Monday, January 29, 2018
Rolling Road Widening Public Hearing, February 27.
VDOT will hold a public hearing in late February on its plans to reduce congestion and improve safety by widening Rolling Road (Route 638) from two to four lanes between Viola Street and Old Keene Mill Road. This project includes a shared-use path to increase safety for bicyclists, pedestrians and other non-motorized users.
The hearing will be on Tuesday, February 27, 2018, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Irving Middle School, 8100 Old Keene Mill Road, in Springfield. As usual with these meetings, project staff will be available to answer questions and there will be displays for viewing between 6:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. when the presentation starts.
Labels: road widening, rolling road, vdot
Sunday, January 28, 2018
FABB Gains Silver Seal for Nonprofit Transparency
GuideStar is the world’s largest source of information on nonprofit organizations. More than 8 million visitors per year and a network of 200+ partners use GuideStar data to grow support for nonprofits.
In order to get the Silver Seal, FABB shared important information with the public using our profile on https://www.guidestar.org/profile/81-0704062. Now our community members and potential donors can find in-depth financial information about our organization.
Please visit the site and then please donate to FABB to help us continue advocating for the best bicycle infrastructure and policies possible.
Labels: donation, nonprofit, transparency
Saturday, January 27, 2018
Springfield District Paving and Restriping Meeting on February 6
FABB members are encouraged to plan now to attend the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) public meeting on proposed paving and restriping changes in the Springfield District on Tuesday, February 6, at the Springfield Governmental Center. This is the second in a series of district meetings on paving and restriping where community members are invited to give feedback on general traffic safety concerns regarding roads scheduled for repaving, and the proposed striping changes. This and future meetings will start at 7 p.m. with an Open House followed by a formal presentation at 7:30 p.m.
Starting in April VDOT will be repaving several roads in the Springfield District through November 2018 (exact dates will be available about ten days prior to work starting). Proposed striping changes in the Springfield District include buffered bike lanes on Huntsman Boulevard, Legato Road, and Post Forest Drive. The plans also will provide wider shoulders on Hooes Road. These changes will improve safety for all users and have no or minimal impact on traffic speeds.
This is a big deal, and bicyclists need to be out in force to support the bike lanes and prevent NIMBY reactions from derailing the plans.
See VDOT’s interactive paving map for more information on road specific project status and contact information, which is updated weekly during the paving season.
Labels: FCDOT, restriping, springfield district, vdot
Tuesday, January 23, 2018
Sully District Repaving and Restriping Community Meeting
The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) will host a community information meeting to discuss this year’s paving and restriping efforts in the Sully District on Wednesday, Jan. 31, 7:00 to 8:30 p.m., in the Richard Frank Community Room of the Sully Governmental Center, 4900 Stonecroft Blvd, Chantilly.
VDOT has scheduled several roads in the Sully District for repaving starting in April and concluding in November 2018. This meeting will provide local bicyclists and other residents an opportunity to speak directly with road engineers and transportation planners about the repaving program, proposed striping changes and general traffic safety concerns.
This will be the only chance to do this in person in Sully District. FCDOT has informed us that this year’s repaving and restriping meetings will broadly review all of the plans for a specific district. So, only one meeting per district will be held rather than the multiple meetings for the numerous projects within a district that occurred in the past.
Please plan now to attend and provide input on the roads scheduled for repaving and the proposed striping changes, including the creation of bike lanes and sharrows. If unable to attend, you can submit comments online via the comment form on the paving and restriping program page. Comments will be accepted through February 17, 2018.
To learn more about efforts in the Sully District, including a proposed list of roads to be included in the work, visit: https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/transportation/2018-paving-and-restriping/sully-district.
Labels: FCDOT, repaving, restriping, sully district, vdot
Sunday, January 21, 2018
Job Openings for Transportation Planners
Our friends at the Fairfax County Department of Transportation asked us to help spread the word that two full-time positions with benefits with FCDOT’s Capital Projects and Traffic Engineering Division are available for qualified applicants. These are excellent opportunities for the right individuals to have a direct impact on making bicycling better in Fairfax County.
