FABB Blog

Transportation bill cuts bike and ped funding

2012-02-01T09:29:00.000-05:00

From bicyclesigns.com

The federal Transportation bill that was released yesterday will effectively eliminate dedicated funding for bicycle and pedestrian projects. According to an email message sent yesterday by the League of American Bicyclists:

Moments ago, Congressman John Mica (R-FL) announced the introduction of the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act. The proposed bill eliminates dedicated funding for bicycling and walking as we feared, and it goes much further and systematically removes bicycling from the Federal transportation program. It basically eliminates our status and standing in the planning and design of our transportation system -- a massive step backwards for individuals, communities and our nation. It's a step back to a 1950s highway- and auto-only program that makes no sense in the 21st century.

The bill reverses 20 years of progress by:

destroying Transportation Enhancements by making it optional;
repealing the Safe Routes to School program, reversing years of progress in creating safe ways for kids to walk and ride bicycles to school;
allowing states to build bridges without safe access for pedestrians and bicycles;
eliminating bicycle and pedestrian coordinators in state DOTs; and
eliminating language that insures that rumble strips "do not adversely affect the safety or mobility of bicyclists, pedestrians or the disabled."

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will vote on the bill on Thursday. Representatives Petri (R-WI) and Johnson (R-IL) will sponsor an amendment that restores dedicated funding for Transportation Enhancements and Safe Routes to School. There are no Virginia representatives on the T&I Committee. However, you can take action. See the LAB Advocacy page for suggested next steps.

Volkswagen teams up with BikesBelong

2012-01-30T09:56:00.000-05:00

Volkswagen, which has their U.S. headquarters in Herndon, VA, recently teamed up with Bikes Belong:

At Volkswagen, we recognize that two wheels are sometimes as good a choice as four. That’s why today at the Washington Auto Show, we announced a new two-year partnership with Bikes Belong, the nation’s leading advocacy organization for biking.

Not only is biking fun and healthy—it’s also good for the environment. For these reasons and more, the sponsorship is a perfect fit with Think Blue, Volkswagen’s initiative to promote eco-friendly mobility and motivate employees and customers to practice environmental responsibility in their everyday lives.

As part of the agreement, Volkswagen will donate vehicles and funding to support three Bikes Belong initiatives: Peopleforbikes.org, Safe Routes to School National Partnership (SRTSNP) and Bicycling Design Best Practices. The partnership also aligns with our long-term commitment to encourage active lifestyles by endorsing cycling, running and triathlon events. Until the quadrathlon is restructured to include auto racing (we can dream, can’t we?), we’re happy to support organizations like Bikes Belong.

I-66 public meeting Thursday

2012-01-29T18:44:00.002-05:00

VDOT is studying "potential multimodal improvements that will address existing and future transportation needs in the Interstate 66 corridor from U.S. Route 15 in Prince William County to Interstate 495 in Fairfax County." Inside the Beltway the Custis and W&OD Trails provide good bicycle access to major destinations in that corridor. No such accommodation exists outside the Beltway.

A public meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 2 from 5-8 p.m. at VDOT NoVa Headquarters, 4975 Alliance Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030. This is just south of I-66 off West Ox Road.

Cyclists are encouraged to attend the meeting and speak out for bike access along the I-66 corridor. In 2002 the Fairfax Co Board of Supervisors approved plans for a major trail along I-66 similar to the Custis Trail, but it has never been implemented. Now is the time.

Bicyclists also need to be able to safely cross I-66, which forms a major east-west barrier in many areas of western Fairfax Co.

Please either attend the I-66 meeting to email comments to the study team's leadership (reference "I-66 Tier 1 EIS: Public Comments" in your subject line) at CG.Collins@VDOT.Virginia.gov or Stephen.C.Walter@Parsons.com.

Bill to require drivers to exercise due care defeated in VA House subcommittee

2012-01-25T21:23:00.000-05:00

The Virginia House Transportation subcommittee 2 today voted to pass by indefinitely, in other words to kill, a bill that would have drivers of motor vehicles exercising due care to avoid crashing into a pedestrian or bicyclist. Here's the full text of the bill:

§ 46.2-923.1. Drivers to exercise due care.

Notwithstanding the other provisions of this chapter, every driver of a motor vehicle shall exercise due care to avoid colliding with any pedestrian or the operator of a human-powered vehicle and shall give an audible signal when necessary. Every driver shall exercise proper precaution upon observing any child or any obviously confused, incapacitated, or intoxicated person on the highways.

Delegate Barbara Comstock (R-McLean) cast the deciding vote to kill this bill. Unfortunately we have not been watching the session closely and did not ask cyclists to send messages to members of the subcommittee. This is an important bill that would help protect cyclists by requiring motorists to exercise due care to avoid hitting them. Four out of the 7 members of the committee, all Republicans, voted against the bill. We wrote the following note to Delegate Comstock:

Dear Delegate Comstock,

I was very disappointed to hear that you voted to pass by indefinitely the bill (HB 784 Exercise due care; requires drivers to avoid colliding with pedestrian) that would help protect pedestrians, bicyclists, children, and incapacitated pedestrians. It's hard to believe that 4 of the 7 members of House Transportation subcommittee 2 voted against this bill. It doesn't seem to be too much to ask motorists to exercise due care to avoid colliding with a pedestrian or a bicyclist. Please reconsider your vote and have this bill heard by the full Transportation Committee and House as a whole.

Sincerely,

Bruce Wright

See a summary of what Virginia Bicycling Federation considers bicycling-related bills in the 2012 General Assembly. They are also posting regular Legislative Updates.

Good turnout for the Burke-Springfield bike plan meeting

2012-01-24T23:45:00.000-05:00

Around 40 60-70 cyclists attended the Burke-Springfield bike plan meeting tonight at the West Springfield Governmental Center. Bob Patten of Toole Design Group gave an overview of the planning process. Bob noted that the average commute to work trip for the Burke-Springfield area is 14.2 miles which means that commuting by bike is not going to be an option for many people. However, the average length of approximately 75,000 other trips is less than three miles and could easily be taken by bike.

Bob mentioned the idea of having a mini bike share system connecting the north Ft. Belvoir area with the Franconia-Springfield Metro station.

A cyclist in the audience noted that when he rides his bike to the store there's often no place to park his bike. Another cyclist said that Arlington, Alexandria, DC and many other cities around the U.S. have somehow found the funds to make their communities more bike-friendly and we should be able to do the same. We're often forced onto major arterials and we need better bike connections.

Another cyclist said that kids should be able to ride to school. In many cases kids live directly across the street and can't even walk there because they need to cross a major arterial. Using buses to cross barriers was suggested as one solution that needs to be publicized and made easier.

A woman noted that she likes to ride with her 7 year old around Lake Accotink but she's encountered archers hired to kill deer in those areas. She refuses to ride there and ends up going to other, less dangerous areas outside the county. We've heard about this from a FABB member who has the same concern along the W&OD Trail between Reston and Vienna. If you aren't aware, Fairfax County has opened up many parks to archers this year.

After the group discussion people gathered around large scale maps and made comments on where they ride, where they want to ride but can't, and where they'd like to see improvements. They could also comment on other aspects of the plan including bike education, enforcement, and encouragement.

The next bike plan area meeting is for the Annandale area on February 15 at the Mason District Governmental Center, 6507 Columbia Pike, Annandale starting at 4:30 p.m. Since that is on the same night as the FABB meeting, we plan to hold the FABB meeting after this meeting at the same location in Annandale.

DancesWithCarsDC has posted videos of the presentation and Q&A session:

http://youtu.be/K2G37vhY46o
http://youtu.be/izN9DHhaZbs
http://youtu.be/ZKthIKeP8sY
http://youtu.be/jzbnU91WH8M

DRAFT VDOT Safe Routes to School Strategic Plan

2012-01-23T14:07:00.000-05:00

The VDOT Safe Routes to School coordinator just released the DRAFT Virginia Safe Routes to School Five-Year Strategic Plan 2011-2016. Comments are being collected until February 17.

We have not yet had a chance to read the details. This is from the one-page summary at the beginning of the report:

In the short term,

The Program Structure will remain as is, with all program elements managed by VDOT’s Central Office.
Outreach and Education efforts will focus on aggressive outreach with existing resources, guided by an annual communication plan (developed separately from the Strategic Plan), and by optimizing partnerships with other state agencies.
Project Application and Selection will focus on re‐instating the non‐infrastructure application program.
Project Implementation and Management will become more streamlined and include clearer guidance.
Project Close‐out will become a more reliable and predictable process for the State SRTS Coordinator and grantees.
Evaluation and Measurement will include processes to generate information about project effectiveness.
SRTS Program Sustainability will provide greater support for VDOT staff working on SRTS projects and begin to identify ways to create self‐sustainable local SRTS Programs.

Beyond 12 months, the anticipated changes include:

A revised Program Structure that expands the SRTS Advisory Committee’s role, especially with respect to project selection.
A more flexible Outreach and Education plan, according to demand by local SRTS Programs and within existing resources.
Program Sustainability efforts that focus on making SRTS a part of standard operating procedures for VDOT and participating localities.

Alliance for Biking and Walking 2012 Benchmarking report released

2012-01-23T09:15:00.000-05:00

The Alliance for Biking and Walking recently released their 2012 Benchmarking Report, a report on bicycling and walking in the U.S. that includes "bicycling and walking levels and demographics; bicycle and pedestrian safety; funding for bicycle and pedestrian projects; written policies on bicycling and walking; bicycle infrastructure; bike-transit integration; bicycling and walking education and encouragement activities; public health indicators; and the economic impact of bicycling and walking."

Highlights from the report include:

Bicycling and Walking Levels

12% of all trips are by bicycle (1.0%) or foot (10.5%).
From 2000 to 2009, the number of commuters who bicycle to work increased by 57%.
In 2009, 40% of trips in the United States were shorter than 2 miles, yet Americans use their cars for 87% of trips 1 to 2 miles. Twenty-seven percent of trips are shorter than 1 mile, yet 62% of trips up to 1 mile long are by car. Residents of the largest U.S. cities are 1.7 times more like- ly to walk or bicycle to work than the national average.

Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety

14% of all traffic fatalities in the U.S. are bicyclists (1.8%) or pedestrians (11.7%).
In the 51 largest U.S. cities, 12.7% of trips are by foot and 1.1% are by bicycle, yet 26.9% of traffic fatalities are pe- destrians and 3.1% are bicyclists.
Seniors are the most vulnerable bicyclists and pedestrians. Adults over 65 make up 10% of walking trips, yet comprise 19% of pedestrian fatalities and make up 6% of bicycling trips, yet account for and 10% of bicyclist fatalities.

