"Stop for Pedestrians" alive in VA Senate, lost House by 1 vote

This is a close one folks! If we can get just one more Republican
vote, we can pass this legislation, requiring Virginia motorists to
*stop* for pedestrians in crosswalks.

HB1270 was defeated by *one vote* in the House this week, but the
identical bill from the Senate, HB644, is still alive. For some reason we
can't figure out, this was a party line vote, with a few freshman
Republicans breaking ranks to vote "for." If we can get just one more
Republican vote we can do this.

On the VBF website I've posted
[http://www.vabike.org/hb1270-defeated]the latest news from our
lobbyist Bud Vye. He's listed the Republican delegates we should be
contacting. If you live in one of these districts, please contact your
delegate, and urge others to do the same -- especially if they can speak
on behalf of a group, such as a bike club, runners' club, downtown
merchants' association, PTA, senior citizens' group, church, boy/girl
scouts, etc.

Just *one* more vote!

Don't forget yours either today -- Election Day!

Matt O.

On Feb 12, 4:05*pm, Matt O'Toole wrote:
This is a close one folks! *If we can get just one more Republican
vote, we can pass this legislation, requiring Virginia motorists to
*stop* for pedestrians in crosswalks.

HB1270 was defeated by *one vote* in the House this week, but the
identical bill from the Senate, HB644, is still alive. *For some reason we
can't figure out, this was a party line vote, with a few freshman
Republicans breaking ranks to vote "for." *If we can get just one more
Republican vote we can do this.

On the VBF website I've posted
[http://www.vabike.org/hb1270-defeated]the latest news from our
lobbyist Bud Vye. *He's listed the Republican delegates we should be
contacting. *If you live in one of these districts, please contact your
delegate, and urge others to do the same -- especially if they can speak
on behalf of a group, such as a bike club, runners' club, downtown
merchants' association, PTA, senior citizens' group, church, boy/girl
scouts, etc.

Just *one* more vote!

Don't forget yours either today -- Election Day!

Matt O.

I'm dumbfounded that VA motorists currently do not have to stop for
pedestrians in crosswalks. Bogus!

Then again, I can see the other side. Some POS wants the insurance
check and dives in front of your car on a 45MPH road at the last
second, you can't avoid him, and you're screwed. Tough cookie. In a
perfect world the motorist would have to stop, but there would be
wording to get around the pedestrian version of the swoop & squat.

"Matt O'Toole" wrote in message
news
This is a close one folks! If we can get just one more Republican
vote, we can pass this legislation, requiring Virginia motorists to
*stop* for pedestrians in crosswalks.

(snip)
Matt O.

I am pretty sure this is the law in IL, but most Chicago drivers either do
not know, or don't care. A Chicago driver who stops like this, has a good
chance of being rear ended by the car behind him.

J.

On Tue, 12 Feb 2008 13:21:03 -0800, wrote:

On Feb 12, 4:05*pm, Matt O'Toole wrote:
This is a close one folks! *If we can get just one more
Republican vote, we can pass this legislation, requiring Virginia
motorists to *stop* for pedestrians in crosswalks.

HB1270 was defeated by *one vote* in the House this week, but the
identical bill from the Senate, HB644, is still alive. *For some
reason we can't figure out, this was a party line vote, with a few
freshman Republicans breaking ranks to vote "for." *If we can get just
one more Republican vote we can do this.

On the VBF website I've posted
[http://www.vabike.org/hb1270-defeated]the latest news from our
lobbyist Bud Vye. *He's listed the Republican delegates we should be
contacting. *If you live in one of these districts, please contact
your delegate, and urge others to do the same -- especially if they can
speak on behalf of a group, such as a bike club, runners' club,
downtown merchants' association, PTA, senior citizens' group, church,
boy/girl scouts, etc.

Just *one* more vote!

Don't forget yours either today -- Election Day!

Matt O.

I'm dumbfounded that VA motorists currently do not have to stop for
pedestrians in crosswalks. Bogus!

Then again, I can see the other side. Some POS wants the insurance
check and dives in front of your car on a 45MPH road at the last second,
you can't avoid him, and you're screwed. Tough cookie. In a perfect
world the motorist would have to stop, but there would be wording to get
around the pedestrian version of the swoop & squat.

