A very short report today, as both Champe & I went down to the GAB for the Senate Ag meeting this afternoon.

Luckily the only bill on the docket that we were interested in, SB571/State Park Campgrounds to set camping fees at or above the mean fee charged at private campgrounds, was heard 2nd, and Patron Sen. Reeves from Spotsylvania announced that he had been meeting with the Director of DCR, and understands that they are in agreement in not trying to unfairly compete with private campgrounds.

That being the case, he requested that the committee Pass By his bill indefinitely, which they promptly did.

Apparently this bill had resulted from a complaint from the owner of a private campground near Lake Anna, as we met some opponents of the bill from up that way, who were pleased that the cyclists also were interested enough in supporting the State Parks to come in and oppose a harmful bill. They may be helpful to us (and us to them) in the future, since we share a number of interests and concerns.

That should be it for this week, and there now appears to be little we are interested in next week either, as we now await crossover, which begins on Wednesday, Feb. 15, where bills that have passed one house go over to the other house to be heard.

Bud Vye RABA & VBF Advocacy Director

US Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar

As reported in Bud’s legislative update,  officials had a chance to learn  about the benefits that bike touring brings to communities.  US Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar and Director of the National Park Service,  Jon Jarvis were in Richmond February 1,  to hold a tourism town hall meeting in conjunction with the announcement of a $4M  federal contribution to purchase additional acreage in Richmond National Battlefield Park.   

NPS Director Jon Jarvis Discusses $4M Award

Also attending the event at Willis Road Methodist Church was  Governor Robert McDonnell and VA Tourism President Alisa Bailey.

Located on US Bike Route 76, Willis Road Church has, for many years,  provided a well deserved resting spot for weary TransAmerica riders.  The church’s “Red Hut”  is popular for overnighting by cyclists from around the world.  Secretary Salazar was given a copy of their register book which documents the  comments of many of these riders.

Secretary Salazar fielded nearly three dozen questions from 100 statewide tourism stakeholders on how they could best partner to promote Virginia Tourism.

During the questioning, several speakers comment on bike topics including  the VBF’s Bud Vye and Tom Bowden.   They made the audience aware of  the unique tourism opportunities  that

VA Governor Bob McDonnell

bicycling adds to Virginia’s tourism portfolio.   Bowden also pointed out that the 2015 World Cycling Championships which will be held in Richmond and the estimated $100 economic impact this will  bring to the state.

Having the officials attend a tourism meeting at such a prominent facility along a US Bike Route was a perfect alignment of the stars for bicycle touring.  Hopefully, the messages delivered  will help increase mind share with state and national organization to increase efforts to get people out of their cars and see America from the saddle of a bike.

Sorry to be late in reporting, but after my 5th meeting of the day, I went directly to the U of R basketball game and have just gotten home.

7:00 a.m. House Trans Sub 2 heard HB785, Del. Lopez’ following too closely bill with Del. Betsy Carr, the second D on the committee, absent so we had only 6 sub comm members, 5 Rs & 1 D, present. After Del. Lopez gave a good presentation, Del. Garrett (the MD from Lynchburg, who has been a very strong anti-bike & pedestrian voice ever since he joined the sub com — in giving him the benefit of the doubt, it might be that he is just very strongly pro motorist, and strongly opposed to anything that might possibly slow a motorist down, or inconvenience them) moved to TABLE (kill) the bill, which resulted in a 3-3 vote, with Garrett, Chairman Cox, & Comstock voting to table, Ward, Minchew, & Anderson opposed. This caused the Chairman some consternation, and all of the new members of the committee pulled out their yellow procedure cards to try to figure out what this meant. At length, Dr. Wambold, the Legislative Services advisor present, was called upon and he stated that 3-3 on a move to table meant that the bill was still alive. Then followed another motion, to pass the bill by for the day (which meant indefinitely, since this was the last time the committee was meeting prior to crossover) and this motion carried by a 4-2 vote, with Anderson changing his vote to a yea, to join Garrett, Cox, & Comstock, while Ward & Minchew voted nay. A little later, Del. Carr showed up, but the vote had been recorded so it was too late. I will certainly remind her to be there on time, when Sen. Ebbin’s identical bill comes over after having passed the Senate, since it certainly will land first in this Sub Comm.