The first position is for a Bicycle Pedestrian Transportation Planner, who is responsible for project management for bicycle and pedestrian transportation capital projects and non-capital program areas and outreach. A competitive candidate will need a bachelor's degree in civil engineering, urban, regional or transportation planning, or a closely related field plus two years of experience related to transportation planning. More details about the position, requirements, and pay and benefits can be found here. The job listing closes this Friday at 5:00 pm.
The next opening is for a Bicycle Program Coordinator, who directly manages and oversees the county's comprehensive bicycle program BikeFairfax. This includes supervising other planners and managing capital projects, Capital Bikeshare, County Bike Parking, non-capital program areas and outreach. For this position, a competitive candidate needs four years of transportation-related planning experience in addition to a bachelor's degree in civil engineering, urban, regional or transportation planning, or a closely related field. More details on the position, requirements, and pay and benefits can be found here. This listing ends on February 9 at 5:00 pm.
Labels: bikefairfax, fairfax bicycle program, FCDOT, fcdot bicycle program
Friday, January 19, 2018
Crossing Guard Appreciation Day
Crossing Guard Appreciation Day is February 14, 2018! Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) will observe the day by honoring the 80 crossing guards who manage 174 school-related crossings every day. FCPS crossing guards are employees of the Fairfax County Police Department.
Nominations are being accepted through next Friday, January 26, by the Virginia Department of Transportation for Virginia’s 2017 Outstanding Crossing Guard of the Year. We're told that only a handful of local guards have been nominated, so now is a good time to show some love to the people who help keep our kids safe.
Parents, students, and teachers are welcome to submit a nomination and photo online at this FCPS website. Please help pass the word and let's give the guards the recognition they deserve.
Labels: crossing guard appreciation day, fcps
What You Missed: FCPD Presentation
At FABB’s January monthly meeting, we were honored to host two Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD) officers who shared information about how the department is handling bicycling- and pedestrian-related issues. FABB member Charlie Bobbish, who has been leading FABB efforts to build relations with the FCPD gave a brief history of these efforts, including the start of a dialogue in 2017 with the FCDP Traffic Division and its commander, Captain Bob Blakley. He then introduced the guest speakers, officers Shelia Ayers and Christina Gaizick.
Both officers were from the Traffic Safety section of the Traffic Division. They began by discussing the division’s current areas of focus: school-crossings and crossing guards, police support to upcoming bike to school day events, and increased education and enforcement efforts against distracted driving. They reported that their unit’s officers regularly conduct community outreach and are available to support community initiatives.
In response to a question about incident data, the officers reported that the FCPD uses the state-wide reporting system, TREDS (Traffic Records Electronic Data System). They looked at the county’s data in preparation for the meeting and reported that bicycle-related incidents were down since 2013 with only one fatality, which occurred in 2015. In contrast, pedestrian incidents are increasing and account for half of the traffic-related fatalities in Fairfax. In 2017 there were 72 reportable bicycle incidents in the county. The threshold for reporting is $1,500 or more in property damage or an injury. FCPD is taking action to deter reckless behavior with greater presence and visibility but recognizes that changing human behavior and local driving habits is difficult.
The Traffic Safety section has plans to complement the police’s presence and warning activities with education events, using the the media and PSAs to promote general traffic safety. The officers requested that the bike community talk to each other, kids, and friends about traffic safety to help the education effort. FCPD is open to suggestions from the public and has a presence on Facebook and Twitter. They also can be contacted through the Media Relations office (703-246-2253).
In response to questions about police training on bike laws, the officers said bike and pedestrian laws are covered at the Academy but not in as much detail as other traffic laws. Ongoing professional training relies on Motor Squad (motorcycle-borne) officers to teach traffic laws drawing from their experiences on the roads. FABB might have an opportunity to contribute to the FCPD’s instruction, perhaps by focusing on new laws when the come into force in July of each year.
