14100643D
HOUSE BILL NO. 277
Offered January 8, 2014
Prefiled December 31, 2013
A BILL to amend and reenact §46.2-924 of the Code of
Virginia, relating to pedestrians crossing highways.
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Patron-- Krupicka
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Committee Referral Pending
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Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That §46.2-924 of the Code of Virginia is amended and
reenacted as follows:
§46.2-924. Drivers to stop for pedestrians; installation of
certain signs; penalty.
A. For purposes of this
section:
"Marked crosswalk"
means any portion of a roadway at an intersection
or elsewhere distinctly indicated for pedestrian crossing
by lines or other markings on the highway surface.
"One-half of the
highway" means all traffic lanes carrying traffic in one direction of
travel and includes the entire width of a one-way highway.
B. The
driver of any vehicle on a highway shall yield the right-of-way to any
pedestrian crossing such highway:
1. At any clearly
marked crosswalk, whether at mid-block or at
the end of any block when the pedestrian is upon
or within one-half of the highway on which the vehicle is traveling where the
legal maximum speed limit is more than 35 miles per hour;
2. At any regular pedestrian crossing included in the
prolongation of the lateral boundary lines of the adjacent sidewalk at the end
of a block; and
3. At any intersection when the driver is approaching on a
highway or street where the legal maximum speed does not
exceed limit is
no more than 35 miles per hour.
B. C. The driver
of any vehicle on a highway shall stop and remain stopped to allow a pedestrian
to cross a highway within a marked crosswalk when
the pedestrian is upon or within one-half of the highway on which the vehicle
is traveling where the legal maximum speed limit is not more than
35 miles per hour.
D. Notwithstanding
the provisions of subsection A subsections B and C,
at intersections or crosswalks where the movement of traffic is being regulated
by law-enforcement officers or traffic control devices, the driver shall yield
according to the direction of the law-enforcement officer or device.
No pedestrian shall enter or cross an intersection in
disregard of approaching traffic.
The drivers of vehicles entering, crossing, or turning at
intersections shall change their course, slow down, or stop if necessary to
permit pedestrians to cross such intersections safely and expeditiously.
Pedestrians crossing highways at intersections shall at all
times have the right-of-way over vehicles making turns into the highways being
crossed by the pedestrians.
C. E. The
governing body of Arlington County, Fairfax County, Loudoun County and any town
therein, the City of Alexandria, the City of Fairfax, and the City of Falls
Church may by ordinance provide for the installation and maintenance of highway
signs at marked crosswalks specifically requiring operators of motor vehicles,
at the locations where such signs are installed, to (i) yield
the right-of-way to pedestrians crossing or attempting to cross the highway pursuant to subdivision B 1 or (ii)
stop for pedestrians crossing or attempting to cross the highway pursuant to
subsection C. Any
operator of a motor vehicle who fails at such locations to yield the
right-of-way to pedestrians as required by obey such signs shall be
guilty of a traffic infraction punishable by a fine of no less than $100 or
more than $500. The Department of Transportation shall develop criteria for the
design, location, and installation of such signs. The provisions of this
section shall not apply to any limited access highway.
D. F. Where a
shared-use path crosses a highway at a clearly
marked crosswalk and there are no traffic control signals at such crossing, the
local governing body may by ordinance require pedestrians, cyclists, and any other
users of such shared-used path to come to a complete stop prior to entering
such crosswalk. Such local ordinance may provide for a fine not to exceed $100
for violations. Any locality adopting such an ordinance shall install and
maintain stop signs, consistent with standards adopted by the Commonwealth
Transportation Board and to the extent necessary in coordination with the
Department of Transportation. At such crosswalks, no user of such shared-use
path shall enter the crosswalk in disregard of approaching traffic.
E. G. A
locality adopting an ordinance under subsection D F shall
coordinate the enforcement and placement of any stop signs affecting a
shared-use path owned and operated by a park authority formed under Chapter 57
(§15.2-5700 et seq.) of Title 15.2 with such authority.
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