Burke-Springfield area Bike Plan meeting Tuesday

2012-01-22T21:11:00.000-05:00

Cyclists in the Burke-Springfield area are invited to hear about the county Bicycle Master Plan and how they can help to improve bicycling conditions in the county. The Burke-Springfield area meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 24 starting at 5:30 p.m. at the West Springfield Government Center, 6140 Rolling Road, Springfield, VA.

A presentation on the planning process will be given after which cyclists will be able to mark up maps and leave comments about what is needed to make Fairfax more bicycle-friendly. Besides indicating possible bike routes, cyclists can discuss the need for better bike parking, better bicycle education opportunities for adults and kids, better enforcement, and ways to encourage more people to take short trips by bike.

One reason more people don't use bikes for transportation is the poor condition of our bicycle infrastructure. If you care about having a connected bicycle network, come to the meeting let your voice be heard.

See the Burke-Springfield meeting flyer.

Eric Cantor and bicycling

2012-01-22T11:09:00.000-05:00

Tom Bowden, advocacy chairman with BikeVA, has an opinion article in today's Post about Congressman Eric Cantor of Virignia and bicycling. Congressman Cantor is well-known among cyclists for supporting cuts to bicycle funding from the transportation budget, including cutting funding for the very successful Safe Routes to School Program. In the Post article, Welcome to the bike path, Mr. Cantor, Bowden, a conservative Republican, makes a good argument why other conservatives should support bicycling:

Then I’d remind him of the economic benefits of cycling — not just for cyclists, but for the community at large. Lower health-care costs benefit all of us. Fewer cars reduces the need for expensive new roads and parking lots, and it means fewer deaths and injuries from vehicle-related accidents. And jobs? Bike projects create jobs, all right — more than 11 jobs per million dollars vs. 8 jobs per million for highways.

Plus, bikes and a safe bike-commuting environment help people get to work even if they don’t have a car. In Richmond, some 18 percent of households can’t afford a car, and 60 percent of households share a single car among several adults. Bikes can help them get and keep jobs. Right now, biking and walking make up 12 percent of all trips in the United States and cost about 2 percent of transportation dollars. Yep, there are plenty of strong economic arguments for bikes that should appeal to thoughtful Republicans. I’ve got plenty more where these came from.

Snow tires needed today

2012-01-21T17:00:00.001-05:00

Hunter ready to roll

FABB member Hunter McCleary came to our place today to help with some FABB bookkeeping. We weren't sure if he would be able to ride from his house in Vienna to ours in Reston.

Here he is getting ready to leave our place. His hybrid bike has studded snow tires but Hunter said that the W&OD Trail, which he used for most of his route, was mostly clear of snow. At the usual spot just west of Hunter Mill Road it was snow/ice covered but other than that he had no real problems. It sure helps to have snow tires.

WABA offers free bike commuting seminar to local bike shops

2012-01-18T23:24:00.004-05:00

WABA recently held a bike commuting seminar at The Bike Rack, a bike shop in DC. It was an opportunity for customers to learn about bike commuting from WABA's Daniel Hoagland, who teaches these seminars on a regular basis. The event was a success and now WABA is offering to hold similar seminars at other local bike shops.

But one class isn’t enough…we want to extend this opportunity to other bike shops throughout the region. We want to give you the opportunity to bring your friends out so they can learn about bike commuting in a fun, easy way. So let your local bike shop know that you would be happy to see a class offered there. Let them know that they can get in touch with us to set it up.

Contact info for Bike Commuter Seminars:
Daniel Hoagland
202-518-0524 x200
daniel@waba.org

Road to the future: Bike-friendly communities

2012-01-16T09:54:00.002-05:00

To some people, bicycling is a fringe activity in which only a few, dedicated people participate. That may have been true in the past but it's no longer the case, especially in vibrant, urban communities. Most of our major cities are trying to transform their streets into more bicycle and pedestrian-friendly places. And most of the growth that is now occurring is in urban and inner suburban areas with access to transit and stores and workplaces that are within biking and walking distance.

In the article Road to growth is out of the exurbs Post columnist Steven Pearlstein discusses this trend. When discussing the future of suburban office parks he notes that

Workers no longer prefer to work in them, companies no longer want to occupy them, banks no l onger will finance them, real estate trusts no longer want to own them band planning boards have become reluctant to approve them. In the future, developers say, offices will be part of mixed-use developments, with shops, restaurants, schools, day-care centers, and doctors' offices, preferably within walking or biking distance of condos, townhouses and Metro stops.

Across the region, a generation of baby boomers is getting ready to sell three-bedroom suburban colonials to Gen Xers who either don’t want them or can’t afford them. Add to that a wave of foreclosures and excess inventory left over from a speculative housing boom that has driven home prices in many submarkets to levels below the cost of new construction.

For exurban developers, the implication is pretty clear: The raw land they’re holding isn’t worth much and in any case, and there’s not much point trying to build on it until the excess inventory is worked off. Perhaps that is why developments that were started during the boom but were never finished are selling at 35 cents on every dollar invested in land, roads, street lights, sewer and water lines and half-finished golf courses. Even when the market clears, exurban development is likely to focus on low-cost starter homes.

All that contrasts sharply with what is going on in the District and inner suburbs, where prices have held steady and a construction boom is under way for new and remodeled townhouses and apartments. Despite the absence of bank lending, speculative condo developments have even begun to spring up in the hotter neighborhoods, almost all of them equity financed. This market is driven by singles, young-marrieds and empty-nesters, plus a growing number of families with children, all looking for a more urban, less car-dependent lifestyle.

This has major implications for Fairfax. Those areas that are more dense, with a mix of land uses near transit and that are more bike and pedestrian-friendly will thrive. Unfortunately, after years of catering to our car culture, we have few of these areas. Reston, Herndon, Vienna, Burke, and Alexandria have some of these characteristics. Many of our other more densely populated areas like Tysons, Springfield, and Annandale have not developed with pedestrians and bicyclists in mind and are in a transition period.

Bicycling has become part of the mainstream and the sooner our leaders recognize the need to accommodate them the better off we will all be.

Guide to grocery store bike parking in Arlington

2012-01-15T18:19:00.001-05:00

Bike Arlington has teamed up with bike blogger Brian McEntee of Tales of the Sharrows to present the Ultimate Arlington Grocery Store Bike Parking Guide. Brian visited 16 grocery stores in Arlington, took photos and rated the bike parking. It's a great way for utility cyclists to check out what the parking situation is before shopping at a specific store.

It seems that Arlington has many of the same problems with substandard bike parking as Fairfax, despite having good bike parking standards. Several of the racks shown are either incorrectly installed or not the recommended type of rack indicated in the standards.

We need a similar guide in Fairfax but given our size and the number of grocery stores in the county, it will be a challenge to put it together. It would also be nice to have a group like BikeArlington to support cyclists in Fairfax.

From the guide:

Sixteen grocery stores in Arlington County were surveyed to assess their bike parking (both bike parking provided by the store and bike parking facilities placed by the County) in terms of quantity, quality (type of rack) and location (proximity to entrance). Each store is rated on a scale of 0 to 5 "gold bikes" with 0 gold bikes being worst and 5 gold bikes being perfect. Those three categories scores are added up and averaged for an overall score.

BikeWalk Virginia now Bike Virginia

2012-01-14T17:59:00.000-05:00

Many cyclists are familiar with Bike Virginia, the annual bike tour of Virginia. The event is organized by BikeWalk Virginia, a statewide advocacy organization that until this week was focused on bicycle and pedestrian advocacy. They recently changed their focus is concentrate solely on bicycle advocacy and events:

Effective January 1, 2012, BikeWalk Virginia changed its name to Bike Virginia. This name change reflects the statewide, non-profit organization's desire to focus its resources on bicycling and making Virginia a more bicycle-friendly state.

"There were three key reasons behind the decision to change our name," said Dr. Kimberly Perry Executive Director. "First, we came to realize that because of the success of our Bike Virginia Tour event, most people here in Virginia, as well as bicyclists across the country, already knew us as Bike Virginia. Second, over the years we've learned that advocating for bicycle and pedestrian issues often led us down different paths and there simply was not as much synergy in addressing both interests as we originally thought. Third, many towns and cities already have well-organized bicycle clubs and advocacy groups and we felt we could accomplish much more by focusing our work with and through them."

Fairfax Co School Board modifies bike to school policy

2012-01-14T10:30:00.000-05:00

On Thursday the Fairfax County School Board modified the policy on biking and walking to school. The new policy clarifies that parents make the final decision as to whether their children bike to school. It also added language that encourages kids to walk and bike to school

Prior to their action, the school system did not have a clear policy regarding whether kids were allowed to bike to school. At some schools students were banned from biking:

Recognizing the health benefits, FCPS encourages parents to consider having their children walk and/or ride a bicycle to and from school using existing infrastructure. This parental decision is not subject to review by the principal. Ultimately, parents have the responsibility for selecting their children’s routes to and from bus stops, schools, and home. Parents are also responsible for providing supervision that is appropriate for the student's age, maturity and conditions of the chosen route. The unique procedures for kindergarten students are addressed in the current version of Regulation 8617.

The second part of the change relates to retaining bike and ped safety education, which is part of the Grade 1, 5, and 7 curriculum. Until a few years ago School Education Officers rotated through the elementary schools and taught bike safety classes. The classes were dropped when the program was cut.

It's critical that kids are taught how to safely walk and bike along our streets. We can't advocate in good faith to get more kids on bikes unless we ensure they receive safety education. We also think they will be better teen drivers if they learn the rules of the road at an early age.

The old policy was outdated and needed to be replaced. It didn't include bike safety and it referenced the school education officers. Here's the new policy:

Safety Education: The school system will ensure that programs of walking, bicycling and bus safety education shall be established and maintained for students in the elementary schools. Such programs shall be conducted in accordance with Virginia Department of Education curriculums and guidelines. Staff members will provide general safety information to school communities and respond to requests for specific information and advice when practicable.

FABB has been advocating for these changes for the past two years. Thanks to Jeff Anderson, a member of FABB who leads Wolfie's bike train (see photo above), who lead this effort.

Thanks to the School Board and the Facilities and Transportation staff for their support for the Safe Routes to School Program and for encouraging more kids to walk and bike to school. Much more needs to be done but we're setting the foundation for the future.