Del. Lopez, as a brand new delegate patroning his very first bills, took his defeat hard, and wasn’t happy, but I commended him on a nice job of carrying the bill, and advised him not to take the defeat personally, as it probably wouldn’t be his last (as a D in an R dominated House).

After this, Chairman Cox announced that HB857, the bill to permit a contraflow bike lane in Blacksburg had been withdrawn by the patron (as we had heard that it would be) and then looked at me and announced, “Bud, I think you had something to do with this”. Requesting, and being granted, a chance to comment, I told him, and the other members of the committee, that we had heard from experts that this was “An accepted traffic engineering practice” although one that is not that commonly used, and, as such, should not require the passage of a law should a jurisdiction decide to install one. Del. Cox thanked me for the explanation, and I think I may have helped to forestall any such bills in the future.

The last item on the agenda was HB706/Motorists to Stop for Pedestrians in a marked crosswalk, but since the patron, Del. Filler-Corn, was not present, it was moved and unanimously passed to Pass the bill by indefinitely, so it too is gone for this session.

Then it was down stairs to the 8:30 session of House Ag where Del. Farrell’s HB1225 State Parks Campgrounds not to charge less than Private Campgrounds was not withdrawn, as some of his Emails had said it would be, but rather was listed as “Continued to 2013 Session” so we will have to be on the lookout for it next year.

Also announced at this meeting was that HB 522/Del. Farrell’s bill to permit powered wheelchairs “or other mobility devices” to be on trails was being “Passed by for the Week” in an effort to rework the language, after it had been reported out last week, but DCR had checked with the Attorney Generals office and something in the language was contrary to Federal Regulations, necessitating the re-working of the language, so we will see this reworked bill next Wed.

Then I had a 10 a.m. meeting elsewhere of the Region’s Long Range Transportation Plan Advisory Committee (which I have been appointed to serve on, representing RABA) but I will not extend this report by commenting on it.

Then, after lunch, it was down to Willis Church, in eastern Henrico county, near Malvern Hill Battlefield, with Champe Burnley, DCR’s Trails Coordinator Jennifer Wampler, and joined there by Tom Bowden for a called with very short notice “Town Meeting” on the topic of TOURISM, at which would be Gov. McDonnell, Secretary of the Interior Salazar, Director of the National Park Service Jarvis, and who knows who else. Turns out the official occasion, after the Town Meeting, was the announcement that the Malvern Hill Battlefield unit was the recipient of a $4 million Land & Water Conservation Fund grant that would be used to acquire 400 adjacent acres to add to the battlefield, and the Town Meeting was to be a “Stakeholders Discussion on Boosting Tourism & Travel to Virginia and its Parks”.

The historic church was packed, and after opening remarks by the Governor, Secretary Salazar also made remarks and proceeded to start the Meeting. I got his attention, was the first one recognized, and proceeded to tell him, the Governor, and everyone in attendance that the road right outside the church was IBR76 & the TransAmerica Trail, that all of the through riders we see, from overseas and from this country, are using Adventure Cycling maps (I held up mine, which Secretary Salazar called for and then immediately passed on to the Governor, so I’ll have to get a new one) and of VBF’s lapel pin that we had made up and had the Yorktown and Breaks Interstate Park offices distributing as a reward to riders who had completed the 570 miles in VA. All of this seemed to be news to almost everyone, and I was permitted to run a little long before the Secretary told me to wrap it up and proceeded to set the ground rules for subsequent speakers at 30 seconds. (I must have run 3 or 4 minutes) I certainly succeeded in making everyone aware of the trail, and I think we will get some official help in properly distributing the pins at Yorktown & at Breaks, and in mentioning the Adventure Cycling TransAmerica Route maps in the kits the overseas tourism missions distribute. Tom Bowden used his 30 seconds to mention the 2015 races, and I think we had a very successful showing of the colors, and meeting a lot of helpful folks, at the event (on an absolutely unbelievable 70 degree day). After the Town Meeting, we walked about 100 yards north on 156 to the National Cemetery, where Secy Salazar made the official announcement of the $4 million LWCF grant to the Gov. and donned his Cowboy hat for pictures with all the area Park Service staff, who were in attendance in force.

