FABB Blog

Tour de Fat returns on Saturday, May 31 to Yards Park in DC. The party starts with a costumed bike ride at 11am and includes music, games, food, and beer from New Belgium Brewery, makers of Fat Tire Ale.

About Bike to School Day The first-ever National Bike to School Day took place on May 9, 2012, in coordination with the League of American Bicyclists' National Bike Month. Almost 1,000 local events in 49 states and the District of Columbia joined together to encourage children to safely bicycle or walk to school.
The event builds on the popularity of Walk to School Day, which is celebrated across the country – and the world – each October. Many communities and schools have been holding spring walk and bicycle to school events for years. National Bike to School Day provides an opportunity for schools across the country to join together to celebrate and to build off of the energy of National Bike Month.

Bike to School Day 2013

National Bike to School Day 2013 was held on May 8, with Bike to School events taking place throughout the month of May. More than 1,700 schools in all 50 states plus the District of Columbia participated.

FY 2015 Proposed Budget Budget Work Session Follow-up 

April 14, 2014 

 A well-connected park network can be enjoyed by more people! Augmenting the park network with connections between isolated park spaces, stream valleys and key points of interest will enhance the value of all parks and further distinguish Tysons from other urban areas. Creating opportunities for cyclists and pedestrians to experience park spaces and points of interest in Tysons safely and conveniently is crucial. This can be achieved through appropriate placement of new parks and a well-planned recreational trail system that connects and extends public sidewalks, bike lanes and bicycle facilities, recognizing the importance of trails in accessing Metrorail stations. The emphasis here is on recreational use of trails.

Phase I of the Fairfax County Bicycle Master Plan covers the Tysons area and provides detailed bicycle infrastructure recommendations, including trail connections to neighborhoods outside of Tysons, on-road bike lanes, and other facilities to support commuter cycling. The Tysons Circulator Study proposes a three-route bus system to support Metrorail transit ridership and minimize vehicular trips to, from, and within Tysons. Consideration of planned bike and Circulator routes will better inform park and trail network locations.

Tysons Community Circuit: The planned bicycle network is extensive but focused on the cycling commuter and, therefore, not ideal for a child learning to ride a bike or a family out for a leisurely excursion. An off-road trail system along the stream valleys and power line easement will provide for some of this recreational trail need, however, with limited connectivity and limited coverage throughout Tysons. There is a need for another type of recreational trail that is more closely integrated with the places where people live and work, linking parks and points of interest, while providing the flexibility for a variety of users to share the space safely.

Alexandria women will be heading out on two wheels from Jones Point Park on Sunday, May 4th, to let the local bike shops know that they are an important and rapidly growing market for them. "Women are a powerful consumer force," says the League of American Bicyclists in its August 2013 "Women on a Roll" report on women's cycling, "but too often they do not feel welcome in bike shops or do not feel products address their desires and needs."

The ride is being organized by the Alexandria Spokeswomen, a group that formed in September 2013 out of a city focus group on women's cycling. One of the key issues discussed was that many women bike riders do not feel comfortable in shops and on rides, which are often dominated by men. The League's report, which had just been released, validated that sentiment. It also showed that bike shops might be wise to provide a wider selection of women's clothing and more women-targeted classes, events and rides

The alignment of United States Bicycle Route 1 is being updated. US Bike Route 1 was established in 1982. Due to new development in Northern Virginia, the current routing of USBR 1 needs to be re-evaluated along with any possible alternates. The project study area extends from the 14th Street Bridge in Arlington County to the southern boundary of Prince William County. This study will include a detailed signing plan and cost estimate for future implementation.

Fairfax County Parkway Trail Repair

DATE: April 14, 2014

TO: Supervisor Gerald Hyland, Delegate Scott Surovell, and Senator Toddy Puller

FROM: Seyed A. Nabavi, Engineer III, Department of Transportation

SUBJECT: Update on Sherwood Hall Lane Pavement Marking

This memorandum is an update on the Sherwood Hall Lane Pavement Marking project. We have received seventy seven comments via mail, email, and comments provided at the public information meeting before March 26th. We also received six comments after the March 26th deadline.

The comments have been compiled and they are mainly focused on retaining on‐street parking and providing bike lanes. The overwhelming desire of the residents in the eastern portion of Sherwood Hall Lane is to retaintheiron-streetparking. We understand that this space provides benefits beyond merely vehicle storage, such ascreating a buffer between the curb and fast‐moving traffic, and providing a safe place to walk where sidewalks do not exist.

We are pleased to report that we have modified the pavement marking plan to retain all the on‐street parking between Parkers and Fort Hunt by eliminating the proposed left-turn lanes. A bike lane will be carved from the existing parking lane, but this space will continue to contribute to the buffer space valued by the residents. Generally, we will provide the following design for the six segments on the project:

Segment 1 Route 1 to FordsonRoad:

The proposed design on this segment will remain the same. We will look at the queue length of the east bound right turns and provide enough gap in bike lanes for the right turning vehicles.

Segment 2 Fordson Road to Schelhorn Road:

The proposed design on this segment will remain the same. We will look at the queue length of the west bound right turns and provide enough gap in bike lanes for the right turning vehicles.

Segment 3 Schelhorn Road to Frances Drive:

The proposed left turn lane into the library will be preserved. The proposed left turn lane into Frances Drive will be removed and the existing parking will be retained on the south side of Sherwood Hall Lane (in front of the library).

Segment 4 Frances Drive To Davenport St:

The proposed two way left turn lane will be removed. The existing parking will be retained on both sides of Sherwood Hall Lane and the bike lanes will be striped.

Segment 5 Davenport Street To Kirkside Drive:

The proposed two way left turn lane will be removed. We will provide a new eastbound left turn lane into Kirkside Drive. The existing parking will be retained. The rest of the proposed design remains the same.

Segment 6 Kirkside Drive to Fort Hunt Road:

We will implement typical section concept 2 on this segment. The proposed two way left turn lane will be removed and the bike lanes will be striped. The existing parking will be retained.

We are in the process of finalizing the pavement marking and signage plans. Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is in the process of repaving areas near Sherwood Hall  Lane, We will submit the final plans to VDOT on April 25th for their review and implementation.

If you have any questions or would like additional information, please email me at Seved.Nabavi@fairfaxcountv.gov or call me at (703) 877‐5759.

For all economies, especially those with high rates of urban growth, investment in public transport systems and low‐carbon infrastructure can avoid lockin to carbon‐intensive modes. Prioritizing infrastructure for pedestrians and integrating non motorized and transit services can create economic and social co‐benefits in all regions.

Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling

Wednesday, April 16, 2014, 7:30 p.m.

Patrick Henry Library, Vienna

And I hope you all can attend the Bike to Work Day events in your districts on Friday May 16.

Senator Bryce Reeves, (R-Spotsylvania) was the Chief Patron of SB 97, the Three Foot Passing bill, which was recently signed into law by Governor Terry McAuliffe. The law goes into effect on July 1.

Also recognized for their support of pro-bike legislation were Delegate Barbara Comstock (R-Fairfax/ Loudoun) who sponsored the following too closely legislation, HB 82 and Senator Chap Petersen (D- Fairfax) who sponsored the anti-dooring bill (SB 225).

Despite great efforts to get Petersen and Comstock’s legislation through, both bills were defeated. A big thanks to these legislators who supported our efforts to make Virginia a more friendly place to ride bikes.

Senator Reeves with VBF's Bud Vye

Champ Burnley and Bud Vye of VBF and Delegate Comstock

Senator Peterson and Champe Burnley