FABB Blog

"We’re focusing mostly on biking for transportation," he said. "We started in June 2011 and will finish this June. Then we’ll recommend a proposed bike-network plan to the Board of Supervisors in June or July. We hope to have it incorporated into the [county’s] Comprehensive Plan and into the City of Fairfax’s plan."

"Using bikes for transportation is an important part of our vision for the future," said Goodman. "We know Fairfax County is competing with other cities for jobs, and these are the types of things that could reel in potential employers."

Johnson suggested to specific ways that the USA Cycling race clubs could be involved in advocacy and promoting bicycling. First, he suggested that each USAC club adopt a school, "and it doesn't have to be an underprivileged school," to go and talk to kids about bike safety and show them the fun side of bike riding. He said,"When you're a kid, your not riding a bike to train or commute, you're riding because it's fun!"

Second, he suggested that amateur cyclists talk to other parents informally about advocating for bike lanes and Safe Routes to School, "just talk to people on the sidelines of your kid's soccer game," he suggests.

Self-described Bicycle Evangelist and Bikes Belong member Richard Fries noted that the President of the League of American Bicyclists, Andy Clarke was in the audience, then bombastically asked, "Where are all the other bike advocates, why aren't they here?" He gave examples of advocates not wanting to talk to him about racing.

Gary Fisher stood up, removed his hat, and interrupted Fries: "Advocates are the ones working hard the ground, the pros are WHOOSH, just flying overhead. We racers need to RESPECT the advocates." The audience erupted into spontaneous cheers for Fisher. Fries hadn't realized how many grassroots advocates sat in the audience from places like Arizona, Georgia, Virginia, California, and many other states.

Three FABB members recently rode the length of the trail and identified the many sections like the one above where there is cracked and crumbling asphalt wide horizontal gaps, raised utility covers, and other problems with the trail. We collected GPS points and photos and submitted that data to VDOT so they could prioritize repaving locations. It's our hope that major sections will be fixed this summer. Attending the above meetings will help get that message across.

Today, however, you can pick up a Capital Bikeshare bicycle in Foggy Bottom, Capitol Hill, Petworth or Crystal City and ride to the Washington Monument or the FDR and MLK memorials. Once there, you can drop off the bike, enjoy the beauty of the cherry blossoms, then grab another bike for a ride home, to the Metro or to a restaurant. It costs just $7 for a day pass and is free with a longer-term membership.

The BikeDC community ride found that it could use Rock Creek Parkway for its May event, after being turned down in the past. Apparently the new Rock Creek superintendent didn’t get the memo about being hostile toward people recreating in a beautiful valley on weekends. When cyclists gathered in the District last week for the National Bicycle Summit, Park Service head Jon Jarvis agreed that “we haven’t been all that bike-friendly in all our parks over the years” and pledged to change that.

The Park Service deserves a great deal of credit for this refreshing change in attitude, but a long list of tasks remains undone. Capital Bikeshare is a great start, but there are still many more steps to make bicycling safe and convenient on our parkland. Try to bike from the Washington Monument down to the 14th Street bridge, and you either have to use a narrow sidewalk and dodge tourists on foot (who have a greater right to the sidewalk than you) or brave a road designed like an expressway.

The paths alongside the George Washington and Rock Creek parkways are too narrow and winding, and especially on weekends, all the walkers, joggers and bikers have to wrangle over small spaces while light traffic zooms past. Why not make just one of the four lanes on each parkway a bike-pedestrian pathway on weekends?

By some indicators, it has never been a better time to travel by bike. Gas prices are soaring, spring has arrived, and the District is already one of the most active cities in the country, second in biking and walking only to Boston, according to the Alliance for Biking and Walking. But there’s a downside to the region’s cycling growth: Authorities and advocates are struggling to keep up with a crowd of riders whose skills range from expert to novice in an already congested city.

Riding my bike to a meeting the other day, I suddenly realized how happy I felt. Being so close to nature was wonderful, amid crimson cardinals darting through the underbrush and the sound of rushing creeks, but there was more to it than that. I had an exhilarating sense of freedom.

Apparently, that’s not a new feeling for women who bike. In fact, we have enjoyed that special kind of autonomy since the late 1800s, when the bicycle was introduced in America. As suffragette Susan B. Anthony put it, having the ability to ride away from the protective atmosphere of the home “changed women.”

Those and other fascinating tidbits from the history of women and bikes were provided by Sue Macy, author of the book Wheels of Change and keynote speaker at the first-ever National Women Cycling Forum, held this week in Washington, D.C.

Our route to Tysons is one used by many bike commuters riding into Tysons from Vienna and Oakton. From the W&OD Trail in Vienna there are various routes that come together at the entry to Tysons on Old Courthouse Rd. The pinch point is headed uphill past Freedom Hill Park where the road is narrow, a place where many cyclists are harassed by impatient motorists. At Gosnell we headed L toward Route 7. 

After dropping rack cards at the shop we headed back on Gosnell up a long incline toward Old Courthouse. This is where the harassment began. First two snot-nosed kids on screaming mopeds honked their high-pitched horns and buzzed us within a foot or so. As they passed they motioned as if we should be on the sidewalk. That got our attention. 

Shortly afterward a red Jeep came up behind us very close and revved his engine. He continued to do that to the Old Courthouse intersection even though he could easily have passed us.

This type of harassment happens on a regular basis. When we complain to the police we are told there's nothing they can do, even when we have a tag number and description of the motorist. 