The challenge now is how to find the resources to ensure that bike safety is taught in all 138 elementary schools. Safe Routes to School grants would help as would reinstatement of the School Education Officers, as was recommended by the School Health Advisory Committee last year.

Read more details about the policy changes. Now, about bikes being a prohibited student activity...

WMATA proposes to reduce locker fee to $120

2012-01-10T22:59:00.001-05:00

In the Proposed FY2013 Operating and Capital Budget one of the recommendations is to reduce the bike locker rental fee from $200 to $120. From the Fare Recommendations section: "Encourage bike access to rail system by decreasing bike locker rental annual fee to $120." This is good news for Fairfax cyclists.

There was a significant price increase a few years ago. According to TheWashCycle:

Two years ago, the annual fee was tripled, and Metro predicted that the price hike would bring in an extra $200,000 per year. Metro assumed that the demand for bike lockers was so inelastic that locker rentals would decline less than a 10%.

Cycling advocates suggested that the tripling would cause a sticker shock leading to widespread non-renewals, possibly enough to cause a net loss in revenues. I recommended to my then-Metro board member (Elizabeth Hewlitt) that increasing the cost to $100 would have made more sense and brought in more revenue. But Metro board members paid scant attention to this issue, possibly because of the small magnitude of revenues involved. (Nor was it a high priority for WABA, coming during the transition as Eric Gilliland moved on.)

I predict that this 40% price cut will cause a small increase in revenues, both because more lockers will be rented, and because having a bike locker will lead a few more cyclists to take Metro more often.

Safety infographic from BikeArlington

2012-01-10T16:27:00.001-05:00

The folks at BikeArlington recently created an excellent traffic safety graphic. It's part of their PAL campaign

As more people go on Arlington's Car-Free Diet, there are more cyclists and walkers sharing the street with drivers. Whether you're on two feet, two wheels or four wheels, everyone needs to be a PAL to safely share the streets.

Being a PAL means being:

Predictable - travel in a predictable way; don't make sudden unexpected moves
Alert - pay attention to your surrounds and to others
Lawful - obey traffic laws, whether in a car, on a bike, or on foot

I like the info about Sharrows (or Shared Lane Markings). FABB has discussed the need for educating everyone about their use. Here's how it's shown on the graphic:

We'll try to get printed copies to use at our events this year. Good job BikeArlington!

2011 bike crash data finalized

2012-01-09T15:44:00.000-05:00

Fairfax County Police released the final stats on bike crashes in the county in 2011. The good news is that there were no bicycle fatalities last year. You may recall there were four in 2010. There were 84 crashes reported to the police, down 2 from last year. There were probably three times that many crashes that went unreported.

Citations were issued in 30 of the crashes. Of those citations, motorists received 73%. That's the way we would characterize the crash data. Police had a different take:

In 51% of the crashes, the bicyclist was held at fault.

and

Fairfax County had an estimated 10,612 total crashes in 2011. Crashes involving bicycles in this same period represent less than 1% of this total. [emphasis by police].

I guess we're supposed to feel good about this small percentage. The statistics can be found on the county 2011 Bike Crash page. Try to ignore the photo of the goofy looking bike and the very poorly produced safety video on the page.

Winter?

2012-01-07T16:00:00.001-05:00

Whatever happened to winter? It was like a mild spring day on the W&OD trail today. It was great to see so many people out on their bikes. It wasn't so great seeing the same bad behavior on the trail; joggers and walkers making u-turns without looking, which is the best reason there is to warn pedestrians when you're passing; dogs (and children) on long leads; people stopped on the trail; fast cyclists, some in pacelines, passing dangerously; etc. It's rare to have so much traffic on the trail this time of year.

We were on our way to the Falls Church Farmer's Market. It's one of the only nearby markets that is open year round. I attached a milk crate to my rear rack. It's a great way to carry lots of groceries. The jury is still out on whether it will stay.

We admired the two bikes you see in the photo on the right. One is an old Nishiki mite frame in great condition with nice leather grips, Brooks saddle, fenders, and a folding grocery-getter pannier. The other bike had an old lugged steel frame with equally impressive accessories, including a very nice, large leather bag on the front rack.

It's relatively easy to run errands on bikes on the weekends. It's also a great way to get some fresh air and exercise in the process.

Bicycling section in Environment Report

2012-01-04T16:31:00.000-05:00

The Environmental Quality Advisory Commission (EQAC) released their 2011 Annual Report on the Environment in December. It includes a section on the Bicycle Initiative that includes a summary of program activities in 2011.

The county has made much progress this year, especially with almost no operating funds and the loss of a very valuable staff person, whose position was not filled. The Tysons Bike Plan was completed and the Countywide Bike Plan was started. Phase II of the Gallows Road bike lanes, extending from Idylwood Rd north to Old Courthouse Rd, was finalized and should be completed in 2012. The county is working much more closely with VDOT's repaving program and bike lanes were added to segments of the following roads: Soapstone Dr, Lewinsville Rd, and Sleepy Hollow Rd.

However, the Tysons Bicycle Plan, still has not been reviewed and approved by the Planning Commission or the Board of Supervisors. The Bicycle Parking Guidelines are still in draft form. The Bike the Sites project, a tour of historic sites in the Sully District, is incomplete, and there are still no wayfinding signs on the Fairfax County Parkway. Only so much can be done with limited resources and staff. A great deal has been accomplished, but much more needs to be done which means the program needs dedicated funding and more staff.

The Transportation recommendations in the report are disappointing. We agree wholeheartedly that the county needs to conduct "Holistic Land Use and Transportation Planning." However the recommendations are very general and include no mention of the need for increased resources for non-motorized transportation planning and implementation.

It's worth spending some time browsing the report; it's a good look at the state of the county's environment.

Proposed change to law regarding cyclists at traffic lights

2012-01-03T17:50:00.000-05:00

In an article in the Post on "oddball bills" in the Virginia legislature (Pickle sellers, crank calls could get a hearing in Va. General Assembly), there is mention of a bill (House Bill No. 7) that would "free bicyclists who approach red traffic lights from the need to — who knew? — wait two minutes before pedaling on." At first we and others thought this might be an implementation of the Idaho Stop, in which cyclists can treat a stop light as a stop sign. However, upon reading the proposed bill, it appears it is only an attempt to separate the treatment of motorcyclists from bicyclists.

Last year a bill was passed (46.2-833, Traffic lights; penalty) that would allow motorcyclists and bicyclists to proceed through a stop light that doesn't change to green if they stop and wait for "two complete cycles of the traffic light or for two minutes, whichever is shorter."

The proposed bill would change the wording of the existing bill to remove bicyclists from one section and add a new sections just for bicyclists. The downside is that the new wording excludes the "~~two complete cycles~~ two minutes" phrase, making conditions worse for bicyclists. According to the Post, "The genesis of a bike measure from Del. James E. Edmunds II (R-South Boston) is less certain. He did not return e-mail and phone messages seeking comment."

Here are the proposed changes:

B. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, if a driver of a motorcycle or moped ~~or a bicycle rider~~ approaches an intersection that is controlled by a traffic light, the driver ~~or rider~~ may proceed through the intersection on a steady red light only if the driver ~~or rider~~ (i) comes to a full and complete stop at the intersection for two complete cycles of the traffic light or for two minutes, whichever is shorter, (ii) exercises due care as provided by law, (iii) otherwise treats the traffic control device as a stop sign, (iv) determines that it is safe to proceed, and (v) yields the right of way to the driver of any vehicle approaching on such other highway from either direction.

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, if a rider of a bicycle approaches an intersection controlled by a traffic light, the rider may proceed through the intersection on a steady red light only if the rider (i) comes to a full and complete stop at the intersection for two complete cycles of the traffic light, (ii) exercises due care as provided by law, (iii) otherwise treats the traffic control device as a stop sign, (iv) determines that it is safe to proceed, and (v) yields the right of way to the driver of any vehicle approaching on such other highway from either direction.

FABB - 2011 Year in Review

2011-12-31T16:35:00.000-05:00

Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling

2011 in Review

“When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race.” H.G. Wells

FABB entered its seventh year of volunteer advocacy in Fairfax and continues to play a major role in ensuring that the needs of bicyclists are being incorporated into the county’s future. FABB is a strong local voice for those wishing to ride comfortably and safely to work, their child’s school or for recreation.

Planning in Fairfax: Early in the year, FABB assisted in finalizing the Tysons Bike Master Plan. Fairfax County is now working on the county-wide bicycle master plan which will determine how bicycle-friendly design should be incorporated into roadway and transit projects as well as what program and policy changes are needed to support bicycling. FABB members serve on the county bicycle plan advisory committee and play a very active role in the project. Several local public meetings will be held in 2012 that will give cyclists opportunities to give input on the plan. The Burke-Springfield area meeting is planned for January 24.

Safe Routes to School for Fairfax Kids: FABB is part of a successful ongoing coalition that has worked behind the scenes to bring about policy changes to increase walking and biking to schools all over Fairfax County.

New Infrastructure: Bike facilities were installed along Gallows Road, as part of the Soapstone Drive road diet and on the rebuilt bridges over the Beltway. WMATA plans to improve bike access to several Metro stations. WMATA is also planning a bike and ride facility at the Franconia-Springfield station.

Volunteers Out and About: FABB representatives continue to speak at many public meetings, appear in media articles, and provide input to various committees. FABB spoke to many groups including the Vienna Bicycle Advisory Committee, Transition Centreville, Burke Walks, Transportation Advisory Commission, Reston Bike Club, and the YMCA. Volunteers worked in all weather at bike light giveaways, bike rodeos, Bike to Work Day events, and more. Thank you as always to all our volunteers.

Modes of Communication: While continuing to post more than 250 articles this year alone on the FABB blog, FABB has almost 500 friends on Facebook and 1000 followers on Twitter. We send out our bi-monthly newsletter to more than 1250 cyclists. We have several regular FABB columnists and many articles appearing on the Patch sites.

Meetings and Visitors: All are welcome to attend FABB's monthly meetings on the third Wednesday of every month at Patrick Henry Library in Vienna. Usually around 15 people including the county bike coordinator attend. While we conduct a lot of business at the meetings, we also socialize and network. This year, meeting presenters included Randy Dittberner of VDOT, Police Officer Alice Eggers, Allen Muchnick of Virginia Bicycling Federation, as well as speakers on Complete Streets and Open Street Maps. We hope to hold some of the monthly meetings in different parts of the county in 2012. Next meeting: Wednesday January 18 at 7:30 p.m. at the Patrick Henry Library in Vienna.

