WABA’s Coverage of the 2026 Virginia General Assembly Session
Week of February 2nd
A quiet but consequential week in the General Assembly. Let’s jump right to it.
Bike Safety Omnibus. Del. Willett’s HB661 allowing bicyclists to ride two-abreast, make use of the pedestrian walk signal at crosswalks, and utilize the Safety Yield passed unanimously (21Y-0N) out of the House Transportation Committee and is headed to a full House vote next week. We’ve been aided by strong testimony from our knowledgeable patron as well as the steady presence of the Virginia Bicycling Federation’s John Hamilton who has been quick to meet with and address any questions raised by lawmakers. We remain cautiously optimistic despite expectations of more trepidation from the Senate.
*NEW* Bike Signal Faces. Making an appearance in our coverage for the first time is Del. Carr’s HB812 that would allow the use of bike signal faces at intersections, a no-brainer traffic control device that VDOT nonetheless insists requires specific authorization before it can implement. We didn’t expect any issues and the near-unanimous committee vote (20Y-1N) reflects its noncontroversial nature. It also heads to a full House vote next week.
E-Bike Regulations. Perhaps the bigger news this week was that Del. Reid tabled his HB269 until 2027 and instead joined Del. Singh’s HB1120 as a co-patron. We look forward to working with both Delegates and stakeholders from across Virginia to look at how to best address overpowered e-motos (particularly among young riders) without undermining the e-bike boom that has more and more Virginians swapping their car keys for their helmets.
Speed Safety Cameras. Various bills amending local authorities’ use of automated speed enforcement cameras continue to make their way through committees. For now, it seems the threat of outright elimination of camera enforcement has passed, but we’ll keep you updated.
WHAT’S NEXT?
WABA, VBF, and the Fairfax Alliance for Better Bicycling will be working the halls and phones to build support for HB661 but we need your help, too.
Contact your state Senator and encourage them to support Del. Willett’s bike safety omnibus bill (HB661). Briefly explain why these changes matter to you; your experiences and stories carry real weight. Find your Senator’s contact info here.
- Particular focus is on David Marsden (D-Fairfax) and Stella Pekarsky (D-Fairfax), critical swing votes on the Senate Transportation Committee who have voted NO on previous iterations of Safety Yield, Proceed on Walk Signal, and Riding Two-Abreast legislation.
If you live in Fairfax County, we also encourage you to contact your local Supervisor. State legislators will often defer to County leaders; we can’t change what information they get from transportation agency or police representatives (we expect them to be opposed) but we can ensure they hear positive messages from bicycling constituents like you.
- Supervisors Jimenez, Lusk, and Chairman McKay are the swing votes most in need of your stories.
And of course, you should still sign our petition in support of VBF’s bicycling safety agenda. There’s always value in showing our leaders that the bicycling community stands united, and our numbers are growing.
Week of January 26th
While we’re still digging out of last weekend’s snowstorm, both here and in Richmond, legislators are plowing ahead with legislative hearings. I had a chance to walk the halls of the General Assembly Building on Wednesday, connecting with staff, elected leaders, and fellow advocates; I even managed to briefly testify on the bike safety omnibus bill being championed by the Virginia Bicycling Federation (VBF) before catching a train back home. Read on below for where things stand.
Bike Safety Omnibus. Del. Willett’s HB661 allowing bicyclists to ride two-abreast, make use of the pedestrian walk signal at crosswalks, and utilize the Safety Yield passed unanimously (8Y-0N) out of subcommittee and heads to the House Transportation Committee, likely next week. We don’t anticipate major hiccups in the House, but we are gearing up for pushback in the Senate. More on how you can help below.
E-Bike Regulations. Del. Reid invited and received feedback from VBF, WABA, and others on his HB269 that would impose onerous regulations on legal e-bikes in an effort to combat problematic e-motos. He is developing substitute language and we expect a subcommittee vote next week, along with Del. Singh’s HB1120 (VBF’s preferred bill) calling for a stakeholder group to study and make recommendations on e-motos.