This doesn't change that. When people do that it's only to public transit
busses, claiming the driver didn't make sure all was clear before pulling
out -- nothing to do with crosswalks.

A "stop" law just sends a much stronger message, has a traffic calming
effect, and makes enforcement a lot easier. I shouldn't say "just" though
because the difference can be tremendous.

Anyone who doesn't believe me about the traffic calming effect needs only
to go to Canada, where traffic comes to a screeching halt if you even
approach the curb. Compare walking, biking, or driving in Vancouver to
northern VA, and you'll see the difference immediately.

Enforcement is a different problem, but if anything this can only make it
easier.

Matt O.

On Feb 12, 6:19 pm, Harry Brogan wrote:
On Tue, 12 Feb 2008 16:43:33 -0600, "Jay" wrote:

"Matt O'Toole" wrote in message
news
This is a close one folks! If we can get just one more Republican
vote, we can pass this legislation, requiring Virginia motorists to
*stop* for pedestrians in crosswalks.

(snip)
Matt O.

I am pretty sure this is the law in IL, but most Chicago drivers either do
not know, or don't care. A Chicago driver who stops like this, has a good
chance of being rear ended by the car behind him.

J.

Well, it IS a law here in Nebraska. And people don't stop for
pedestrians either IN or OUT of a crosswalk. The police have better
things to do than to try and enforce yet another law on the books.
Unfortunately, even if one gets a plate number the cops here tell you
that "if they didn't see it there's nothing they can do".

FWIW, I've gotten fairly militant about this. On several occasions,
I've stopped walking in front of a car trying to barge through a
crosswalk, to assert my ROW. On our college campus, I've gotten the
plate number and called it in to campus police - who assure me they
_will_ at least lecture the student. And on one memorable occasion,
one poor car suffered minor damage when my briefcase accidentally
swung into it as it blasted by after a brief discussion.
Interestingly, the driver of the next car was cheering for me.

Yes, there's some risk involved. But damn! Motorists rule too much
of the world as it is!

- Frank Krygowski

In article
,
wrote:

On Feb 12, 6:19 pm, Harry Brogan wrote:
On Tue, 12 Feb 2008 16:43:33 -0600, "Jay" wrote:

"Matt O'Toole" wrote in message
news This is a close one folks! If we can get just one more Republican
vote, we can pass this legislation, requiring Virginia motorists to
*stop* for pedestrians in crosswalks.

(snip)
Matt O.

I am pretty sure this is the law in IL, but most Chicago drivers either do
not know, or don't care. A Chicago driver who stops like this, has a good
chance of being rear ended by the car behind him.

J.

Well, it IS a law here in Nebraska. And people don't stop for
pedestrians either IN or OUT of a crosswalk. The police have better
things to do than to try and enforce yet another law on the books.
Unfortunately, even if one gets a plate number the cops here tell you
that "if they didn't see it there's nothing they can do".

FWIW, I've gotten fairly militant about this. On several occasions,
I've stopped walking in front of a car trying to barge through a
crosswalk, to assert my ROW. On our college campus, I've gotten the
plate number and called it in to campus police - who assure me they
_will_ at least lecture the student. And on one memorable occasion,
one poor car suffered minor damage when my briefcase accidentally
swung into it as it blasted by after a brief discussion.
Interestingly, the driver of the next car was cheering for me.

Yes, there's some risk involved. But damn! Motorists rule too much
of the world as it is!

- Frank Krygowski

i've been nearly flattened a block away from the Batavia middle school
for trying that. (the batavia spur crossing just west of the school)

Next time i'm pushing a scarecrow in front of me with a stick.
Actually, i think this year i'm going to do a little photodocumentation.

..max

--
The part of betatron @ earthlink . net was played by a garden gnome

Jay Bollyn wrote:
"Matt O'Toole" wrote in message
news
This is a close one folks! If we can get just one more Republican
vote, we can pass this legislation, requiring Virginia motorists to
*stop* for pedestrians in crosswalks.

(snip)
Matt O.

I am pretty sure this is the law in IL, but most Chicago drivers either do
not know, or don't care. A Chicago driver who stops like this, has a good
chance of being rear ended by the car behind him.