After this, it was back to the GAB for the 5 p.m. House Ag Sub Com that was to hear all of the 5 Sunday Hunting bills. Upon arrival, the lobby was quickly filling with folks wearing blaze orange caps who were being queued up by the Capitol Police. Turns out we were not being admitted to the Hearing Room because the House Finance Committee was running late with their afternoon meeting and weren’t finished yet. Champe arrived from parking the car, and assumed that all of those awaiting were FOR Sunday hunting. I said, No, most of them have “Save Our Sundays” stickers stuck on their shirts, & I think are OPPOSED to Sunday hunting. Eventually, we were admitted to the hearing room, and SubComm Chair Lee Ware from Powhatan opened the meeting by announcing that 4 of the 5 bills on the docket were being tabled at the request of their patrons. This left only HB 1002 patroned by Del. Ramadan of Loudon County, which would only apply to Fairfax, Arlington, Fauquier ,Loudon, & Prince William counties. He then proceeded to launch into a recital of problems with Lyme Disease in Loudon County, which was the result of over population by deer in the area, and which Sunday hunting would help reduce, even though their hunting season up in that area had already been extended into March. When it came time to be recognized, all of those in the orange caps that had been lined up in the lobby turned out to be OPPOSED to Sunday hunting, as were a long list of organizations who stood up and spoke in opposition. They probably totaled over 200, while those in support appeared to be less than 10. Champe spoke in opposition for the cyclists, and I refrained since the Chair had imposed a 15 minute limit on both For & Against speakers, and I thought it was better to let the others testify. At length the vote was taken and it was UNANIMOUS to table the bill. Obviously, the patrons of the 4 bills that were withdrawn realized that they didn’t have the votes, and only Del. Ramadan had decided to give it a try with his Lyme Disease approach (which no one seemed to buy). Thanks to everyone who weighed in in opposition.

One Sunday Hunting bill did pass the Senate but will have to come through this sub committee after crossover, and I can tell you it has no chance of coming out of there alive.

I’m off to bed after a busy day.

Bud Vye, RABA & VBF Advocacy Director

Sunday hunting bills are now dead for 2012. Thanks to all who came out to support bullet-free Sundays.

(Dear) Members of the House Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Committee:

On behalf of bicyclists and other outdoor users across the Commonwealth, I would ask you to oppose the various Sunday hunting bills being considered before the Committee.

There are approximately 310,000 licensed hunters in Virginia and another 40,000 non-licensed hunters according to DGIF estimates, out of a total population of over 8,100,000 residents in Virginia.  Reviewing DGIF statistics, the number of licensed hunters has been steadily decreasing from a high of 517,000 in 1988.  This means approximately four percent of Virginia’s citizens hunt and over 95% of our citizens do not.

Over the past 12 years, 600 hunters have been injured including 54 fatalities.

While the number of hunters is steadily decreasing, the number of citizens who engage in outdoor activities OTHER than hunting is growing.

DCR’s 2011 Outdoor Demand Survey found that Virginia citizens engage in the following activities:

Activity                                            2006                       2011

Walking for pleasure                         71.7%                    82.2%
Visiting Parks                                     –                          50.6
Hiking/ Backpacking                          16.0                       24.8
Visiting Natural Preserves                     –                         19.4
Freshwater Fishing                            19.9                       24.4
Off-road bicycling                               5.0                        13.5
Canoeing/ Kayaking/rowing                 9.3                        15.7
Fitness Trail                                     10.8                        12.7
Hunting                                             7.6                        12.6

Public Perception of Outdoor Recreation Facilities Most Needed

Activity                                            2006                         2011

Hiking and Walking Trails                  49.0%                       67.6%
State waters: fishing, swimming,       50.5                          59.6
beach
Natural Areas                                   42.0                          55.1
Bicycling trails                                  39.7                          54.2
Canoeing, kayaking                            –                            46.4
Wildlife watching and nature study       –                            44.8

I think the conclusions are obvious: fewer Virginians are hunting while more citizens want to and are engaging in other types of outdoor activities.