Awards and Honors: In March, FABB received national recognition from the Alliance for Biking & Walking for the Virginia advocates guide that we published in 2010. At the WABA Annual Meeting, FABB member Fionnuala Quinn received the Bicycle Advocacy Award. We appreciate the support and recognition for our work.

Fun Times on Bikes: FABB participated in many rides including Bike to Work Day in May. FABB members Bruce Wright and Kerie Hitt organized and participated in a bike/car/bus challenge, which demonstrated bicycling can take less time than driving or riding the bus for short trips in Reston. In August, FABB greeted and provided refreshments for 30 velomobile riders along the W&OD Trail in Vienna. We joined some of the monthly bike trains at Wolf Trap Elementary School, organized by parent Jeff Anderson. The bike trains continue to be an inspiration to the community and we hope to see many more children riding through the Safe Routes to School program in 2012.

Conferences and Other Events: FABB representatives attended the National Bike Summit in Washington, DC, Bike to Mason Day at George Mason University, Cyclefest, Paul’s Ride for Life, Earth Day, Herndon Festival bike valet, county health events, Graham Road Elementary School Bike Rodeo, and congressional visits on the Hill. We learned lots and met a wide range of folks working hard on bicycling issues.

Disappointment: The three-foot passing law, championed by the Virginia Bicycle Federation, failed to be adopted into law. Another attempt to pass the law will be made in 2012.

Happily, No Bicycle Fatalities: After four fatalities in 2010, we are unaware of any biking-related deaths in the county in 2011. However, a number of serious injuries occurred and our work for safer design, education and driver awareness continues. See stats on 2011 bike crashes.

News from the Agencies: Several key appointments were filled this year: VDOT Northern Virginia District Administrator, Fairfax County Transportation Director, VDOT State Bike Coordinator and Virginia Safe Routes to School Coordinator. We have established good working relationships with the new officials.

Thank Yous: A sincere thank you for the help and support from our volunteers, well wishers, and donors. Thank you also to the public officials who patiently listen and work with us on an ongoing basis. We are all working for safety, access, and the health and well-being of our community.

We wish you good riding in 2012 and always remember to use bike lights after dark.
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For more details on FABB events, see the FABB Events page. See also theWABA events page.
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FABB BLOG - For other news and articles of interest, visit the FABB blog.
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Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling is a grassroots initiative, affiliated with the Washington Area Bicyclist Association, aiming to make bicycling an integral part of Fairfax County's transportation network. Visit us on the web. If you would like to unsubscribe to the newsletter, send a message to news@fabb-bikes.org.

Safe Routes to School in Fairfax

2011-12-30T17:11:00.001-05:00

As we've mentioned in the past, FABB has been working closely with school officials to encourage more kids to walk and bike to school. See a summary of this work written by Gina Arlotto of WABA.

We were encouraged to read about Safe Routes to Schools in the Fairfax County School System publication State of the Schools - December 2011 and we especially liked Superintendent Dale's comments:

Fairfax County Public Schools is proud to participate in Safe Routes to Schools, an international effort to encourage more families to get out of their cars and onto their feet to enjoy the many benefits of safely walking and bicycling to school. Parents are encouraged to accompany their children to school and to work with their PTA or PTO to organize walking events.

"Walking is a simple way to incorporate exercise into your day," said FCPS Superintendent Jack D. Dale. "We encourage all FCPS students and families to participate in this program and walk or bike to school whenever possible."

The program promotes physical activity, pedestrian safety, and concern for the environment. Several Fairfax County public schools have established a Safe Routes to School program and participate in bike and walk to school challenges.

Thanks to FCPS for embracing Safe Routes to School and we look forward to seeing more kids walking and biking to school in the future. For more info see the Fairfax SRTS Facebook page and the Fairfax schools Walk to School site.

50 Keys to Transforming Communities

2011-12-28T20:16:00.001-05:00

Mia Birk, author of Joyride! Pedaling Toward A Healthier Planet, has been touring the country discussing how Portland, Oregon, once a typically car-centric place, was transformed into a bicycling mecca. While the book tour recently ended, a second edition and e-book are planned:

My publisher promised a second edition and e-version a couple months ago, but it got delayed. The second edition had updates and more photos and the addition of keys to summarize the key take-aways in inspiring people and transforming communities, one pedal stroke at a time. And so, I give you these keys now.

Here are the first 10 keys:

1. Look beyond the bike: bicycle transportation succeeds best when combined with investments in compact development, transit, and walking. Engage in and support various efforts to help shape your sustainable community.

2. Key human elements: strong local political leaders, effective community advocates and well trained and supported City staff. With one or two, you can make some progress, but it is the combination of all three that is the recipe for success.

3. Develop and adopt a robust, visionary, comprehensive bicycle transportation plan. Use the planning process to engage your community in a deep conversation about the future of transportation.

4. Develop a network of bikeways that is connected, comprehensive, and gets people from where they are to where they want to go. It should be a combination of off-street paths, on-road separated bikeways, and low-stress neighborhood greenways and must appeal to a wide variety of ages, cycling skill levels, and trip purposes.

5. It’s not just the bikeway infrastructure, it’s the attitude. Embrace the role of encouraging people to bicycle as part and parcel of the way you do business.

6. Get your traffic engineers on bikes as a regular part of their job.

7. Start with the low-hanging fruit: easy-to-implement projects.

8. Court the media and don’t freak out if you get negative press. It’s important to get ‘bike’ in the public consciousness.

9. Set aside at least one percent of your transportation budget to get the ball rolling.

10. Adopt “Complete Streets” policies and/or legislation, then execute! Unenforced policies and plans that sit on shelves gathering dust are worthless.

Bike commuting article at GGW

2011-12-28T09:40:00.000-05:00

Mitch Wander started bike commuting to a new job this year. He writes about his experiences in a good article on GreaterGreaterWashington, It takes a village to become a bicycle commuter. With links to several good sources of information he describes how he went from driving to work to being a regular bike commuter.

After four months in my new, inside-the-beltway job, I'm firmly entrenched within the ranks of DC-area bicycle commuters. The local bicycling and transportation community deserves much of the credit for giving me the information, support and confidence to bike to work every day.

With nearly 500 miles of riding to and from work under my belt to date, I've saved money, benefited from a great new workout routine and developed an appreciation for some additional daily outdoor time. And, keeping my car off the road means that I've also made a drop more room on crowded transportation routes for traditional car users.

Looking back, I know that none of this would have been possible without an extensive and multifaceted network of resources available to bicyclists, and bicycle commuters, in particular, throughout the Washington region.

Not only is he a new bike commuter, he is also helping the next generation become safer bicyclists and pedestrians:

This transition into the world of bicycle commuters was a combination of luck, research, inspiration and encouragement. My small payback so far has been to coordinate a bike and pedestrian safety program at our local elementary school.

Help us make bicycling better in Fairfax

2011-12-26T17:55:00.001-05:00

As you make your end of year charitable donations, I hope you will consider donating to FABB. FABB is a volunteer organization that advocates for bicyclist safety, rights, and facilities. We need funds to print materials like our award-winning bicycle accommodations guide, host our website with up-to-date information on bicycling in Fairfax, and participate in key meetings. Can you help us with a year-end tax deductible donation today?

Among our main goals for 2012:

Begin implementing the Tysons Bicycle Master Plan
Help complete the Countywide Bicycle Master Plan
Encourage more kids to bike to school (Safe Routes to School)
Form a bicycle advisory committee for the Northern Virginia VDOT District office

We had a very productive 2011. Some of what we accomplished in Fairfax this year:
Planning for the future with the Tysons and Countywide Bicycle Master Plans
Launch of International Bike and Walk to School Day in twenty six local schools
Bike commuting and safety education including our bike light giveaway program
Community outreach including bike rodeos and Bike to Work Day
Speaking to many boards, local commissions, and elected officials
Working with transportation staff on the safe design of our roads
Our work was recognized this year with a national award for innovative advocacy from the Alliance for Biking & Walking. We have achieved all of this on a tiny budget. With our dedicated team of passionate volunteers, every dollar that FABB receives goes a very long way. We could be even more effective if we had a few more dollars to help us do this critical on-going work. Please donate to FABB either online or send a check for WABA/FABB” to FABB, P.O. Box 3752, Reston, VA 20195.

Thanks.

WMATA's planned bike and ped projects

2011-12-24T15:06:00.001-05:00

WMATA recently released the report Metro: Pedestrian and Bicycle Element of the 2012-2017 Capital Improvement Program. The report outlines needed bicycle and pedestrian improvements around Metro stations. See the PlanItMetro blog entry Identifying & Funding Pedestrian and Bicycle Project Needs

WMATA has been very proactive recently in addressing the need for better bike access and parking at Metro stations. They added several new racks at the Vienna Metro station in November, installed a Bike & Ride facility at College Park and are planning a Bike & Ride facility at Franconia-Springfield.

From the report:

In 2008, Congress passed legislation authorizing up to $1.5 billion in federal funds for Metro’s Capital Improvement Program (CIP) over ten years. These funds are equally matched by Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia for a total of $3 billion over 10 years, or $300 million per year. One key provision is that 1% of these capital dollars must go to transit enhancements, which include pedestrian and bicycle improvements as well as bus shelters, landscaping/ beautification, public art, signage and improved access for persons with disabilities. This requirement provides a vehicle for funding bicycle and pedestrian access to Metro.

This document summarizes the bicycle and pedestrian element of Metro’s 2012-2017 CIP, detailing funding availability and project descriptions. Currently, $6.6 million is available in funding for bike and pedestrian access over the next five years of the CIP. This allocation is based on current available funding and priorities.

December FABB meeting

2011-12-23T13:41:00.000-05:00

Over 20 cyclists attended our December meeting on Wednesday. It was good to see some new faces. Some folks brought holiday treats that we shared before the meeting. We usually have a full agenda for most meetings and we don't often get a chance to just chat with fellow cyclists. We're thinking about having some social time before or after our meetings in the future. We may not go as far as Dublin cyclists who say it isn't a meeting unless you've been to the pub, but we like the general idea.

Charlie Strunk, the county bike coordinator, told us about the list of bike projects he is compiling in anticipation of a future Transportation Bond. In the past bike and pedestrian projects have been lumped together. As a result, trail or sidewalk projects predominate. Charlie is preparing a list of on-road projects by Supervisor District.

Charlie also noted that the Springfield-Burke Bicycle Master Plan area meeting is planned for January 24 from 5:30-8:00 p.m. at the Springfield District Office.

