Transportation

Photo speed monitoring devices; reduced-speed segments. Authorizes a locality without its own law-enforcement agency to, by ordinance, place and operate a photo speed monitoring device at a reduced-speed segment, defined in the bill, located within the locality for the purpose of recording violations resulting from the operation of a vehicle in excess of the speed limit. The bill requires any such locality to, by ordinance, authorize officers of the law-enforcement agency with jurisdiction within such locality or retired sworn law-enforcement officers employed by the locality to issue the summons and to swear to or affirm the certificate stating that the information produced by such photo speed monitoring device shows evidence of a vehicle speed violation. The bill provides the same requirements for such devices, information collected from such devices, and any enforcement actions resulting from information collected from such devices as current law applies to the use of such devices in school crossing zones, highway work zones, and high-risk intersection segments.

Motorized mobility vehicles; civil penalties. Establishes a new class of vehicle, the motorized mobility vehicle, as defined in the bill, and establishes requirements for the sale, operation, registration, and titling of such vehicles. The bill requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to establish regulations governing motorized mobility vehicle safety training courses and to implement an educational outreach program to inform the public about the requirements of the bill. The bill, other than the educational outreach program, has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027.

Commissioner of Highways; certain agreements with the U.S. Department of Transportation; National Environmental Policy Act. Authorizes the Commissioner of Highways to enter into agreements for a term of five years with the U.S. Department of Transportation, as provided for in federal law, regarding state assumption of responsibility for categorical exclusions and the Surface Transportation Project Delivery Program. The bill authorizes the Department of Transportation to assume certain responsibilities of the U.S. Secretary of Transportation pursuant to such agreement. Under the bill, the Commonwealth waives its immunity from civil suit in a federal court under certain circumstances. The bill contains an expiration date of five years after the date on which the first agreement is entered into. This bill is identical to HB 411.

Green warning lights; certain farm vehicles. Authorizes the use of green warning lights on vehicles displaying a permanent farm use placard, farm vehicles, farm tractors, and farm utility vehicles while operating on or along a highway.

Petersburg Parking Authority Act. Authorizes the creation of the Petersburg Parking Authority. The bill grants to the Authority various powers, including the authority to construct, operate, and lease parking facilities, contract with outside entities, issue revenue bonds and revenue refunding bonds, and acquire property. The bill also exempts the Authority from taxation.

Photo speed monitoring devices; placement and operation. Authorizes the governing body of any locality to provide by ordinance for the placement and operation of a photo speed monitoring device by a law-enforcement agency in a safety red zone, defined in the bill, for the purpose of recording vehicle speed violations in such safety red zone. The bill directs the Supreme Court of Virginia to develop a summons for vehicle speed violations captured by photo speed monitoring devices and requires summonses issued for such vehicle speed violations to be such summons. The bill makes various changes to the requirements for the use of photo speed monitoring devices, including the use of funds from collected civil penalties, signage, data retention and storage, photo speed monitoring device calibration, making certain information available to the public, requirements for private vendors, and reporting. The bill establishes civil penalties for violations of requirements and provides that for any summons issued, failure to comply with the requirements for the operation of photo speed monitoring devices renders such summons invalid.The bill also limits the use of photo speed monitoring devices in highway work zones to when workers are present, as defined in the bill, and provides that a certificate sworn to or affirmed by a law-enforcement officer or a retired sworn law-enforcement officer is not prima facie evidence of the facts contained therein for a photo speed monitoring device placed in a highway work zone unless the operator of the photo speed monitoring device provides a sworn certification verifying that workers were present at the time of the vehicle speed violation.The bill directs the Commissioner of Highways to develop criteria for designating a highway segment as a high-risk pedestrian corridor for purposes of identifying safety red zones.The bill contains delayed effective dates for certain provisions.

Transportation funding; project prioritization; sidewalks. Authorizes the consideration of the use of sidewalks and new sidewalk projects for certain project prioritization processes that apply statewide and to the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority, for purposes of transportation funding, and expands the permissible use of certain revenues by the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority for capital improvements that reduce congestion to new sidewalk projects.

Highway rights-of-way; invasive species. Prohibits the Commonwealth Transportation Board (the Board) and Commissioner of Highways from planting or causing or suffering to be planted any invasive plant on the list of invasive plants created by the Department of Conservation and Recreation on the right-of-way of any state highway. Current law prohibits the planting of three listed plants if the governing body of the locality declares such weeds or plants to be injurious and requires the Board to remove such plants. The bill removes such requirement for the Board to remove such plants and requires the Department of Transportation to conduct a review of the processes and resources that are necessary and appropriate to (i) determine the prevalence of invasive plants on the list of invasive plant species created by the Department of Conservation and Recreation and develop options for establishing and implementing a plan to remove or control such plants and manage such plants on an ongoing basis.

Commercial motor vehicle; definition. Expands the definition of a commercial motor vehicle to include vehicles inclusive of a towed vehicle with a gross vehicle weight or a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 10,000 pounds. Currently, the definition includes, in relevant part, a towed vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 10,000 pounds. The new definition is consistent with Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regulations.

Department of Housing and Community Development; loans for the construction of mixed income housing; report. Directs the Department of Housing and Community Development, in collaboration with the Virginia Housing Development Authority, to create a two-year pilot program that would provide loan origination and servicing activities for mixed income housing and submit a report on its findings to the General Assembly by November 1 of each year of the pilot program. The bill provides that any funding for the pilot program, subject to the appropriation act, shall be utilized from up to 15 percent of the annual deposit made to the Virginia Housing Trust Fund. This bill is identical to HB 820 and SB 490.