Tuesday, June 7, 2016
New Bicycle/Pedestrian Program Staff in Fairfax County
Fairfax County recently hired two new staff for the bicycle and pedestrian programs. Nicole Wynands previously worked at the League of American Bicyclists and Lauren Delmare was with Toole Design Group. Welcome to Fairfax County!
Nicole, what are the general duties of your new job and what specifically will you be working on in the near future?
I will work primarily on bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure scopes, wayfinding projects, and outreach. Some of my first tasks include developing wayfinding signage for the Fairfax County Parkway Trail, preparing the scope for four bike/ped projects, and assisting with BTWD outreach. I am also working on promoting the Bicycle Friendly Business program, the update of the Fairfax County bicycle map, and bike parking at Fairfax County government facilities.
What is your educational/work background?
I have a graduate degree in Community Planning from the University of Maryland at College Park. I was first introduced to bicycle and pedestrian planning right after graduating from college through an internship with one of the leading active transportation design firms in Germany. After completing my graduate studies I was accepted into the Junior Professional Associate program at the World Bank, where I worked on transportation projects in India and Nepal. After graduating from the JPA program, the League of American Bicyclists hired me to manage their Bicycle Friendly Community program. For a brief period, I also managed the Bicycle Friendly State program.
What did you do at the League of American Bicyclists and how will that work influence your work at the county?
At the League, I worked with local governments, advocates, bike clubs and citizens nationwide on making their community more bicycle-friendly. Specifically, I provided assistance to applicants, conducted the local review portion of the application, judged all applications, developed report cards for all applicants, developed recommendations on how to improve the applicant community for people on bikes for all applicants, regularly updated the application and resource pages, and provided technical assistance to planners and engineers. I had the unique opportunity to witness and learn from the incredible bicycle-friendly efforts that are going on all across the country. This insight gives me a very good idea what it will take for Fairfax County to become a high ranking Bicycle Friendly Community.
Do you think you will be able to bike commute to your new job?
I am hoping to bike commute to work regularly, once family logistics allow for it.
What kind of riding do you do?
Growing up in Germany I mostly rode my bike for utilitarian reasons. I didn’t own a car until I was nearly 30. But recently I have started to ride recreationally as well, either with my kids in the trailer on Reston’s shared-use path system or on a mountain bike along natural surface trails. I can actually ride to the CCT from my backyard.
Anything else you would like to add?
I am looking forward to working with FABB, the business community, schools and citizens on making Fairfax County a great place to ride a bike for everyone.
What are the general duties of your new job and what specifically will you be working on in the near future?
My new job duties include evaluating, scoping, and designing pedestrian and bicycle projects and coordinating with stakeholders in Fairfax County to improve walking and bicycling conditions. In my first few weeks, I have worked on scoping two sidepath projects and preliminary design of bike lane retrofits, crosswalk enhancements, and bicycle wayfinding.
What is your educational/work background?
I have a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Virginia where I cultivated interests in transportation and urban planning. Nearly five years with Toole Design Group offered me tremendous exposure to bicycle and pedestrian work across the country. I earned my Professional Engineering license last fall.
What did you do at Toole Design Group and how will that work influence your work at the county?
At Toole Design Group, my work focused on bicycle and pedestrian analysis and design, including wayfinding signage design, intersection analysis and design, traffic analysis, corridor studies, parking studies, and Safe Routes to School engineering reviews. I hope that my experience in multimodal best practices will help me serve as a resource on all transportation projects as the county strives to build a better network for all users.
Do you bike? If so, what kind of riding do you do? and do you think you will be able to bike commute to your new job?
I enjoy recreational bicycling, especially while traveling. I appreciate how the growth of bikeshare systems in the U.S has made tourism biking more convenient, and I have definitely taken advantage of it. Though my family duties limit me now, I hope to be able to bike to work soon!
Anything else you would like to add?
I am looking forward to working with members of FABB to improve bicycling in Fairfax County in the years to come!
Thank you both for your responses and we look forward to working with you in the future.
Labels: fairfax county bicycle program, fairfax county pedestrian program, lauren delmare, nicole wynands
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