FABB Blog

 

Fairfax Co Parkway Trail still blocked by snow/ice

FFX Co Pkwy Trail near W&OD trail

Over a month after Snowzilla, there are still piles of snow and ice on the Fairfax Co Parkway Trail in Reston. The section of trail between Sunrise Valley Dr and Sunset Hills Rd is heavily used by the communities on the north and south sides of the Dulles Toll Road. You might be able to see the bicyclist in the photo lifting her bike over one of the piles blocking the trail.

We haven't checked out the parkway trail north and south of the W&OD Trail so we're hoping that most of the trial is clear. If you know the status please leave a comment.

Waiting for the snow to melt is not a snow clearing strategy. For a month bike commuters and pedestrians have not been able to use this part of the parkway trail and many, many other trails and sidewalks in the county, including those adjacent to several schools.

When people say that we can't afford to clear snow on these facilities, that you'll just have to wait for it to melt, what they are saying is that walking and biking aren't important. Imagine having the parkway or any road in the county being closed for a month. People wouldn't stand for it and we shouldn't either. Major transportation trails and ped/bike access routes to transit are critical and the county and VDOT need to develop a plan to deal with snow removal on those facilities. The Board of Supervisors' March 1 snow summit is the time to start. Please let Chairman Bulova know what you think about not being able to use major bike/ped facilities for a month.

Labels: snow, snow plowing, snow summit

posted by Bruce Wright at 5:42 PM permalink