Why not, says I?


Possibly because the League is now putting far too much priority on
raising money, and far too little on preserving our rights to the road. :-(

See http://www.labreform.org/


--
Frank Krygowski [To reply, omit what's between "at" and "cc"]

 




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