Another member asked about the process for dealing with aggressive drivers. The officers’ first emphasized that a cyclist’s initial action should be to first pull over and be safe. Then, a rider can call the FCPD’s non-emergency phone number (703-691-2131) and report the incident. [Note: According the FCPD’s Citizen Reporting System website, aggressive driving is not a reportable offense. The officers’ statements seemed to distinguish between witnessing unsafe behavior and an incident where a motorist’s actions appear to intentionally threaten a cyclist or run the cyclist off the road.] The officers told us that if the driver is reckless and a potential threat to others, calling 9-1-1 is acceptable.
The key to helping the FCPD put a stop to the driver’s behavior is to be the best witness you can be. Get as much detailed information on the car as possible: make, model, color, full or partial license number, and direction of travel. The FCPD will alert patrol officers to this information with a “Look Out” notice. And, while the patrol officers cannot stop the driver without witnessing the reported incident, they can stop the car if they notice any other type of infraction (e.g., busted tail light). This will allow them to question the driver about the reported threatening driving, issuing a warning as appropriate. Our FCPD speakers confirmed that the department welcomes Go-Pro and other video evidence of this type of aggressive driving and hit-and-run incidents.
FABB wants to again thank the FCPD and Officers Ayers and Gaizick for their work and for coming out to talk to our members.
Labels: FCPD, monthly meeting, traffic safety
Friday, January 12, 2018
FABB News January - February 2018
Thank You for a Successful End to 2017
Happy New Year! A huge thanks to all of our supporters who helped FABB finish strong in 2017. Because of supporters like you, FABB had a successful end of year fundraising campaign and is GEARED UP to make bicycling in Fairfax even better in 2018. Together with your support we will continue fighting for the best and safest I-66 trail possible, advocating for better bike facilities around the county, hosting more social rides and continuing to build our great bike community.
FABB Hosts Book Discussion on Sharing the American Road
FABB is hosting its inaugural public book talk on the hidden history of bicycle law and policy conflicts in the United States and their lessons for our current bicycle debates. Our speaker, Dr. James Longhurst, is the author of Bike Battles: A History of Sharing the American Road, which examines the different ways that Americans have thought about the bicycle through popular songs, merit badge pamphlets, advertising, films, newspapers and sitcoms. FABB is teaming up with Access Tysons to host the discussion on January 9 at 7pm in the public theatre of the Microsoft Store in Tysons Corner Center.
Embark Richmond Highway Open House
The final Embark Richmond Highway community open house is this Wednesday evening. FABB encourages cyclists and pedestrians in southern and eastern Fairfax to attend to find out the latest details on the effort to update the land use plan for Richmond Highway, including bicycling and pedestrian improvements.
The open house will be Wednesday, January 10, from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. at Whitman Middle School, 2500 Parkers Lane, in Alexandria. At the meeting you can learn about the proposed comprehensive plan recommendations from county staff. More important, your questions and input will help the staff finalize recommendations that will prepare the corridor for pedestrian and bicycle enhancements. These recommendations for updating the comprehensive plan, in turn, will be given to the Planning Commission.
Mark your calendars now for the final steps in the process. The Planning Commission is scheduled to hold a public hearing on the comprehensive plan amendment on January 25 at 7:30 p.m. The Board of Supervisors will then hold a public hearing on the amendment on March 20 at 4:00 p.m.
VA Legislative Session Opens This Week
FABB is working with the Virginia Bicycling Federation (VBF) and other state-wide bicycle advocates to understand the numerous House and Senate bills impacting bicyclists in the 2018 legislative session. With the new political make-up of the General Assembly, how these bills will fare remains unknown. Proposed legislation address a variety of issues including vulnerable users, stopping for pedestrians at crosswalks, passing in a bike lane, distracted driving and value engineering that would fast track transportation projects. Stay tuned for more information on the bills as the session gets underway. If you are interested in representing FABB on VBF’s weekly legislative calls and helping us stay on top of the state bills, send an email to president@fabb-bikes.org.