When a rode a Razor push scooter around campus, I used to have the
problem of cagers not stopping for people waiting to cross at a marked
crosswalk. I would hold my folder scooter out at arms length into
traffic. Since the oncoming traffic prevented them from going around,
they would stop to avoid the chance of cosmetic damage to their vehicle.
I would walk out into the lane with several other people, and repeat the
process to stop traffic from the other direction. By this time there
would typically be 50+ pedestrians waiting to cross in each direction.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
The weather is here, wish you were beautiful

max wrote:
In article
,
wrote:

On Feb 12, 6:19 pm, Harry Brogan wrote:
On Tue, 12 Feb 2008 16:43:33 -0600, "Jay" wrote:

"Matt O'Toole" wrote in message
news This is a close one folks! If we can get just one more Republican
vote, we can pass this legislation, requiring Virginia motorists to
*stop* for pedestrians in crosswalks.
(snip)
Matt O.
I am pretty sure this is the law in IL, but most Chicago drivers either do
not know, or don't care. A Chicago driver who stops like this, has a good
chance of being rear ended by the car behind him.
J.
Well, it IS a law here in Nebraska. And people don't stop for
pedestrians either IN or OUT of a crosswalk. The police have better
things to do than to try and enforce yet another law on the books.
Unfortunately, even if one gets a plate number the cops here tell you
that "if they didn't see it there's nothing they can do".
FWIW, I've gotten fairly militant about this. On several occasions,
I've stopped walking in front of a car trying to barge through a
crosswalk, to assert my ROW. On our college campus, I've gotten the
plate number and called it in to campus police - who assure me they
_will_ at least lecture the student. And on one memorable occasion,
one poor car suffered minor damage when my briefcase accidentally
swung into it as it blasted by after a brief discussion.
Interestingly, the driver of the next car was cheering for me.

Yes, there's some risk involved. But damn! Motorists rule too much
of the world as it is!

- Frank Krygowski

i've been nearly flattened a block away from the Batavia middle school
for trying that. (the batavia spur crossing just west of the school)

Raddant Road north of Rotolo School? (I used to commute along Raddant.)

Next time i'm pushing a scarecrow in front of me with a stick.
Actually, i think this year i'm going to do a little photodocumentation.

How does anyone cross Butterfield Road on the Batavia Spur? At most
times of day, that would be a suicide mission.

P.S. Did the police ever follow up with the "unsatisfactory driver"?

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
The weather is here, wish you were beautiful

On Feb 12, 7:51 pm, Matt O'Toole wrote:

A "stop" law just sends a much stronger message, has a traffic calming
effect, and makes enforcement a lot easier. I shouldn't say "just" though
because the difference can be tremendous.

Anyone who doesn't believe me about the traffic calming effect needs only
to go to Canada, where traffic comes to a screeching halt if you even
approach the curb. Compare walking, biking, or driving in Vancouver to
northern VA, and you'll see the difference immediately.

Friends in Zurich, Switzerland told us a similar law had gone into
effect. IIRC, the gist of the law was that if a driver hit a
pedestrian, it was legally the driver's fault, period. Our friends
said it absolutely transformed the experience of walking in the city,
for the better.

- Frank Krygowski

aka Frank Krygowski wrote:
On Feb 12, 7:51 pm, Matt O'Toole wrote:
A "stop" law just sends a much stronger message, has a traffic calming
effect, and makes enforcement a lot easier. I shouldn't say "just" though
because the difference can be tremendous.

Anyone who doesn't believe me about the traffic calming effect needs only
to go to Canada, where traffic comes to a screeching halt if you even
approach the curb. Compare walking, biking, or driving in Vancouver to
northern VA, and you'll see the difference immediately.

Friends in Zurich, Switzerland told us a similar law had gone into
effect. IIRC, the gist of the law was that if a driver hit a
pedestrian, it was legally the driver's fault, period. Our friends
said it absolutely transformed the experience of walking in the city,
for the better.

Including pedestrians jumping off overpasses into traffic? Pedestrians
popping up out of manholes into traffic? Pedestrians crouching to hide
in front of parked vehicles jumping into traffic.

Some immoral people do choose methods of suicide that involve others
involuntarily.

Show me a "zero tolerance" rule, and I will find a case where its
application is immoral.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
The weather is here, wish you were beautiful