Delegate Willett’s HB661, the comprehensive bicyclist safety bill, we’ve been championing had a strong showing this past week. The Virginia Bicycling Federation (VBF) and Washington Area Bicycling Association (WABA) have been keeping a close watch on developments and reported that the Bill passed the Senate Transportation Committee on a 13–1 vote. That near-unanimous vote is a major milestone in legislative support for such bike laws!
HB661 now heads to the Senate Finance & Appropriations Committee, which is scheduled to meet three times next week. If approved there, it moves even closer to final passage.
We are truly getting close to bringing the Safety Stop to Virginia along with other important safety clarifications that align Virginia law with national best practices. If you still have the energy to send a quick email, now is the time. Committee members need to hear that these commonsense updates matter to people across the Commonwealth.
HB812: Bike Signal Faces
Allowing bike signal faces helps communities design clearer, safer intersections, particularly in higher-volume areas where bicyclists need predictable signal phases. Delegate Carr’s HB812, which authorizes bicycle signal faces, also advanced out of Senate Transportation with a unanimous 14–0 vote. Like HB661, it now heads to Senate Finance next week.
Automated Camera Safety Bills
Three automated enforcement measures also advanced out of Senate Transportation:
- HB1220 (Del. Delaney) – Camera guardrails bill (13–1)
- HB994 (Del. Seibold) – Safety zone expansion (11–1–2Abstentions)
- HB1330 (Del. Seibold) – Stop sign/crosswalk camera bill (10–0–4A)
These measures are intended to strengthen protections around school zones, crosswalks, and other high-risk areas where vulnerable road users are too often injured. All now head to Senate Finance.
If you’re still up to send emails, the committee member list can be found here with suggested language courtesy of VBF here.
Trail Funding Wins
There was good news on the budget front as well. Two trail-related amendments survived committee hearings:
- $1 million (Sen. Salim) to support construction of a new W&OD Trail Visitors Center in the Town of Vienna.
- $160,000 (Del. Sewell) to support Arlington County’s work on the September 11th National Memorial Trail Alliance.
These investments recognize the economic, recreational, and transportation value of our trail network across Northern Virginia.
This has been one of the strongest legislative weeks for bicycling in recent memory. But we are not across the finish line yet. Bills can still stall in Finance. Budget amendments can still be negotiated. And final votes still lie ahead.
We are grateful to VBF and WABA for keeping a close watch on developments in Richmond — and we are grateful to Fairfax riders who continue to speak up.
Momentum is building! Let’s keep it going!
