Blog - Fairfax Alliance for Better Bicycling (FABB)

Wednesday, November 8, 2017

FABB News - November-December 2017

Bicycle Program Coordinator Adam Lind Departing

Adam Lind

We’re sad to report that Fairfax County Bicycle Program Coordinator Adam Lind is leaving his position at the end of November. Adam has been an extremely effective bicycle program coordinator and a great partner with FABB in working to make Fairfax County a better and safer place to walk and bike. During his tenure with the Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) the county has continued to make great strides in adding bicycle infrastructure, encouraging biking, and expanding the bicycle program to help implement the Bicycle Master Plan.

Adam will be sorely missed. However, we take heart that he is leaving behind a strong foundation for ever greater cooperative endeavors between the county and FABB to make bicycling better. Thanks to Adam and his staff, Fairfax County is well positioned to enhance its standing as a bicycle-friendly community.

Providence District Meeting on I-66

Supervisor Linda Smyth is hosting a Providence District community briefing on I-66 this Wednesday. This is an opportunity for local bicyclists to voice concerns about plans for the I-66 parallel trail and their desire for improving its design. The I-66 trail will connect hundreds of thousands of people to neighborhoods, trails, and transit hubs while providing new recreational opportunities all along the I-66 corridor. The meeting will be held at Marshall Road E.S., November 8, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm.

I-66 Trail Update & Upcoming Public Hearings

Since 2015, FABB has been advocating for the inclusion of the best possible bike and pedestrian trail as part of the Transform66 Outside the Beltway project. In fact, when the project was first announced, there was no parallel trail in the plans but based on FABB's work and significant public pressure, the trail is now an intregral part of the project.

The trail is currently in the design phase. Despite intense advocacy by FABB, WABA, State Senators and Delegates and the general public to improve the trail design, there remains 3-plus miles deemed by many as not meeting that “best possible trail” criteria. These 3 miles, although not contiguous, are next to the highway inside the soundwall. The longest stretch without any access points is the mile-long section between Nutley Street and Gallows Road. Unfortunately, because of intense local pressure and some elected officials’ unwillingness to see the long-term value of the trail, the greater Fairfax community may have to live with this inadequate section.

Woodrow Wilson Bridge plexiglass barrier.

FABB and other groups continue to press VDOT for the best AND safest trail possible. Current plans call for a 32-inch high concrete barrier with a 6-foot chainlink fence on top. FABB believes this is woefully inadequate and is calling for a 42-inch high concrete barrier with a 6-foot high plexiglass or similar enclosure on top. This is similar to a portion of the barrier installed on the new Wilson Bridge trail (shown here). Not only would this type of barrier provide greater protection for cyclists and pedestrians but would also reduce users' exposure to air and noise pollution. FABB continues to also advocate for as many access points to and from the trail as possible.

Please let your feelings about improving the trail design and barrier be known. The following officials represent much of the I-66 project area, so please contact them if you live in their district. If not, please contact your representatives. Find out who they are using Fairfax County's My Neighborhood.

Supervisor Linda Smyth, linda.smyth@fairfaxcounty.gov
Delegate Mark Keam, delmkeam@house.virginia.gov
Senator Chap Petersen, district34@senate.virginia.gov
VDOT Mega Projects, Transform66@VDOT.Virginia.gov

You can also speak up for a better trail by attending one of the three upcoming VDOT Design Public Hearings on the I-66 Outside the Beltway project. The hearings will focus on plans for three segments of the 22.5-mile corridor from I-495 to University Boulevard in Gainesville. All hearings will run from 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm with a formal presentation beginning at 7:00 pm. A public comment period will follow the presentation.

I-66 Design Public Hearings

Project Segment 3 (Route 50 to I-495)

Monday, November 13, 2017

Oakton High School Cafeteria

2900 Sutton Road, Vienna, VA 22181

Project Segment 2 (Route 29, Centreville to Route 50)

Tuesday, November 14, 2017

Stone Middle School Cafeteria

5500 Sully Park Drive, Centreville, VA 20120

Project Segment 1 (Gainesville to Route 29, Centreville)

Thursday, November 16, 2017

Piney Branch Elementary School Cafeteria/Gym

8301 Linton Hall Road, Bristow, VA 20136

If unable to attend the hearings, you can still review project information, including design plans and project schedule, at www.Transform66.org or at VDOT's Northern Virginia District Office.

Comments can be submitted via email to Transform66@VDOT.Virginia.gov or mailed to Ms. Susan Shaw, P.E., Megaprojects Director, VDOT Northern Virginia District, 4975 Alliance Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030. Please reference "Transform 66 Outside the Beltway" in the subject line of all correspondence. The comment period runs through November 29, 2017.

FABB Uses Ride to Show I-66 Engineers Good and Bad Trail Design

On October 19, FABB volunteers and Board Directors led a dozen officials and civil engineers working on the Transform66 Outside the Beltway project on a 7.5-mile bicycle ride on the Custis Trail in Arlington. The ride provided the team responsible for managing, designing, and building the I-66 trail the opportunity to experience first hand a successful and popular trail built parallel to a highway. The ride stopped frequently to discuss positive and negative aspects of the infrastructure. The officials and engineers asked many questions about the trail and user experience. Hopefully, they came away with many ideas for mitigating the negative effects of placing a trail in close proximity to a highway, as is currently the plan for approximately 3 miles of future I-66 Trail. Participants in the ride included representatives of FCDOT, VDOT, Express Mobility Partners and FAM Construction as well as local staff from WABA and Bike Arlington.

