Tuesday, July 29, 2014
Post reports on biking to Silver Line stations
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| Bicycles filling up Wiehle south rakes this morning. |
If drivers weren’t plentiful at the McLean station Monday, cyclists were. By the time Cecilia Clavet arrived at the station, most of the bike racks were occupied, forcing her to double up.
Usually Clavet, a policy adviser for the Nature Conservancy, drives 10 minutes to the West Falls Church station, where she parks and hops on an Orange Line train. But with the McLean station just down the hill from her home, she rode in. Her route didn’t include any major roads such as Chain Bridge Road or Route 7. Still, she said, the county could make the roads more bike-friendly. “There weren’t any bike paths, and I’m not used to riding a bike in traffic, so it was a little bit nerve-racking,” she said.
The county master plan for cycling access is expected to go before the Planning Commission in
October, according to Charlie Strunk, Fairfax County’s bicycle coordinator. The Board of Supervisors is expected to consider it later that month. But Strunk said some improvements have been put in place, including the addition of bike lanes to Gallows Road.
Mariano Gutierrez pulled up to the bike rack at the Spring Hill station about 9:15 a.m. — his first time biking to a Metro station. He was pleased but said he hopes the county will do a better job of delineating bike lanes, particularly because Tysons is not a particularly bike- friendly area. He also wondered whether officials had done enough to make drivers aware there would be more cyclists on the roads.
Still, those were minor problems, he said, and he planned to be back on his bike Tuesday:
“I’m going to do this every day.”
People will ride to the stations if it's safe and convenient. Bike access to the Wiehle station is relatively good and bikers are flocking there. This mooring at just after 8am the 16 racks outside the Wiehle bike room were nearly full as were the 10 racks on the south side of the station. Once the free racks regularly fill, I assume many people will want to join the bike room, which works out to about 25 cents/day for regular commuters.Usually Clavet, a policy adviser for the Nature Conservancy, drives 10 minutes to the West Falls Church station, where she parks and hops on an Orange Line train. But with the McLean station just down the hill from her home, she rode in. Her route didn’t include any major roads such as Chain Bridge Road or Route 7. Still, she said, the county could make the roads more bike-friendly. “There weren’t any bike paths, and I’m not used to riding a bike in traffic, so it was a little bit nerve-racking,” she said.
The county master plan for cycling access is expected to go before the Planning Commission in
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| Wiehle bike room at around 8:30am. Membership is $60/year. |
Mariano Gutierrez pulled up to the bike rack at the Spring Hill station about 9:15 a.m. — his first time biking to a Metro station. He was pleased but said he hopes the county will do a better job of delineating bike lanes, particularly because Tysons is not a particularly bike- friendly area. He also wondered whether officials had done enough to make drivers aware there would be more cyclists on the roads.
Still, those were minor problems, he said, and he planned to be back on his bike Tuesday:
“I’m going to do this every day.”
It's not too early for WMATA and Fairfax County to figure out how to add bike parking at the Wiehle-Reston East station. Fairfax County and VDOT need to expedite construction of bike facilities to all the new stations. Signage is needed for cyclists and motorists such as sharrows and Bicycles May Use Full Lane signs. People biking to the stations reduces congestion, relieves the need for additional car parking, and is good for so many other reasons.
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