Therefore, I ask, doesn’t it make sense to allow (and even promote) citizen to engage in these other activities one day per week?

Hunters have six days per week during season to partake in their avocation.  The vast majority of the rest of us, the bicyclists, hikers, fishermen, equestrians, birders, paddlers, etc. would like the peace of mind to know that we have ONE DAY OF THE WEEK during hunting season to know that we won’t face the danger of being killed or injured by a stray bullet.  (Too, many of us also also would like to enjoy the sounds of the outdoors or the peace and quiet without the constant annoyance of hunting dogs yelping and shots being fired.)

Is one day per week of peace, quiet and personal safety too much to ask for the 95% of our citizens who do not hunt?  Conversely, should less than 5% of the citizens have 100% of the week to engage in their avocation?  Is that fair to our citizens?

Six out of seven days for for hunting seems more than reasonable.  The hunters get Monday through Saturday; the rest of us get Sunday.   

I would respectfully ask you to defeat these bills.

With regards, I am,

Champe Burnley
President
VA Bicycling Federation
PO Box 7282
Richmond, VA 23221

Update: the Petri-Johnson amendment has been defeated. But the current House bill will not survive the Senate, and the Senate has a bill of their own.

Once again, pro-highway forces in Washington are trying to cut all bike-ped funding from the federal transportation budget, as the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act heads through committee meetings and a vote this week. NRDC Switchboard calls it, “Worst. Transportation Bill. Ever.” Streetsblog DC calls it “A March of Horribles,” and a return to 1950s-era transportation policy; and they warn us, “This Is Not a Drill.”

We need you to act right now.

Contact your US Congress representative, and ask them to preserve federal bike-ped funding, by supporting the Petri Amendment. The Bikeleague has provided an automated form based on your zipcode, or you can find your representative and email or call them directly.

Biking and walking make up 12% of all trips in the US, yet receive just 1.6% of federal transportation funding*. This miniscule amount is what pays for important commuting links like the W&OD Trail, and programs like Safe Routes to School.

Read more from America Bikes.

*Alliance for Biking and Walking, 2012 Benchmarking Report

A much smaller list of bills to be concerned with, as we approach the mid-point of the legislative session.

Still alive, and probably being heard this week, although dockets have not yet been posted, are…

Two bills in House Transportation Sub Committee 2 @ 7:00 a.m. on Wednesday:

• HB 706 Stop for Pedestrians in a Marked Crosswalk
• HB 785 Motorist not to follow a bicycle too closely

As we noted previously, Hanover’s Del. Cox chairs this 7 person Sub Comm, and it wouldn’t hurt if he got a few emails in support of both of these bills at deljcox@house.va.gov

Also on Wed., at 8:30 in House Agriculture…

HB 522 Motorized wheelchairs and other mobility devices to be permitted on trails (We support access on trails for the handicapped, but don’t want any loopholes that will permit other motorized vehicles on trails) Lee Ware from Powhatan is the only Richmond area delegate on this committee, & his email is dellware@house.virginia.gov

And then on Wed. afternoon, in Senate Trans. 1/2 hour after the full Senate adjourns (Usually about 1:15)…

SB633 Requiring helmets statewide for all cyclists age 14 and under (We are neither supporting or opposing this bill, feeling that 30 jurisdictions already have it, and it should be a local matter, rather than being mandated statewide)

On Thursday, in House Militia, Police, & Public Safety Sub Comm 2 at 7:30 a.m. it appears that we have 6 different bills restricting cell phone use by drivers. Ben Cline of Lexington is chair of this committee and can be contacted at delbcline@house.va.gov & Del. McQuinn of Richmond is on the 5 person sub comm. Her email is deldmcquinn@house.virginia.gov We are supporting these restrictions which seem to be making more headway year by year, so will see if any progress is made in this session.

Senate Ag. at 2 p.m. on Thursday we have SB571, requiring State Parks to set their camping fees not lower than nearby private campgrounds. We strongly oppose this bill, and our area has both Sen. Watkins (district10@senate.virginia.gov) & Sen. McEachin (district09@senate.virginia.gov) on Senate Ag.