Tysons Bicycle/Pedestrian Bridge & Trail Workshop

VDOT is designing a bicycle/pedestrian facility in the vicinity of Old Meadow Road and crossing I-495 in the Tysons area. Two design workshops will be held in November to get community input on the project’s design elements.

The plan includes a shared-use 10' wide asphalt path along Old Meadow Road from Route 123 to a bridge crossing over I-495 near the intersection of Tysons One Place and Fashion Boulevard. Community input is needed on the design details including security, screening, aesthetics, lighting and architectural treatments.

The first workshop will be Thursday, November 9, and the second on Tuesday, November 28. Both workshops will be held from 7:00 to 9:00 pm at the Westgate Elementary School, 7500 Magarity Road, Falls Church. If you have any questions, contact the project manager, Abi Lerner, by email at Abraham.Lerner@VDOT.Virginia.gov or by telephone at 703-259-3345.

Join FABB's Tysons-Mosaic Farmer's Market Social Ride

FABB is partnering with Access Tysons to hold the Tysons to Mosaic District social ride on Sunday, November 12. The ride starts promptly at 9:30 am from the Capital Bikeshare station in front of the VITA apartments, but arrive early for refreshments. Riders will travel at a comfortable pace over an 8-mile round trip ride between Tysons Corner Center and the Mosaic Farmer's Market. There will be approximately one hour of free time at Mosaic before the group returns to Tysons Corner Center. Register for the event here.

Tour de Mount Vernon Ride a Success

FABB teamed up with Mount Vernon District Supervisor Dan Storck and Fairfax County for a successful second annual Tour de Mount Vernon last Saturday. FABB helped promote the ride and register the nearly 200 local cyclists who signed up for the 35-mile ride. The ride also helped raise much needed funds in support of better bicycling. FABB received a $5 donation from each registration fee. With the cancellation of Tour de Fat and the Clips Beer and Film Festival this year, the Tour de Mount Vernon was FABB's best fundraising event of 2017. Thanks to everyone who participated in the ride!

"Ironman" Board Member Collects Donations for FABB

Looking for a way to creatively support FABB? How about raising donations while meeting a challenging personal goal?

During this past summer a FABB board member trained for and in October completed the Ironman Maryland competitions. In the lead up to the event, the member decided to support better bicycling in Fairfax County by creating a fundraising campaign. Knowing all that FABB had done over the years to make bicycling safer and more accessible, this member wanted to express a big THANK YOU by raising funds. Family and friends were encouraged to make a donation to FABB to support the member's participation in this rigorous event. Also known as Chesapeakeman, the competition begins with a 2.4-mile swim in the Choptank River on the Delmarva Peninsula. It is followed by a 112-mile bike ride through Dorchester County and into the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge before finishing with a 26.2-mile run.

The successful campaign raised $677, all of which is being used for ongoing FABB activities. FABB is always looking for more creative fundraising events. If you want to organize a similar campaign or have other fundraising suggestions, please contact info@fabb-bikes.org.

Communications and Volunteer Coordinators Still Needed

FABB continues looking for two volunteers to help us advance our goals of growing the organization and making it an even more effective advocate for better bicycling in Fairfax County. Both positions can be performed at home and require as few as 5 hours to no more than 15 hours per week. The Volunteer Coordinator will support FABB’s volunteer recruitment and management efforts. The Communications Coordinator will become FABB’s primary social media coordinator and editor of the FABB blog and bimonthly FABB newsletter. For more details on the positions, check out our blog on the positions here. If you are interested and would like to talk about one of these positions, please contact Steve Ward at secretary@fabb-bikes.org.

Upcoming FABB Meetings

FABB’s bimonthly Board Meeting will be held on November 9, at 7:00 pm at the Oakton Library. Interested members are invited to attend. FABB’s next monthly meeting will be November 15, and focus on bicycling in the Sully District. Our lead guest speaker will be Sully District Supervisor Kathy Smith. The meeting will be in the Frank Room of the Sully Government Center in Chantilly. Please note that the meeting will start at 7:00 pm rather than the usual 7:30 pm. Plans for a FABB Holiday celebration in lieu of our December meeting are in the works. Details will be announced soon.

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If you haven’t already, please Like us on Facebook and follow our Twitter feed. If you have news about bicycling in Fairfax to share with our readers, please submit brief articles to news@fabb-bikes.org.

Upcoming Events

Nov. 8 - Providence District I-66 Community Meeting, Marshall E.S., Vienna

Nov. 9 - FABB Board Meeting, Oakton Library, Oakton

Nov. 12 - Tysons-Mosaic Social Ride, Tysons

Nov. 13 - I-66 Design Public Meeting, Oakton H.S., Vienna

Nov. 14 - I-66 Design Public Meeting, Stone M.S., Centreville

Nov. 15 - FABB Monthly Meeting, Sully Government Center, Chantilly

Nov. 16 - I-66 Design Public Meeting, Piney Branch E.S., Bristow

Dec. 20 - FABB Holiday Celebration (tentative)

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