The county bike map is being revised and should be completed by the end of February. It's the most popular map produced by the county and needs to be reprinted so it's a good time to make appropriate changes, like adding the new bike lanes on Lawyers Rd and Soapstone Dr.

Jeff Anderson, Hunter Mill rep on the Trails and Sidewalks Committee, mentioned that the committee is preparing a list of mostly off-road projects for the anticipated Transportation Bond. If there are important bike projects, both on- and off-road, that you think should be included in the list, contact your Trails and Sidewalk committee rep. Jeff also reported on the biking and walking to school policy changes being considered by the School Board which we hope will result in more kids being able to bike to school. We are strongly opposing the removal of the Safety Education section.

Adam Froehlig of the Mt. Vernon Council of Civic Associations Transportation Committee asked if FABB could attend the January 9 meeting to discuss thoughts about allowing cyclists on the GW Parkway on weekend mornings. See his blog article about this issue. Another issue of concern to cyclists in this area that we'd like to see discussed is the ability of cyclists to safely cross the Parkway to reach the Mt Vernon Trail.

Jenifer Madden, vice chair of the county Transportation Advisory Commission, discussed the importance of including cycling and active transportation in the Community Transformation Grant awarded to Fairfax County in September. The county received "a grant of $499,559 per year for at least the next three years to build capacity to implement policy, system, programmatic and infrastructure changes to promote health and prevent chronic disease." Bicycling for transportation, getting people out of their cars for short trips, is one obvious way to promote health. You'll be hearing more about this effort in the near future.

The next FABB meeting is planned for Wed. January 18. We hope to have Nicole Wynands of the League of American Bicyclists to discuss the Bicycle Friendly Community program.

Because we ran out of time we didn't get a chance to schedule our annual retreat, which we hope to hold on Sunday, January 8. If you'd like more info contact me.

Mark Blacknell, new WABA President

2011-12-20T20:01:00.000-05:00

FABB's Fionnuala Quinn with WABA's new President
Mark Blacknell at the Bloomsday Ride earlier this year

At the WABA Board meeting last night we elected a new slate of officers. Mark Blacknell, who is also chair of the Arlington Bicycle Advisory Committee, is the new WABA President. The other offices did not change. See the WABA Board page for details. I look forward to working with Mark on the WABA board and I want to thank past President Barbara Kleiforth for her service to the board.

For more info about Mark and his ideas about WABA's future, see Introducing Mark Blacknell, WABA's New President, on the WABA blog:

Hi, Mark Blacknell here. I’m a cyclist. And a driver. And a pedestrian. And WABA’s newest Board President.

Yesterday, my fellow WABA board members placed their confidence in me, electing me President along with re-electing Martin Moulton as Vice President, Paul d'Eustachio as Treasurer, and Randall Myers as Secretary. The board – and WABA as a whole – owe Barbara Klieforth a debt of gratitude for her years of dedicated service as President. Thankfully, she will be remaining on the board, and will continue to help guide WABA.

I feel very lucky to be taking this on right now. We’ve got a membership who actively support our mission. We maintain good relationships with most area governments. We certainly have a fantastic and effective staff. In short, we’re in good shape.

So what’s left to do? Plenty. Here’s my personal agenda:

First and foremost – we need to keep pressing on the basics: infrastructure, enforcement, and education. The area has definitely seen some successes in recent years: infrastructure expansion in DC and Arlington, an explosion of interest in Capital Bikeshare beyond its original limits, and the introduction of an anti-assault bill for cyclists in DC. We can’t rest, though, as we’ve still got long way to go on infrastructure, uptake of cycling by new bikeshare users will require greatly expanded education efforts, and that anti-harassment bill? Is still sitting in committee. We can’t rest, even when it comes to the basics.
I also look forward to supporting and expanding WABA’s efforts to reach out to communities that haven’t traditionally been a focus of bike advocacy. The development of our East of the Anacostia project has been thrilling to see, and I hope we can build the capacity for similar efforts with the “Invisible Cyclists” of our immigrant communities. The gender gap is something that should concern all cyclists, and I eagerly anticipate the next step in the process started at the Women’s Bicycling Forum. Shorter version: cycling is for everyone, and our advocacy should reflect that.
Finally, I’ll be working to improve region-wide cooperation and communication among cycling advocates. WABA can’t – and doesn’t need – to be at the table for every cycling issue that comes up in the greater Washington area. We can, however, help connect and support local advocates in addressing their local issues. On the other side of that coin, I hope to engage my fast friends in MABRAland and my dirty friends at MORE to ensure that when big cycling issues are on the line, we can bring our full and joint voice to the discussion.

Patch article about Route 1 corridor

2011-12-20T10:12:00.000-05:00

Transportation and Transit Studies Under Way for Route 1 Corridor is the title of a Huntington-Belle Haven Patch article by Rachel Leonard. It's the first of a three-part series on the future of the Route 1 corridor. The article gives a good overview of the challenges faced by cyclists:

Cyclists Weigh In

Adam Froelig, transportation liaison for the Huntington Community Association, likens cycling on Route 1 to “taking our lives in our own hands.”

“I would not cycle to Target,” Froelig said. “I would be more apt to cycle to the Target at Potomac Yards, which is four miles away, than the one at Beacon Hill, which is one-and-a-half miles away, just because bicycle accommodation is better going throughout Alexandria.”

Froelig’s transportation wish list includes bike lanes, turn lanes, speeds between 35 and 45 mph, timed signals, wide sidewalks and Metro.

Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling member Mark Murphy of Huntington said new developments have made Route 1 more accessible from Alexandria, but heading south on Route 1 past Huntington is difficult.

“The lights and the traffic are very unfriendly,” he said. “It can be dangerous to cross some of the intersections at Route 1 because drivers just aren’t looking for bikers.”

Cyclists are also interested in improved access from Route 1 to the Huntington Metro station. Murphy sees an opportunity to build better cycling amenities as Route 1 is redeveloped.

“It’s a now-or-never situation, I think, where they can keep cyclists and pedestrians in mind when they’re designing or redesigning Route 1,” he said. “They have a chance to make some improvements that would last a long time. It would be a lot harder to go in later and put something in after the fact.”

The county is currently formulating the Fairfax Countywide Bicycle Transportation Plan and has held multiple information sessions to gather input from cyclists. Bob Patten, a senior planner with Toole Design Group, the consultancy working with the county, said he hopes to have a draft plan ready to submit to the county’s Bicycle Advisory Committee in April.

Feedback from a Nov. 17 information session in Mount Vernon included comments that cycling the corridor is especially difficult during rush hours, that a lack of an alternative to Route 1 between Huntley Meadows Park and the neighborhoods south and west of Little Hunting Creek is a major barrier, that a trail along Cameron Run between Telegraph Road and Route 1 should be built, and that safety improvements are needed for cyclists coming and going from Wilson Bridge.

Reducing our carbon emissions with the bicycle

2011-12-20T09:53:00.003-05:00

There is overwhelming consensus in the scientific community that the globe is warming due to impacts from human activity. And yet very little concrete action is being taken to reduce those impacts. Cyclists are the exception. Cycling produces almost no carbon emissions. From a recent study conducted by the European Cyclists' Federation Cycle More Often Cool Down the Planet: Quantifying CO2 Savings of Cycling:

Between 1990 and 2007, greenhouse gas emissions from transport in the EU increased by 36%, while greenhouse gas emissions from other sectors decreased by 15% during the same period. Meanwhile, climate mitigation has moved to the very heart of transport policy and to the heart of broader EU policy. By 2050, the EU has set about reducing its greenhouse gas emissions (GhGs) by 80 to 95% compared to 1990 levels. Consequently, the transport sector will have to reduce its emissions by an estimated 60%.

When evaluating different transport modes, it is the bicycle that allows for important greenhouse gas savings. Although not a carbon free mode of transport, the bicycle’s GhG emissions are over 10 times lower than those stemming from individual motorized transport. Pedelecs [electric-assist bicycles], despite their electric assistance, are also found to have greenhouse gas emissions in the same range as ordinary bicycles.

This study shows that if levels of cycling in the EU-27 were equivalent to those found in Denmark, bicycle help achieve 12 to 26% of the 2050 target reduction set for the transport sector, depending on which transport mode the bicycle replaces.

Most if not all projections and scenarios conclude that measures focusing on improvement alone will fail to meet EU mid-term and long-term climate change objectives. Improvement measures are only estimated to deliver a 20% decrease in transport emission by 2050, using 1990 levels as the baseline.

In addition to technological developments and innovations, achieving the EU’s objectives will require ambitious plans which foresee an EU-wide modal shift away from individual motorized transport. Ordinary bicycles, pedelecs and bicycle-share schemes, on their own and in combination with mass transportation, all have the potential to further contribute to a much needed modal shift.

From LAB's American Bicyclist Update.

Burke Patch adds a bike blogger

2011-12-17T00:11:00.000-05:00

Alan Young of FABB has started blogging for the Burke Patch. His first post is entitled Biking in Burke and Beyond: Biking in December! Brrrrrr:

Most folks do most of their daily commerce, visiting, and errands within two miles of their homes, really good bicycling range if the engineering is done to support this mode of travel. Engineering, at a fraction of the cost of roadways, can provide for safe, comfortable, convenient, easy moving around our community without being required to use a car. When my wife is comfortable bicycling, then I know the engineering is right. I am a volunteer with Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling (FABB), a local advocacy group. Its a way I give back to my community.

I am blogging to provide another lens to look at our community. I think we are missing an opportunity. Our county is growing. The region will gain at least one-half million more residents in the next decade. Traffic and congestion is going to get worse. We need alternatives, low cost improvements we can implement within our county. The state is not going to help much. We can look around the world for ideas, here is a thought provoking example of what the Dutch developed to solve their transportation problems. If you view the video, you will see that the Dutch were outraged by vehicle slaughter of their children. We have a similiar problem, plug in Burke or Springfield, VA.

Report on Great Falls-McLean Bike Plan Meeting

2011-12-13T20:58:00.001-05:00

Around 20 people attended the Great Falls-McLean Bike Plan Meeting on Monday evening. Supervisor Foust attended and spent some time talking to cyclists and checking out the marked up maps. Dan Goodman of Toole Design Group gave an overview of the planning process and fielded questions from the audience. Some of the comments made during the meeting:

The plan needs to include access to areas outside of FFX Co such as DC and Maryland. Access to Chain Bridge is poor and many cyclists use it to get to the C&O Canal towpath and the Capital Crescent Trail.
Street sweeping of on-road bike routes is critical.
Motorists and bicyclists need better education regarding existing bike laws and the rules of the road.
Many roads in the area will be very difficult to retrofit with bike facilities Shared lane markings could be used on these roads.