We have two bills that we have in interest in, which have already passed the Senate and are awaiting Crossover to the House where we will probably see one of them (SB264 Motorist not to follow a bicycle too closely) in Sen. Cox’s sub comm at 7 a.m. on a Wed. morning.

The other awaiting crossover is SB464, the bill to repeal the ban on Sunday hunting on private land, with permission from the landowner.

We have opposed this bill, but it appears to have a lot of momentum behind it, and I will be surprised if it doesn’t sail on through the house, with the first stop being House Ag, on a Wed. morning, probably Feb. 8th.

Finally, a longer listing of all the bills we have followed that have FAILED or BEEN CONTINUED to next year, so we do not have to worry about them any more during this session:

• SB199 Stop for Pedestrians in Marked Crosswalks (we were ready to support this one, but the patron wasn’t happy with it and requested that it be continued)
• HB857 & SB101 Blacksburg to install contraflow bike lanes Both Withdrawn by the Patrons
• HB7 Bicyclist to proceed through red lights that don’t change Withdrawn by Patron
• SB333 Banning Mo-peds on highways higher than 35mph Withdrawn by Patron
• HB1225 State Parks to set camping fees not lower than nearby private campgrounds Withdrawn by Patron
• HB784 Drivers to Exercise Due Care not to collide with cyclists Failed in committee

A long list of Sunday Hunting bills have either been withdrawn or consolidated into SB 464, which appears to be the only remaining bill.

Thanks for the help of all who have made contacts. They have been helpful, particularly in having the bills listed above withdrawn.

Bud Vye, RABA & VBF Advocacy Director

Sponsored by Ride Solutions, the Roanoke Valley Regional Commission and the New River Valley Planning District Commission, the Roanoke Bike Summit will be held Monday and Tuesday, Feb. 27-28, at the Roanoke Higher Education Center. The purpose is to help area municipalities, universities and businesses work toward achieving a Bicycle Friendly award from the League of American Bicyclists. Target audience is officials and staff from these entities, and key citizen volunteers. But all are welcome, and the Summit is free of charge.

Three sessions will be offered:

• Bicycle Friendly University, Monday, Feb. 27, 9:00am-noon
• Bicycle Friendly Business, Monday, Feb. 27, !:30-3:30pm
• Bicycle Friendly Community, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 9:00am-noon

Again — all are welcome, but advance registration is requested. Register online.

Download the official announcement (PDF).

Also check out Bike Roanoke.

HB784/Motorist to exercise Due Care not to collide w/pedestrians or cyclists, which had been recommended to be Passed by Indefinitely (PBI’d) by House Trans Sub Comm 2 yesterday morning by a 4-3 vote, was RECONSIDERED this morning in the House Trans Comm, as Del. Lopez’ request to do so was granted by Chairman Joe May.

Despite Del. Lopez’ hard work in attempting to line up enough votes to get the bill reported, the bill was PBI’d this morning by what appeared to be a 10-8 vote, with perhaps two votes who might have been favorable out of the room.

Due to his work, which I would consider to be above and beyond the normal call of duty, the vote was very close, and as soon as the official tally is posted, will give us a chance to see exactly who voted which way, and who was out of the room, so it was not entirely wasted effort.

Thanks to everyone who responded to the very short notice request to contact the committee members, to Transportation Chair Joe May for granting the request for reconsideration (which doesn’t happen very often), to Sheryl Finucane, who came in prepared to testify if needed, and particularly to Del. Lopez for giving it his best shot on the very first bill he patroned as a legislator. As Sen. Barker was complimented yesterday by an opponent in the Senate Trans. Comm., I would give Del. Lopez the same compliment of calling him “tenacious”, and look forward to working with him in the future.

With Del. John Cox, 698-1055, as Chair of House Trans Sub Comm 2, and Del. Garrett (698-1023) of Lynchburg appearing to be the vice chair of the 5 R & 2 D sub-committee, through which all bills pertaining to bike & ped matters must pass, its obvious that we have a tough row to hoe, as both Cox & Garrett appear to be solidly and steadfastly opposed to any measures that would help cyclists or pedestrians. It certainly won’t hurt if constituents from Hanover county and Lynchburg let them know their disappointment at their continued opposition to what appear to be common sense bills, which shouldn’t be all that controversial.

