I suspect that this bill that Virginia Senator Tommy Norment is pure pandering, but that doesn’t make it any less crazy that Mr. Norment would suggest a change to VA law which would double the fine for a cyclist compared to a car, and include the impounding of the bicycle for six months as the coup de grâce.
Obviously, this is anti-cyclist, but the actual impacts, and I can’t imagine that this wasn’t intentional on the part of Tommy Norment, are more likely to be intended as an economic attack on those who ride bikes for financial or environmental reasons.
Most cyclists aren’t MAMILs. Most cyclists aren’t rocking expensive bikes. Many cyclists use their bikes as their primary, or only, form of transportation either by choice or necessity. Taking someone’s primary mode of transport away for half a year, over what is an incredibly minor infraction will have a massive impact on their life, and for what? It can’t just be just make a point about stopping at a stop sign (which is arguably more dangerous for cyclists)? And, it can’t be about applying the same laws to cars and bikes, because Tommy isn’t pushing to impound any automobiles, or even suggesting the same financial penalty… So… with a little bit of Occam’s razor I think it’s safe to say that Tommy Norment is engaging in some targeted assholery.