The audience then broke into groups that made comments on the various maps showing segments of the study area.

The area is a popular destination for many cyclists. The low population density and scenic roads makes for interesting riding conditions although most of the roads have no paved shoulders. It will be difficult to add new bike facilities in the future given the limited right of way.

The summary of the meeting will soon be available on the project website. The Burke-Springfield area will be the focus of the next bike plan area meeting, sometime in late January.

CTB approves new bike signage

2011-12-13T13:58:00.001-05:00

At their December 7 meeting the Commonwealth Transportation Board approved the Virginia supplement to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). That's a mouthful; what it means is that VDOT can now use Shared Lane Markings (Sharrows), Bicycles May Use Full Lane signs, and new wayfinding signs. See our earlier post about this topic.

There are many roads where Shared Lane Markings should be used. Examples include where bike lanes end due to limited right of way: Gallows Road at I-66, Old Courthouse Road at Freedom Hill Park, and Westmoreland St leading to Kirby Rd. Other locations include along Idylwood Rd between the W&OD trail and Idyl Lane, and on many roads where cyclists ride and there is no room for bike lanes or wide outside lanes.

The wayfinding signage will help cyclists follow bike routes without having to refer to a map. The county bike map is a great resource but not very useful when out on the road. The signs include arrows and can include distance to a destination.

Bicycles May Use Full Lane signs let bicyclists, and especially motorists, know that the lane is not wide enough for bicycles and motor vehicles to share and bicyclists may ride in the center of the lane. These can be used with or without Shared Lane Markings and are especially useful where bicyclists are frequently harassed by angry motorists, such as on Idylwood Road.

We're anxious to see the first applications of these signs.

WABA blog post by Fionnuala Quinn: Small Fields, Hedgerows and U2 by Bicycle

2011-12-09T19:50:00.001-05:00

As part of the WABA Women's Bicycling Forum, Fionnuala Quinn of FABB recently posted the article Small Fields, Hedgerows and U2 by Bicycle on the WABA blog. Fionnuala, recipient of WABA’s 2011 Advocacy Award and manager of the Women Cycling Project, will be a speaker at the forum which will be held on Monday, December 12 from 6-8pm at DC Public Library - West End Branch. You can register online.

From Fionnuala's article:

My mother recalls the great honor of being brought by her father on the donkey and cart into Boyle for her first new bicycle. She rode nine miles back on the bicycle that was purchased for the huge sum of ten pounds specifically so she could bypass the local national school and attend the better school further away.

A generation earlier, a bicycle had been similarly bought for her mother so that she too could have access to better schooling. Those Raleigh and Royal Enfield bicycles allowed them to travel the Roscommon roads widely, riding between the hedgerows and small fields that hadn’t changed for hundreds of years. My mother talks of happy times riding with her sisters and collecting other girls en route to school in Elphin five miles away. Before the bicycle, the women and girls of rural Ireland had never had this freedom of travel and the options that brought with it.

Read the rest of her article.

Bike Plan area meeting comments now online

2011-12-08T23:14:00.001-05:00

Three area meetings have been held to gather input from cyclists for the Fairfax bicycle master plan. The Great Falls-McLean meeting, the fourth of eight, is on Monday Dec. 12.

During each meeting notes are compiled for use in developing the final plan recommendations. Toole Design folks have done a good job of summarizing comments from each meeting and those notes are now posted online on the Materials & Resources page of the bike plan website. Below are some selected comments from the meeting notes:

Clifton Area Meeting (Oct 6, 2011):

For blind corners and steep grades, put signs with blinking lights that detect cyclists (when the sign detects a cyclist, the lights begin blinking to warn motorists that a cyclist is around the corner/going up the hill. They continue blinking until the cyclist is out of the way).
If the BIKES MAY USE FULL LANE is used, it may be helpful to add a plaque to the sign assembly that says “FOR SAFETY”, to remind motorists that cyclists who may be in the middle of the lane are not doing so just to annoy the motorist, but rather because it is the safest location for the cyclist to be in when there is no shoulder.
Where feasible, [in the uphill direction of narrow roads,] construct a segment of shoulder for bicyclists to use, which allows them to ride outside of the travel lane and then merge in again.

Reston-Herndon Area Meeting (Oct 20, 2011):

Focus on making areas around schools safer to allow all children to bike to school.
Focus on education materials to share the road signs, sharrows.
Focus on making multi-use path crossings more visible throughout Reston.
Ensure that there is dedicated funding for the implementation of the plan.
Work with schools to create Safe Routes to School program.
Accommodate cyclists at intersections: time traffic lights for bicycle speeds, add loopdetector markings, bike boxes, bike signal leads and video detection.
Make sure bike parking facilities meet/exceed standards.
Please make sure that all bike facilities meet NACTO standards.

Mt. Vernon-Eastern Lee Area Meeting (Nov 17, 2011):

Ft Hunt Road is a preferred connection for bicycle commuters.
Bike Lanes, a adequate and consistent paved shoulder width, and/or shared roadway signs are desired to increase safety and visibility of cyclists
Residential streets parallel to the GW Memorial Parkway serve as an alternative route to the very busy Mt Vernon Trail, especially when it is crowded.
Short neighborhood connecting paths through parks and school grounds exist but need signage.
An off-road path along Ft Hunt from Westgrove Rd, past the Library towards Belle View Road needs to be resurfaced and widened and would improve safety for young people bicyclingto/from the library and a school across the street.
Conflicts with high speed vehicular traffic, during AM/PM rush hours especially, make it difficultto connect to shopping destinations along the entire Route 1 corridor.
Two choke points make it difficult to travel on parallel side streets: one at Route 1 and Buckman Road and one at Beacon Hill Road and Route 1.
Crossing Route 1 is also challenging at these and most other intersections.

FABB bike light giveaway in Reston-Herndon

2011-12-08T22:02:00.001-05:00

Tonight two members of FABB, myself and Rob Henenlotter, did an impromptu bike light giveaway. Instead of announcing an event and waiting for cyclists to come to us, we traveled on the W&OD trail between Reston and Herndon and asked lightless riders if they wanted a set of lights. Most said yes. With sunset coming so early, many cyclists and pedestrians are out on the trail without lights after dark.

We also handed out reflective bands, either the FABB velcro leg band or narrow slap bracelets generously donated by Inova. Pedestrians and runners without lights or reflective gear can be very difficult to see. We gave the bands and slap bracelets to several non-cycling trail users.

At one point we were admiring a well-lit commuter bike. It wasn't until after he had passed that we noticed the rider, Tom Wyland, a regular FABB member, on his ride home from work. He stopped and we talked about bike lights for a while. He carries some of our giveaway lights and had just given a set to a rider. As were talking another rider without lights passed us. We handed a set to Tom who planned to offer them to the rider.

Great Falls-McLean Bike Plan Meeting and Women's Bicycling Forum on Monday Dec. 12

2011-12-08T10:52:00.001-05:00

The Great Falls/McLean area meeting to gather input from residents about needed bicycle improvements will be held on Monday, December 12 starting at 6:30 pm. at the McLean Community Center, 1234 Ingleside Ave., McLean. This is your chance to suggest future routes or improvements to existing routes, bike parking locations, and programs for getting more people on bikes.

The bicycle master plan process began this summer and will be completed next year. This is the fourth of eight area meetings. Presentations and notes from the Clifton, Reston-Herndon, and Mt Vernon area meetings are now available on the Materials & Resources page of the project website.

Unfortunately this meeting conflicts with the Women's Bicycle Forum hosted by WABA in DC. FABB's Fionnuala Quinn is one of the invited panelists. If you're not planning to attend the Great Falls-McLean meeting why not check out the Forum.

Vienna Town Council votes down snow removal ordinance

2011-12-07T22:35:00.001-05:00

We were very disappointed to hear that the Vienna Town Council voted down a proposed snow removal ordinance at their December 5th meeting. Unfortunately, this was the first we had heard about the proposed ordinance. Otherwise we would have testified in favor and would have encouraged others to do the same.

While we are aware of the dangers of riding on the sidewalk, many people do it anyway. In fact, Vienna Police encourage people to ride on the sidewalk and not in the street on Maple Ave. Not having plowed sidewalks prevents these people, many of whom depend on bicycles as their main form of transportation, to get to jobs and other places. Children walking to school in the winter would also benefit from the ordinance. It works in Alexandria and other Arlington and we think it could be made to work in Vienna.

One of the main arguments against the ordinance is that even when sidewalks are cleared, snow plows will often dump snow from the road onto the sidewalk. I assume the same thing happens in other communities and they figure out ways to deal with it. Otherwise, the message this sends to residents is that we care more about moving cars than moving people.

The only votes in favor were from Councilwomen Laurie DiRocco and Carey Sienicki. We hope the town reconsiders in the future.

To view the video of the public hearing, it's at about 22:40 of Part 1.

Road Fatalities USA

2011-12-07T22:07:00.001-05:00

This interesting map of road fatalities between 2001-2009 was discussed at Greater Greater Washington a while back. It includes pedestrian, motorcyclist, and bicyclist deaths as well as motorists.

The purple dots represent vehicle occupants—not necessarily drivers—who were killed. It may look like a lot of purple, and it certainly is, but when you zoom in closer you see a lot of blue dots, for pedestrians, as well as an awful lot of yellow dots, for motorcyclists.

The green dots for bicyclists are fewer and farther between, but if you zoom into the cities, you'll find them. Each dot even lists the year of the crash and the victim's age and gender.

ITO World got their fatality data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. It appears they've captured not just fatalities on highways but on local streets as well.

The World Health Organization reports 12.3 annual traffic deaths per 100,000 inhabitants in the United States. Compare that with 3.85 in Japan and 4.5 in Germany. If the U.S. achieved similar rates, more than 20,000 deaths would be prevented each year.

This map is a useful way of visualizing the terrible consequences of our auto-addicted culture. Beyond that, it can be an indispensable tool for community transportation advocates to show local officials where problem spots are and how their community compares to others.