This Due Care statement is one that has been part of the Uniform Vehicle Code for some time, and has been adopted into their codes by 47 states, leaving only VA, Mass, Wisconsin, Michigan, & S. Dakota without it, so we are not exactly trying to do anything revolutionary and earthshaking here, so I would wonder why anyone would oppose it.

Bud Vye, RABA & VBF Advocacy Director

More than an hour was spent this afternoon in the Senate Trans Comm with a heavyweight slugfest between Sens. Saslaw & Watkins, who have competing bills over what type of equipment may be used to conduct auto emission tests in the EPA non-attainment areas (which are primarily in NoVA). Saslaw (who I believe is a former auto dealer) is championing the existing equipment, which was expensive for the inspection stations to buy and now they want to be able to get their expense out of it. Watkins is championing a new, cheaper, easier to use device (not fully tested against the other for accuracy) in the name of innovation and competition. Question didn’t get resolved or compromised and will be resumed next Wed.

Getting to bills of primary interest to us —

As promised, and reported this a.m. SB101/Blacksburg to install a contraflow bike lane on a one way street, was WITHDRAWN by the patron

SB333/banning mo-peds from all highways higher than 35mph Has been continued to the 2013 session at the request of the patron, and referred to VDOT’s non-conventional vehicle study group, which tends to meet during times when the legislature is not in session, and discusses and makes recommendations on such topics as “What kind of license does it take to ride a mo-ped?” “Does that same license permit you to ride a motorcycle?” Must you wear a helmet to ride a mo-ped?” etc.

Since bicycles are NOT considered a “non-conventional” vehicle, we do not have a seat on this committee, nor do we want to have one.

Due to the time taken up with the emission test equipment debate, Sen. Barker did not have his SB633/Helmets mandatory for all cyclists 14 & under, statewide” heard and it was carried over until next Wed.

He understands that we will neither support, nor oppose, the bill, preferring to leave it to local option, since 30 or so jurisdictions already have such ordinances. I personally do not want to be involved in answering questions of why we are discriminating against the poor kids who don’t have helmets, but do have bikes. Who is going to enforce this law, and give a $25 ticket to a 12 year old riding in his neighborhood, etc. We strongly recommend the wearing of helmets, by children and adults, but let the local jurisdictions decide if they want to make it mandatory, and handle the enforcement.

Although Lopez’ HB784/Motorist to exercise Due Care to avoid colliding with a pedestrian or bicyclist failed in Sub committee this morning, it appears that he has appealed to full Transportation Committee Chair Joe May for reconsideration, and his request has been granted, since I see the bill listed on the docket for tomorrow morning. Very short notice, but any calls to the Committee members offices might get to their attention before they go into the 8:30 meeting. John Cox 698-1055, (who voted AGAINST the bill in Sub Committee), Betsy Carr 698-1069 (who voted FOR the bill in sub comm) and Delores McQueen, 698-1070 are the only Richmond area delegates on House Trans.

Might be helpful for everyone to call Cox’s office, 698-1055, and express disappointment at his voting against the Due Care bill (HB784) in sub comm 2, and urging him to support it in full committee. Nothing wrong with thanking Betsy Carr either 698-1069, as she has always been a good friend of ours.

Other VBF members might do a quick check of the Committee and make a call if you have a delegate on it.

Bud Vye, RABA & VBF Advocacy Director

US Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood was in Richmond today where he spent time visiting with Mayor Dwight Jones and touring  parts of Richmond’s I-95 corridor.

After the Mayor’s meeting, LaHood then spent time on the campus of Virginia Commonwealth University discussing today’s transportation environment with students Wednesday afternoon.

Distracted driving was a major focus of the presentation.  LaHood stressed that making students and younger drivers aware of the dangers is key to changing the false perception that driving and texting is an acceptable and safe behavior.

The Secretary also mentioned new CAFE standards which will mandate better auto fuel mileage up to an average of 54 mpg by 2026.

He also gave his perspective the increased demand for alternative transportation modes like light rail, biking and walking.

Approximately 60 students attended the lecture.