Another Week to Support HB661 in the Virginia Senate

A community bike bus gathers for a group ride to school.

Current status of HB661 as of February 26, 2026:  HB661 was filed by Delegate Rodney Willett (D, HD-58) on January 13, and the House of Delegates passed it unanimously (98Y-0N-0A) on February 9.  On February 26, HB661 was reported 13Y-1N by the Senate Transportation Committee and re-referred to the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee. 

Our Bicyclist Safety Bill (HB661) Has Crossed Over to the Virginia Senate: 

Contact Your Senator before February 26

An increasing number of people are seriously injured or killed while riding bicycles in Virginia.  HB661 is a commonsense safety update that can prevent these crashes — and it now needs Senate approval.

Action Request:  

Please ask your State Senator to support Delegate Willett’s Bicyclist Safety bill (HB661).

If your Senator serves on the Senate Transportation Committee, your personal stories about why bicyclist safety matters will be especially effective at ensuring their support for HB661.

You can use “Who’s My Legislator” to confirm your senator.  Read more about HB661’s safety benefits on the VBF blog. 

Thank you to everyone who spoke up earlier when asked — your voices matter.

More about contacting Senate Transportation Committee members:

• Delegate Willett’s Bicyclist Safety bill (HB661) has been referred to the Senate Transportation Committee where we expect it will be heard on February 26.
• It is particularly important to contact these Senators with your personal safety-focused stories as soon as possible:  Bagby (Chair), Marsden, DeSteph, Suetterlein, Boysko, Hackworth, Sturtevant, Aird, Roem, Diggs, Pekarsky, Mulchi, Srinivasan, Cifers, Jones
• If you are a member of an organization that supports HB661, you are encouraged to send a message of support to Senate Transportation Committee members by Wednesday, February 25.

How HB661 Improves Safety:

Delegate Willett’s HB661 is a safety-focused update that will align Virginia law with national best practices. HB661 improves safety while preserving right-of-way rules and maintaining protections for pedestrians and drivers.

Watch Delegate Willett explain HB661 to the House Transportation Subcommittee on Highway Safety and Policy on January 28.

• Safety Yield:
• • Recommended by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration [1], legal in 11 states (and DC), reduced bicycle-involved crashes by 23% in Delaware [2].
  • According to the Delaware State Police, crashes involving bicycles specifically at stop sign-controlled intersections fell by 23% in the 30 months after the Bicycle Friendly Delaware Act was signed into law in 2017 (compared to the comparable 30-month preceding period).  At the same time, all other crashes involving bicycles in Delaware only fell 8%.
• Proceed on Walk Signal:
  • People on bicycles on a roadway have been allowed to proceed on the walk signal since 2019 in New York City (NYC), after NYC’s DOT seven-month pilot program allowed cyclists to follow Leading Pedestrian Intervals (LPIs) at 50 designated intersections and compared 50 control intersections [3]. NYC DOT then recommended this measure city-wide.
  • The National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) has recommended this measure to extend the safety benefits of LPIs to a person bicycling on a roadway [4].
• Riding Two Abreast:   Makes people on bicycles more visible to drivers, promotes safer overtaking, and allows parents and others to ride beside less experienced riders.  While HB661 applies broadly to all people riding bicycles, a primary purpose is to allow parents to ride next to children; for example,
  • On a street with a speed limit of less than 35 mph, people riding bicycles may ride two abreast with no restrictions, as 26 states allow under all circumstances.
  • On a two-lane road with a speed limit of 35 mph or greater, the bill retains a restriction that people “riding two abreast shall not impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic”.

Other Bicycling-Related Bills That Have Crossed Over:

1. Traffic-Safety Cameras:

VBF supports:

• • Speed cameras as a proven safety tool
  • Increased transparency and reporting on how camera revenues are used
  • Policies that prioritize safety in high-risk areas like school zones

Traffic-safety camera bills that have crossed over: 

• • HB1220 – Delegate Delaney’s Speed-Safety Camera bill to increase transparency
  • HB994 – Delegate Seibold’s bill to increase transparency and allow cameras in high-risk pedestrian corridors, as designated by the Commissioner of Highways
  • HB1330 – Delegate Seibold’s Stop-Sign Camera bill and with increased transparency
  • SB84 – Senator Williams Graves’ bill to increase transparency
  • SB221 – Senator Jones’ Speed-Safety Camera bill to allow school zone cameras to be operated up to 60 minutes before or after school start or dismissal.

2. Bicycle Signal Faces:

• Delegate Carr’s Bicycle Signal Faces bill (HB812) has been referred to the Senate Transportation Committee where we expect it will be heard on February 26.
• HB812 improves the safety of people bicycling by enabling VDOT to employ this important safety device where appropriate in Virginia.
• “Research and experiments have shown that bicycle signal faces can …reduce the bicycle crash rate up to 45 percent.” [5]

Footnotes:

[1] NHTSA Stop-As-Yield Fact Sheet https://nhtsa.gov/document/bicyclist-stop-yield-laws-and-safety-fact-sheet

[2] Ibid

[3]  New York City Pilot Study Results. https://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/bike-lpi-study-memo.pdf

[4] National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) Urban Street Design Guide

[5] Approval for Optional Use of a Bicycle Signal Face (IA-16), Dec 24, 2013, https://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/resources/interim_approval/ia16/

We appreciate the growing support for bicyclist safety among members of the General Assembly.

Please thank legislators who support safer roads and urge support for HB661 in the Virginia Senate.

Please share this article to help build support for safer streets in 2026.

Questions or comments?
Contact the VBF Advocacy Committee at 703-508-0762 or vbfadvocacycommittee@gmail.com

About the Virginia Bicycling Federation

The Virginia Bicycling Federation (VBF) works to make Virginia the most bicycle-friendly state in the nation. Through advocacy, education, and community partnerships, we promote safe, accessible, and enjoyable bicycling for people of all ages and abilities. From historic trails to vibrant downtowns, bicycling connects us to our communities—and to Virginia’s rich past and promising future. Learn more at www.vabike.org.

To join or donate to VBF, an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) nonprofit, go to https://app.joinit.com/o/virginia-bicycling-federation.

This article was drafted by VBF Advocacy Committee Chair Jim Durham.