Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Fairfax County now has a Bicycle Master Plan - Update
At their meeting today the Fairfax County Board of Suprvisors unanimously adopted the county's first-ever bicycle master plan. The plan is now officially incorporated into the Transportation component of the Comprehensive Plan. Thanks to the Board and the Planning Commission for their unanimous support of the plan. A special thanks to everyone who took the time to attend the final public hearings and who testified in support of the plan. Thanks also to the over 850 people who signed the FABB/WABA petitions.
The process started in 2009 with Supervisor McKay's motion for the Board to endorse the concept of a bicycle master plan. Thank you Supervisor McKay! Thanks also to county staff for their hard work on getting the plan completed and incorporated into the Comprehensive Plan.
It helped greatly that the plan was supported by several groups including the Trails and Sidewalks Committee, Transportation Advisory Commission, Environmental Quality Advisory Council, Partnership for Healthier Fairfax, the Towns of Herndon and Vienna, Reston Association, WABA, and George Mason University.
As stated in the Staff Report, "The bicycle facility and policy recommendations included in this Comprehensive Plan amendment represent a shift in how bicycle planning and design will be approached in Fairfax County. Moving forward, it is assumed and expected that bicycles will be treated as valid users of the roadway and accommodated as a necessary element of all roadway improvement projects."
However, that won't happen without funding for the bicycle program that includes increased staff and a dedicated funding source as recommended in Chapter 6 of the plan. It also won't happen without cyclists speaking out in favor of inclusion of bike facilities in future road projects. Our work has really just begun:)
Labels: bicycle master plan
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