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.
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