Transportation

Lighted vehicle headlights; lawful stop by law-enforcement officer. Clarifies that any evidence discovered or obtained following the lawful stop by a law-enforcement officer of a vehicle displaying no lighted headlights may be offered as evidence in any trial, hearing, or other proceeding if such evidence is otherwise admissible.

Speed safety cameras, pedestrian crossing violation monitoring systems, and stop sign violation monitoring systems; placement and operation; violation enforcement; civil penalties. Authorizes state and local law-enforcement agencies to place and operate pedestrian crossing violation and stop sign violation monitoring systems in school crossing zones, highway work zones, and high-risk speed corridors for purposes of recording pedestrian crossing and stop sign violations, as those terms are defined in the bill. The bill changes the terms "photo speed monitoring device" to "speed safety camera" and "high-risk intersection segment" to "high-risk speed corridor" in provisions related to vehicle speed violations. The bill makes various changes to the requirements for the use of speed safety cameras and extends most of those requirements to the use of pedestrian crossing violation and stop sign violation monitoring systems. The bill requires local law-enforcement agencies implementing or expanding the use of pedestrian crossing violation and stop sign violation monitoring systems, prior to the implementation or expansion of such systems, to conduct a public awareness program for such implementation or expansion.The bill also limits the use of speed safety cameras, pedestrian crossing violation monitoring systems, and stop sign violation monitoring systems 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 speed safety camera, pedestrian crossing violation monitoring system, or stop sign violation monitoring system, as applicable, placed in a highway work zone unless the operator of the speed safety camera, pedestrian crossing violation monitoring system, or stop sign violation monitoring system, respectively, provides a sworn certification verifying that workers were present at the time of the violation.The bill directs the Supreme Court of Virginia to develop a summons for violations captured by speed safety cameras, pedestrian crossing violation monitoring systems, and stop sign violation monitoring systems and requires summonses issued for such violations to be such summons. The bill also establishes civil penalties for violations of requirements and provides that for any summons issued, failure to comply with the requirements for the operation of speed safety cameras, pedestrian crossing violation monitoring systems, or stop sign violation monitoring systems, as applicable, render such summons invalid.The bill contains delayed effective dates for certain provisions.

Local highway system funding; revenue-sharing funds; funding cycle. Requires the application process established by the Commonwealth Transportation Board for localities to receive revenue-sharing funds to use for the improvement, construction, reconstruction, or maintenance of the highway system to be conducted on an annual basis.

Department of Transportation; rest areas and welcome centers; adult changing stations. Requires the Department of Transportation to provide at least one adult changing station at all rest areas on interstate highways and welcome centers operated by the Virginia Tourism Authority in the Commonwealth, with such changing station being either (i) in a single-stall family restroom or (ii) one adult changing station in both the men's and women's restrooms, and provides that such requirement may be satisfied by retrofitting or renovating existing restroom facilities or family restrooms. The bill provides that the Department of Transportation is not required to complete the installation, retrofitting, or provision of such an adult changing station at existing rest areas and welcome centers prior to such a time at which other renovations to such a rest area or welcome center are conducted.

Unpaved secondary highway funds; maximum annual allocation. Increases the maximum total annual allocation made by the Commonwealth Transportation Board for certain unpaved secondary highways from $25 million to $50 million.

Department of Transportation; guardrail modernization; report. Requires the Department of Transportation (the Department) to identify, prioritize, and conduct the replacement of guardrail systems and end treatments that do not meet current Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH) safety standards. The bill requires the Department to (i) identify and use any state or federal funds available to the Department for such purposes and, as necessary, apply for other grant funds; (ii) create and maintain a public inventory of non-compliant guardrail systems and end treatments; (iii) create a five-year upgrade schedule for the replacement of non-compliant guardrail systems and end treatments; and (iv) submit an annual report to the Chairs of the House and Senate Committees on Transportation.

Department of Transportation; protective caps for guardrail posts; report. Directs the Department of Transportation to develop and adopt statewide standards and requirements for protective caps or other comparable shielding for exposed guardrail posts installed or replaced on or after July 1, 2027.