Speed Safety Cameras. Sen. Peake’s two bills repealing speed safety camera use in school zones (SB297) and at red lights (SB306) narrowly passed out of the Senate Transportation Committee (8Y-7N), perhaps unexpectedly; Sen. Peake has asked for more time to work with stakeholders on some substitute language. Other bills expanding camera enforcement in school zones (SB221) and VDOT-identified vulnerable road user safety zones (SB832) also advanced out of committee, so it remains unclear which direction we’re headed vis-a-vis cameras.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
- Contact your state Senator and encourage them to support Del. Willett’s bike safety omnibus bill (HB661). It’s never too early for our bicycling community to start communicating our position on legislation-to-come. Find your Senator here.
- Two local Senators, David Marsden (D-Fairfax) and Stella Pekarsky (D-Fairfax), are critical swing votes on the Senate Transportation Committee who have voted NO on previous iterations of Safety Yield, Proceed on Walk Signal, and Riding Two-Abreast legislation—we need them to hear from bicyclists like you.
- If you live in Fairfax County, we also encourage you to contact your local Supervisor. State legislators will often defer to County leaders so we need Supervisors (especially Andres Jimenez, Rodney Lusk, and Chairman McKay) to hear from constituents, too.
- Contact your state Senator and tell them to keep speed camera enforcement. While no one likes getting tickets, automated camera enforcement is a critical tool in our road safety toolbox proven to reduce speeding and crash severity.
- Sen. Jennifer Boysko (D-Fairfax) is a key target for messaging this weekend; she provided the swing vote to advance camera-killing SB297 and SB306 out of committee. Let’s get her to change her mind ahead of full Senate votes next week.
- With so many camera-related bills, you can simply share your support for safety-focused camera enforcement in general, especially if revenues are reinvested locally to make our streets safer.
- And of course, you can still sign our petition in support of VBF’s bicycling safety agenda. There’s value in showing our leaders that the bicycling community stands united, and our numbers are growing.
Week of January 19th
The Virginia General Assembly started to pick up steam this week. A major shoutout to the Virginia Bicycling Federation’s John Hamilton and others for working the halls and offices in Richmond and for providing many of the updates below. More on VBF’s legislative priorities here.
Speed cameras in the crosshairs. Senator Peake (R-Lynchburg) has introduced two bills (SB297 and SB306) to repeal use of automated speed cameras and traffic light cameras in Virginia. Unfortunately, both bills passed out of committee 8Y-7N, with Senator Aird (D-Petersburg) voting with all Republican members of the committee to axe a critical safety strategy. These bills will next advance to the full Senate where we hope they will be nixed.
Doubling down on Safety Yield. Delegate Karen Keys-Gamarra (D-Oakton) introduced HB1417, a standalone authorization of the Safety Yield (aka Idaho Stop or Delaware Yield). There are several key differences between Keys-Gamarra’s bill and VBF’s own Omnibus Bicyclist Safety bill (HB661) introduced by Delegate Rodney Willett (D-Henrico); we think our version, thoughtfully workshopped with VDOT staff and others, ultimately stands a better chance of passage but we love to see bike-friendly initiative!
Averting e-bike confusion. VBF and bicycling advocates are working with Delegate David Reid (D-Ashburn) and his staff to amend his HB269, a bill that would radically alter regulation and impose undue restrictions on legal e-bikes in an effort to crack down on illegal e-motos. We don’t disagree with the need to address out-of-class, high-speed devices and dangerous riding behavior (especially by younger riders), but we think Delegate JJ Singh’s HB1120 call for a post-session stakeholder group to holistically study and make recommendations is the more appropriate route.
- This comes on the heels of outgoing-Governor Phil Murphy of New Jersey signing a law this week with draconian new regulations on ALL e-bikes and other devices in the Garden State.
- This graphic from the Florida Bicycling Association closely aligns with VBF’s perspectives on e-motos. More here.
As always, short emails from constituents like you to your state Delegates and Senators expressing support or opposition carry a lot of weight—let them know what you and our bicycling community think! Be sure to also sign the petition in support of VBF’s bicycling safety agenda—I’ll be headed to Richmond on January 28th and would love to tout having over 1,500 supporters behind me.