This week we've heard about two other similar incidents; both cyclists had video evidence and reported to the incidents to the police, and both were basically ignored by the police. Maybe Delegate Comstock, who cast deciding votes in the defeat of two measures that would benefit cyclists in these situations, the following too close bill and the due care bill, should try riding along with these cyclists for a day or two to get a feel for what we encounter on a regular basis. Maybe that would change her mind.

There are several roads in the greater Tysons/Merrifield area where cyclists have frequent conflicts with motorists. These are usually narrow or very busy commuter routes. Examples include the above two sections of Old Courthouse Rd and Gosnell Rd. Others include Idylwood Rd near Idyl Lane and Gallows Rd at the I-66 bridge. These roads need better accommodations for cyclists. A start would be placement of Shared Lane Markings and Bicycles May Use Full Lane signs.

The upscale grocery store near my home in Tenleytown is a popular spot for foodies. Most of these “diehard” environmentalists roll up in their cars because the store has made it quite convenient to do so. I choose not to drive, and I don’t fault those who do — as they’re paying for their choices. But at this grocery store, and many others across the nation, drivers do not bear the true economic costs of their choices, let alone the environmental ones. Instead, the supermarket takes the cost of providing the parking and, since we all pay the same prices for grocery items, redistributes it among everyone who shops there. In effect, cyclists, walkers and those who take public transit subsidize the parking of those who don’t.

Neil pays tribute to the many local bike shops that have supported him over the years, including Northern Virginia shops Spokes, Etc., Revolution Cycles, A-1 Cycling, Bonzai Sports, WheelNuts, bikes@vienna, and The Bike Lane. Most of these shops have also supported FABB. Congratulations to Spokes and thanks for the many informative articles over the years.

The current issue has some good ones:

• The Making of "Where to Bike, Washington DC" - How Matt Wittmer, in DC after spending two years in Peru, happened across an ad for a write and photographer to put together a guidebook for DC area cyclists. He spent the next two years writing this very informative and attractive guide to local bike rides.
• New Year's Salute to Paul Rossmeissl - Paul, an avid local cyclist, lost his life in a tragic crash on the W&OD Trail in 2006. Paul's Ride for Life, starting in Reston on Saturday, April 28, is held in his honor.
• The Carless (Not Careless) Suburban Mountain-bike Ride - Mike Miller discusses the benefits of riding to his ride instead of fighting traffic and burning gas. He mentions several good mountain bike rides here in Fairfax and his experience riding to them from his home in Arlington.
• Be a PAL - Chris Eatough of BikeArlington discusses being a PAL: Predictable, Alert, and Lawful. Whether biking, driving or walking, everyone needs to exhibit due care, awareness and courtesy.
• Calendar of Events - Check out the many rides coming up this spring and summer.

Thanks to the cyclists who turned out to provide valuable input into the Bike Plan. We'll need everyone's help to get the plan approved and funded.

“We have many suitable and enjoyable areas to ride in Fairfax County and it would be wonderful if more residents realized how many trips are already very bikeable,” said Fionnuala Quinn, vice chair of Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling (FABB). “Biking on some of our beautiful trails and using our lovely neighborhood streets to get around can really alter your perspective about Fairfax traffic woes.”

“That said, we have very few dedicated bicycling facilities and the county hasn’t developed a ‘bicycling culture’ yet,” Quinn added. “There is certainly much to be done to create a safe and comfortable bicycling environment countywide.”

The Countywide Bicycle Transportation Plan provides recommendations in major areas Quinn calls “the five E’s.” They are engineering, encouragement, education, enforcement and evaluation. Within these areas, the study assesses bike lanes and other on-road bike facilities, bike trails and parking, Bike to Work and School Day, community bike rides, bike safety classes, bicyclist counting and rules of the road, just to name a few.

“FABB has been advocating for a bicycle master plan from their initiation [in 2005] as it was recognized that in a large, complex county, a detailed plan was necessary,” Quinn said. “The county has been very supportive of developing the plan. Once it is adopted, adequate funding will be required for it to be implemented.”

Developing the Sully District

“This is everyone’s big chance to let their county officials know about specific safety problems in their neighborhoods or to alert them to connections that should be added to create better internal access and shortcuts for getting around,” Quinn added.

One specific topic residents are open to address at Tuesday night’s meeting is how new and improved bike paths can lead to safer, more convenient ways for locals to commute to work and school. For example, many area schools, like Bull Run Elementary on Route 29/Lee Highway, do not allow any students to bike or walk to school because there is no safe route that allows them to do so.

Fairfax County Department of Transportation Bicycle Program Coordinator Charlie Strunk has big plans for the Sully District.

“The Centreville area does present challenges … but it also offers opportunities,” Strunk said. “I want to focus on two projects currently in the design phase. One is the Bobann Drive Bikeway. This old roadbed runs parallel to I-66. We plan to improve this shared-use path providing a direct connection from the Centreville area to Stringfellow Road and the adjacent park and ride lot. The new Stringfellow Road will have wide outside curb lanes for bikes and we’re adding secure covered bicycle parking at the park and ride lot.”

“The second project that we’re excited about is a new bike map which we’re calling ‘Western Fairfax Bike the Sites,’” Strunk continued. “This map will layout a family-friendly bike loop that passes by many of the historical sites in the area. It will be fun, educational and a healthy way to explore some of Sully’s history.”
County residents who are unable to attend public meetings in their district can give input on the project through an online survey, open through Saturday, March 31.