Upcoming FABB Meetings to Host Rails-to-Trails and FCPD
Join FABB at our January 17 meeting to hear from the Fairfax County Police Department’s Traffic Safety Division on efforts to keep us safe on county roadways. Learn about the process to report aggressive drivers and how bicyclists can work with FCPD to ensure their concerns are heard.
At FABB’s February 21 meeting, we’ll hear from Rails to Trails’ Brandi Horton on Making Connections: Trails at the Heart of Healthy, Thriving Communities. As transportation habits change and technologies like autonomous vehicles become mainstream, a new opportunity exists to prioritize biking and trails in in the places where we live. But that future isn’t guaranteed. Explore how we can create the change we want, and put trails at the heart of healthy, thriving communities.
Both the January and February FABB meetings will run from 7:30-9pm at Patrick Henry Library, 101 Maple Ave E, Vienna, near the W&OD Trail. All are welcome.
National Bike Summit in D.C. March 5-7
The National Bike Summit is the premier bike advocacy event of the year and is held here in Washington, D.C, March 5-7. This year's theme is Grass Roots Grow Together. As in prior years, the event showcases successes at the local level and provides opportunities for peer learning. The summit is three days packed with chances to learn and share information, to network and to bring our message to Capitol Hill.
Are you interested in attending the summit? FABB would like to sponsor a couple volunteers to take advantage of this great opportunity. Please contact us if you’re interested.
How Can You Support FABB in 2018? Communications and Volunteer Coordinators Still Needed
FABB continues looking for two volunteers to help us grow the organization and make it a more effective advocate for better bicycling in Fairfax County. Both positions can be performed at home and require as few as 5 hours, but no more than 15 hours per week. The Volunteer Coordinator would support FABB’s volunteer recruitment and management efforts. The Communications Coordinator will become FABB’s primary social media and outreach coordinator. For more details on the positions, check out our blog here. If you are interested and would like to talk about one of these positions, please contact Steve Ward. Or help us by spreading the word. Likewise, if you know someone who may be interested, please forward these positions along.
Fairfax County Launches Website Redesign
Fairfax County recently launched its redesigned website offering a new look and feel to the bike and pedestrian resources. On the new Bike & Walk Fairfax pages you can access much of the same information but in a more consolidated way. Resources include the County’s new bike map, information on current projects, and bike commuting and Capital Bikeshare resources.
Labels: fabb newsletter
Thursday, January 11, 2018
Long Bridge Bicycle and Pedestrian Connection Needs Your Support
FABB is encouraging everyone to visit this WABA website to speak up in support of improving plans for a new biking and walking trail.
DC's Department of Transportation is making plans to upgrade the rail bridge between DC's SW Waterfront and Crystal City and is considering adding a biking and walking trail alongside it. Unfortunately, the current trail designs only go from the Mount Vernon Trail to Hains Point.
A better plan would extend the trail across the George Washington Parkway to Arlington County’s Long Bridge Park. At the other end, extending the trail to Maine Avenue would avoid sending users through an indirect and congested route across the Washington Channel. The WABA website has a few additional suggestions to improve the design that you can include in note.
Labels: ddot, long bridge, mount vernon trail, waba
January Meeting to Feature Police and Safe Routes to School
Please mark your calendars and plan to join FABB at 7:30 pm on January 17 for our monthly meeting at the Patrick Henry Library in Vienna.
During the meeting we will hear from a representative of the Fairfax County Police Department’s Traffic Safety Division on efforts to keep us safe on county roadways. Come learn about the process to report aggressive drivers and how bicyclists can work with FCPD to ensure their concerns are heard.
Sally Smallwood, the Safe Routes to School Coordinator for Fairfax County Public Schools, will also be joining us to provide a brief summary of upcoming SRTS activities.
See you there.
Labels: FCPD, monthly meeting, srts coordinator