Highlights from the NCBW e-newsletter

2011-12-07T19:20:00.001-05:00

Mass bicycle protest in Netherlands

We subscribe to the National Center for Biking and Walking Newsletter, a bi-weekly e-newsletter with an excellent summary of articles about creating more walkable and bicycle-friendly communities. Here are some highlights from the Dec. 7 newsletter:

How the Dutch Got Their Cycle Paths - Given the reputation of the Netherlands as a cyclist's paradise, you might think that its extensive cycling infrastructure came down from heaven itself, or was perhaps created by the wave of a magic wand. Not so. It was the result of a lot of hard work, including massive street protests and very deliberate political decision-making.
My Short Trips Campaign, Belgium - My Short Trips program helps small towns and municipalities encourage individuals to take 20% of their short trips (under 5 kilometers) on foot or bike for one month a year.
The Transportation Planning Rule Every City Should Reform - San Francisco is currently in the process of drafting a new sustainable transportation metric that will replace LOS and promote livability.
The Death of the Fringe Suburb - Boomers and Millennials want to live in walkable urban downtowns or suburban town centers.
Occupy All Streets: The Role of Carfree Cities in a More Sustainable World - Cities in the modern era have been overrun by cars and trucks. Carfree cities are a delightful solution to many different problems at once.

Bike recommendations from I-66 Multimodal Study

2011-12-07T14:21:00.001-05:00

Last night we attended the public information meeting on the I-66 Multimodal Study Inside the Beltway. It was a pleasant ride from Reston using a combination of local streets and the W&OD Trail. The temperature was in the 60's and there was a light rain; much better than fighting rush hour traffic through the Tysons/Vienna area and it probably took about the same time to get there.

At the meeting the various contractors involved in the study displayed panels highlighting different aspects of the study. Toole Design Group is conducting the bicycle and pedestrian portion of the study and they showed maps of the top bicycle recommendations developed so far:

Specific Issues

Lynn Street Improvements
Scott Street Bridge
Clarendon Circle
Fairfax Drive/Kirkwood Intersection
Fairfax Drive/Custis Trail/Bluemont Junction Trail Transition
Custis Trail Underpass near Kennebec Street/Bon Air Park
Bicycle Access to West Falls church Metrorail Station
Pimmit Hills Connection on Route 7/Leesburg Pike
Gallows Road Bike Lanes

General Issues

Trail Width and Pavement Condition
Regional Wayfinding
Trail Lighting

The last three "Specific Issues" are located in Fairfax and are much-needed improvements. Unlike the other bike recommendations they are not related to the W&OD Trail or the Custis Trail, in part because the Custis Trail ends in Arlington at the junction with the W&OD Trail, which at East Falls Church diverges from I-66. We recommended that the Custis Trail be extended to the Beltway (the limit of this study) and beyond.

Route 50 at the Beltway is included in the study area. We recommended that bicycle access be provided along Route 50 to connect the residential and commercial areas in Merrifield and Dunn Loring with areas east of the Beltway along Route 50. This stretch of Route 50 is a nightmare for bicyclists and pedestrians due to the character of the road and the number of exit and entrance ramps.

Bicycling and pedestrian access were mentioned numerous times during the presentation. Whether the models being used to assess various "mobility options" will be able to look at other factors besides Level of Service (LOS) for road traffic is another story. Generally the models look at what impact any change in the system has on LOS, which many communities are finding is not a good measure of a livable, bicycle and pedestrian friendly place. LOS is the subject of a recent article entitled The Transportation Planning Rule Every City Should Reform:

"LOS is one of the most widely-used traffic analysis tools in the U.S. and has a profound impact on how street space is allocated in U.S. cities," writes Jason Henderson, geography professor at San Francisco State University, in the November issue of the Journal of Transport Geography.

As Henderson argues, it's about time cities addressed the problem, and San Francisco is doing just that. It's currently in the process of drafting a new sustainable transportation metric that will replace LOS and promote livability. Still, the fight is far from over.

"Every city I've ever come across has some use of [LOS]," says Henderson, who has conducted an extensive review of LOS and is writing a book on the politics of mobility in San Francisco. "LOS and the privilege of the car is the incumbent. The way the political process is set up is you have to disprove the incumbent."

The draft I-66 Multimodal Study results will be published any day now on the project website.

We were interviewed by NBC4 reporter Jane Watrel but we haven't seen any coverage of the event yet. We'll post a link here if there is.

Vienna Patch covered the meeting: VDOT Study Could Offer Ideas for Better Travel on I-66

Multimodal options for I-66 inside the Beltway

2011-12-06T12:36:00.001-05:00

Tonight VDOT wants to hear about your ideas for multimodal access along I-66 inside the Beltway. There is a public hearing tonight, part of the I-66 Multimodal Study Inside the Beltway. The hearing begins at 6 p.m. with a presentation at 6:30 p.m. at Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School, 7130 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22043.

Wouldn't it be great if the Custis Trail, which runs parallel to I-66 from Rosslyn to the East Falls Church Metro station, extended into Fairfax. It would provide better bike access to the West Falls Church, Dunn Loring, and Vienna Metro stations. Extending it inside the Beltway would be a start. The County Trails Plan indicates a planned trail along I-66 outside the Beltway so it makes sense to extend it inside the Beltway.

Bike access across I-66 needs to be improved, especially along Route 7 near the West Falls Church Metro station. Many more people would travel by bike in this area if there were safer bike conditions. There also needs to be bike access to the WFC station from the Pimmit Hills area across I-66.

Cyclists are encouraged to attend to show support for better bicycling in the I-66 corridor.

A second meeting is scheduled for Dec. 14 in Arlington. See the VDOT I-66 study page for more info.

Yes it is possible to bike in winter

2011-12-05T09:00:00.001-05:00

We’ve had a very mild fall this year which has made for good bicycling conditions. Lots of cyclists are still out there riding, especially those who use bikes for transportation. As temperatures continue to drop, many cyclists will put away their bikes for the winter. However, there are a number of cyclists who ride year round.

Personally I prefer cycling in cool weather. Cyclists generate a lot of body heat, so it doesn’t take much additional clothing to keep warm on cooler days. A common problem is overdressing and getting too hot. A key to dressing in colder weather is to use layers that can be removed as you warm up. A good wind-resistant outer shell is very effective at keeping the cold out and the heat in.When temperatures drop below about 40 degrees, our extremities tend to get colder than the rest of our body. Keeping feet warm is a challenge. Wearing heavy socks may seem like a good idea, but if your feet are constricted, blood flow is reduced and you’ll get cold anyway. One solution is to wear a shoe cover that keeps out the wind and holds in body heat. I am currently using sandals (yes, sandals) with windproof socks or neoprene socks. The sandals stretch a bit so my feet aren’t constricted and body heat is retained well.

Keeping hands warm is another challenge. I have 3 or 4 different types of gloves depending on the weather. If it’s cool, light full-finger gloves are all that are needed. As the temperature drops, I’ll use thicker insulated gloves that are also waterproof. When it’s really cold, below freezing, I have to resort to using insulated mittens. There are many good cycling-specific glove options available at your local bike shop.

You’ll also want something to cover your ears and face. I use a light headband that covers the ears and fits easily under my helmet. When it’s really cold I’ll use a fleece cap. For my face I use a neck gaiter which is a fleece tube that goes around the neck and can be pulled up to cover the chin and mouth if necessary.

People who use bikes for transportation also need a good lighting system, especially in the winter. There are two types of bike lights, those that allow you to be seen and those that let you see where you’re going. Lighting technology has improved greatly and a good lighting system, including a powerful front and bright rear light, can be purchased for under $100. Newer lights are very bright and can be recharged using a USB port.

When riding in the dark it’s also helpful to have bright, reflective clothing to improve your visibility. Most good bike gear has reflective bits embedded into the fabric. As bicycling has become more popular, some clothing manufacturers have developed very fashionable clothing that has features that appeal to cyclists who don’t care for spandex and gaudy colors.

There will be a few hardy cyclists who will ride in just about any weather conditions. Even when there is snow on the ground, if trails are cleared of snow, cyclists will ride. In Minneapolis, Minnesota, not known for mild winters, trails and bike lanes are plowed and cyclists ride throughout the winter.

The Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority, which maintains the W&OD Trail, recently purchased a snow plow and they plan to plow the trail for winter bike commuters.

If you don’t ride in the winter and plan to put the bike away for the winter, now is a great time to get it tuned up and ready for spring.

I’ll be out there riding this winter for most of my short trips. The thought of driving on our often congested roads is enough to keep me on my bike. It’s not that hard, it just takes a little preparation and planning.

This article is cross-posted on the Reston Patch.

Safe Routes to School in Fairfax

2011-12-04T23:11:00.001-05:00

Wolfie's Bike Train riders

Gina Arlotto of WABA recently posted a good summary of all the progress being made by Fairfax County in getting more kids to walk and bike to school on the WABA blog, "Safe Routes to School Moving Forward in Fairfax County Public Schools!":

FCPS will add SRTS specific language to their “Golden Wellness Award” scorecard, which is used to determine how closely the individual schools are implementing the FCPS Health and Wellness Policy. This sought after award will now include specific recommended activities, like Walking Wednesdays, Bike Trains, Walking School Buses, participation in International Walk to School Day (IWTSD) as well as Bike to School Day.

In addition, delivery of bicycle and pedestrian safety education at the individual school will be a required element in order to win the award. The schools system’s 95210 A Day (9 hours of sleep, 5 fruits and vegetables, less than 2 hours of screen time, at least 1 hour of exercise and 0 sugary drinks) will be updated to include walking or bicycling to school as a suggested activity to get to the 1 hour daily activity goal.

FCPS has also agreed to create and host a SRTS focused webpage with resources for school administrators, parents, community champions and children who would like to see more SRTS activities at their school. This site will include policy, curriculum standards and sample lesson plans, state and local contacts, grant application resources, sample newsletter articles and resources for planning walking and bicycling events.

FCPS will also prepare scripts and create videos specifically geared to youth bicycling and safe pedestrian practices for the Fairfax County public access television channels as well as the internal FCPS channels.

FCPS officials also committed to working in tandem with Fairfax County transportation planners to submit an application for a SRTS non-infrastructure grant in the spring and also agreed to begin the process of determining which school locations would most benefit from an infrastructure grant, when the application is revised and those grant opportunities announced.

Thanks to Gina and other members of our team for all the hard work that is making a difference in the county.

Bikenetic Grand Opening today

2011-12-03T17:14:00.001-05:00

We were able to stop by Bikenetic, the new Falls Church bike shop, for their Grand Opening today. The shop is located at 922 West Broad Street (Route 7) just east of West St, not far from where the W&OD Trail crosses Route 7. While close to the trail, it's a little tricky getting to the shop by bike. Check the map before heading out. It's adjacent to a very nice restaurant, Panjshir, which formerly had a sister restaurant in Vienna, Panjshir II.

