Mr. Robert Cochrane, 

I am writing on behalf of the Virginia Bicycling Federation (VBF) to strongly support adoption in Virginia of the Standards, Options and Guidance for bicycle facilities and traffic control devices in the 2023 Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). We urge the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) to expansively incorporate ALL bicycling-related elements of the MUTCD Guide into applicable policy and design guidance. Thanks so much for your note of February 20, 2025 indicating that VBF will be included in VDOT’s external stakeholder engagement plans. 

The revised FHWA MUTCD introduces and codifies numerous design elements that meaningfully enhance bicyclist safety, including the following: 

• Protected bicycle lanes (separated by physical barriers);

• Dedicated bicycle signal faces and bicycle-specific traffic signal timing;

• Painted bike facilities and bike boxes (advanced stop lines for bicyclists at intersections);

• Contraflow bicycle lanes (enabling two-way bicycling on one-way streets);

• Mid-block crossings and pedestrian hybrid beacons with bicycle accommodations; and

• Guidance on speed limit setting with a de-emphasis of the 85th percentile..

Adopting these provisions will align Virginia with federal standards, improve safety for vulnerable road users, and help ensure continued eligibility for federal funding opportunities.  

We offer our operational expertise and appreciate being included in VDOT’s stakeholder engagement. We would also like to assist with efforts such as identifying case studies of successful implementations and updating applicable Code of Virginia sections, if required.

Thank you for your commitment to safe and sustainable transportation. We look forward to continued engagement in this process. Please feel free to contact us at brantley.tyndall@gmail.com and JimDurham48@outlook.com. 

Sincerely,  

Jim Durham, Advocacy Committee Chair, Virginia Bicycling Federation