Harley-Davidson and Schwinn riders sick and tired of waiting at red lights in Virginia are in for some relief. Motorcyclists, moped riders and bicyclists will be allowed to run red lights in certain situations under a measure recently signed into law by Gov. Bob McDonnell.
The issue, proponents of the measure say, is that many stop lights don’t change unless sensors in the roadway are triggered by a car or truck. Bikes often can’t trigger those sensors.
“When a motorcyclist, a moped rider or a bicyclist comes to a red light at an intersection, their weight is not enough to trigger the sensor,” said Del. Tag Greason, R-Loudoun, the bill’s sponsor. “In many cases, they can be stuck there.”
The law, which takes effect July 1, would allow riders to proceed through a red light if they stop at the intersection for two complete cycles of the light or for two minutes, whichever is shorter — essentially treating it as a stop sign.
“The liability is on the motorcyclist, but we’ve given him a legal option to proceed with caution instead of just waiting there,” said Greason.
The measure sailed through the General Assembly, but Del. Patrick Hope, D-Arlington, who voted against the bill, said he was worried about potential public safety issues.
“I was just concerned about putting the law on the books,” he said. “Maybe they’ll just wait 30 seconds or so, and that will be their excuse for running [the light]. That’s what I fear is going to become the norm.”
The Senate tacked on amendments that would make the rider determine it’s safe to proceed and yield the right of way to approaching drivers.
Jim Cannon, director of the Virginia Coalition of Motorcyclists, was glad to see the measure clear the state legislature.
“Imagine yourself on the road with no traffic, and you pull up to a light, and you sit there for 10 minutes,” said Cannon. Taking off would be a serious traffic violation.
“This gives us a legal option to remedy that situation,” he said.
