Chap Petersen’s bill to protect cyclists from suddenly opened car doors died an untimely death in House Transportation Subcommittee #2. The vote was 4-3.
The bill (SB 225) was overwhelmingly passed by the Senate in a bipartisan vote. Members of the Independent Insurance Agents of Virginia, the Virginia Bicycling Federation, Ride Richmond, and others spoke in favor of the bill.
After the early morning subcommittee meeting, Petersen stated: “I’d like to thank everyone who worked so hard to get this bill as far as it did. This is a safety issue, and 40 states, even Alaska, have this exact law. You’re more likely to hit a moose than a bicycle in Alaska, I’m troubled as to why some people don’t want this safety law in Virginia.”
Dels. LeMunyon (R-Fairfax), Ward (D-Hampton), and Carr (D-Richmond) voted for the bill. Dels. Taylor (R-Virginia Beach), Villanueva (R-Virginia Beach), Garrett (R-Lynchburg), Austin (R-Buchanan), and voted against the bill.
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