The shop has lots of floor space, with a long, narrow showroom, a seating area with a wide screen TV, and some comfortable chairs to use while you wait for your bike.

There is a large full-service area adjacent to a side entrance, with a dedicated service check-in counter. They sell new and used bikes from Kona, Bianchi and Jamis.

The owner, Jan Feuchtner, was formerly co-owner of Oasis Bike Works. We wish Jan well in this new endeavor. It's always good for the bike community to have another locally-owned bike shop in the area.

New bike shop in Falls Church

2011-12-01T08:28:00.001-05:00

Bikenetic, a new bike shop in Falls Church, will hold their grand opening this Saturday, Dec. 3. The shop is located at 922 West Broad Street, Falls Church, about 500 feet from the W&OD trail.According to the article Virginia Shop Bikenetic Opens Doors:

The Falls Church, Virginia, retailer had a soft opening Nov. 18 and carries Kona, Bianchi and Jamis. Though Bikenetic offers a full range of bikes—mountain, road, hybrid/fitness, commuter and children’s—owner Jan Feuchtner said he plans to focus more on commuting in the future. This may owe to the shop’s proximity to the Washington and Old Dominion Trail, the area’s busiest commuter route, a mere 500 feet from Bikenetic’s front door.

Feuchtner was co-owner of a bicycle shop in nearby Fairfax for five years and has 13 years’ experience in the business, having managed shops including a Performance location and outdoor retailer Hudson Trail Outfitters.

One-third of Bikenetic’s 2,500 square feet is dedicated to service. The main service area is in open view to customers, and an additional satellite service station in the middle of the shop is for fixing flats and other minor repairs as well as readying bikes for test rides. Feuchtner said his goal is to provide as much “while you wait” service as possible. A lounge area with HDTV helps customers pass the time, and Feuchtner plans to get a single-serving cappuccino maker soon.

A Tuesday-night mountain bike ride Feuchtner has been leading for two years will continue from the new shop—“I’m gonna have to close up early for that,” he said—and he’s also considering adding a Sunday road ride.

Carfree Mobility Forum

2011-11-29T08:04:00.001-05:00

Charlie Dyer (L, FABB) and Mike Coyle, Sully District Office

A small but interested group from Transition Centreville/Clifton heard from FABB members and Mike Coyle of the Sully District office speak about getting around Fairfax without a car. Mike discussed the status of the Dulles Rail project, access to the Vienna Metro station, and the I-66 Multimodal Transportation and Environmental Study.

Extending Metrorail or creating bus rapid transit are possible options for transit along I-66. Possible station locations include Fairfax Corner and the Stringfellow Rd Park and Ride lot. A paved multi use trail along I-66 would also greatly benefit residents.

FABB members Bruce Wright, Charlie Dyer, and Fionnuala Quinn discussed bicycling as a transportation option. Bruce gave an overview of FABB, discussed why bicycling is a simple solution to many of our societal problems, and the need for better bicycle education. Charlie gave a summary of what gear you need to be able to use a bicycle for transportation, and Fionnuala gave a brief history of bicycling in the U.S. and the role that citizen participation can play in improving the design of our roads. If you would like FABB to give a presentation to your group, contact chairman@fabb-bikes.org.

Vienna Bicycle Advisory Committee newsletter now available

2011-11-23T23:34:00.001-05:00

The November edition of the Bike Vienna Newsletter is now available at the Vienna Bicycle Advisory Committee website.

Articles include Bicycle Helmet Safety Tips, Is Vienna a Bike Friendly Community, and Bicycles Are Not Just for Kids.

Reward for info on hit-and-run on GW Parkway

2011-11-23T08:24:00.001-05:00

A $10,000 reward is being offered for information on the driver of a cadillac who intentionally caused a crash with a group of cyclists. From the Fort Hunt Patch:

A cyclist who was injured on the George Washington Parkway Oct. 9 after a purported hit-and-run incident has teamed up with a lifelong friend to offer a $10,000 reward for the arrest and conviction of the driver.

On Sunday morning, Oct. 9, Alexandria resident Phil Hepburn was riding his bicycle with friends on the George Washington Parkway. A driver in a gold Cadillac drove in front of the group, witnesses said, and reportedly braked sharply. Hepburn went under the car and ended up with a broken hip, according to James Turner, an Old Town attorney and hunting buddy of Hepburn's for the past 30 years. Witnesses said the driver then fled the scene.

Phone calls and e-mails from Patch to Parkway police about the incident have gone unanswered. Fairfax County Police have deferred calls to Parkway police since the incident occured on the parkway.

"They [Parkway police] haven't been following up on this at all," said Turner.

Turner and Hepburn are offering the $10,000 reward. Turner is creating flyers that report a Virginia license plate number of either "IVP" or "JVY" for a gold or bronze Cadillac, possibly a four-door.

The flyer describes the driver as an older white male with gray/white hair.

Anyone with information should contact Turner at (703) 836-3400.

Meanwhile Hepburn is recovering from his injuries, Turner said. "He has to lie in a special bed. He has screws in his hip. He's not permitted to put weight on his leg for three months."

Bike light giveaway at LL Bean in Tysons

2011-11-22T10:18:00.001-05:00

FABB will be installing free bike lights between 2:30 and 5:00 p.m. at LL Bean in Tysons Corner Center. We'll be at the ground level entrance. Bring your bike and we'll in stall the lights. We've reached out to service workers who bike in the Tysons area who need lights.

New bike racks at Vienna Metro station

2011-11-22T09:06:00.001-05:00

The Vienna Metro station is a popular destination for many Metro patrons. We were pleased to hear recently that WMATA has installed 32 new inverted U racks at the station. From the PlanItMetro blog:

Last week, Metro installed 32 new “U-Rack” bicycle racks at Vienna station, providing parking space for 64 additional bicyclists, nearly doubling bike parking capacity. The new racks are located on the south side of the station, in the direction of the parking garage. The installation is the latest in Metro’s overall Bicycle and Pedestrian Capital Improvement Program.

Vienna’s bike racks were often full, even overflowing, causing cyclists to lock their bikes on railings, trees, and lamp posts. In our last bike parking census, Vienna was the single most capacity-constrained station for bicycle parking. Last spring, we counted 96 total bikes at the station, with 30 bikes tied to objects other than racks.

With new space for 64 bicycles, we have almost doubled our bike rack capacity at the station, and will hopefully encourage even more bike-to-rail access here.

Graham Road Elementary School Bike Day

2011-11-21T09:01:00.001-05:00

Kids receiving new helmets.

Several FABB members were present yesterday for the first Graham Road Elementary School Bike Day in Falls Church. This event was organized by a group of local parents including Phillip Troutman and Betsy Scoto-Lavino after they successfully won a $2000 mini-grant from Prevention Connections. They used the grant proceeds to purchase equipment including bike repair stands, tools, pumps, as well as 100 helmets to support an ongoing bike to school program.

On Sunday, over 40 students brought along their bikes and participated in various biking stations and activities at the school including:

A bike safety check and adjustment where they learned about the ABC-Spin Check and how to pump air and clean and lube their chain.
A helmet check and fitting with many receiving a new or replacement helmet.
An skills obstacle course complete with cones, hoops and slow biking challenge
A two-mile group ride through the neighborhood with instruction about safe on-street riding
Children were very engaged and many whole families attended and enjoyed the fun.

Lining up for the bike ride.

The kids had fun and learned bike safety and handling skills. Currently, 90 percent of all the students walk to the school daily, the highest rating for any school in Fairfax. The school is set to relocate to a new building in the new school year which will increase the rate of busing for students.

Graham Road ES parents plan to organize to make a Safe Routes to School application for the school in the next round of grant funding to improve walking and biking access to the new school building. Congratulations to the parents of Graham Road ES on their successful work acquiring funds and providing education and safety equipment to the students of this neighborhood.

Posted by FABB member Fionnuala Quinn.

Bicycle signal detection on Soapstone Dr bike lanes

2011-11-19T13:27:00.001-05:00

Randy and David check detector location and sensitivity.

The Soapstone Drive road diet project is nearly finished. Approximately two miles of bike lanes were created when four travel lanes were reduced to two regular travel lanes, bike lanes, and a center turn lane. The bike lanes are striped and a few bike symbols have been painted in the lanes, with several more to be added before the project is complete.

There are three traffic signals within or adjacent to the project, at Lawyers Rd, South Lakes Dr, and Sunrise Valley Dr. At most traffic signals in the county the presence of motor vehicles is detected automatically. As many cyclists know, they don't always detect bicycles. BikeLoudoun asked VDOT about this issue last year and wrote the response in their blog post Why Doesn't the Light Turn Green for Bicyclists?

According to VDOT Regional Operations Maintenance Manager, Mark D. Hagan, "most of our traffic signals in Northern Virginia use what are known as 'inductive loops,' which is a loop of wire located within the pavement with a small electrical charge that creates an electrical field. The electronic device within the control box cabinet looks for an inductance change within that electrical field and triggers a signal that a car, motorcycle or bike is present."

Detectors have been placed in the bike lanes on either side of the traffic signal at Soapstone Dr. and South Lakes Dr. On Saturday VDOT traffic engineer Randy Dittberner and a signal technician from VDOT met David Gibson of Federal Highway Administration to determine the location and sensitivity of the detectors.

The detectors are embedded in the pavement and there's no sign of them on the surface. Thy are located about 5 feet behind the bike lane stop bar. When the bicycle passes over the sensor it is detected and a call is issued for a signal change. However, if 10 seconds passes before the signal changes, the call terminates. In order to ensure the light changes, cyclists need to stop on the sensor. Since the sensor isn't visible, a marking is needed to notify cyclists where to stop.

The Bicycle Detector Pavement Marking is used for this purpose: "A symbol (see Figure 9C-7) may be placed on the pavement indicating the optimum position for a bicyclist to actuate the signal." In the photo above, the bike symbol will be located where the letters "BK" are painted.

To our knowledge, these are the first bike detector markings used in the county. This is progress. Look for them the next time you're riding along Soapstone Dr.

Cyclists turn out for Mt. Vernon area bike plan meeting

2011-11-18T09:12:00.001-05:00

Bob Patten (left) taking notes on local bike conditions.

About 30-35 cyclists attended the Fairfax Co.
Bicycle Master Plan meeting for the greater Mt. Vernon area last night. Representatives from VDOT, Fairfax Co., and the Board of Supervisors attended as did members of FABB.

After cyclists studied and commented on detailed maps of the area, Bob Patten of Toole Design gave an overview of the master planning process. He also described several types of bicycle facilities such as cycletracks, buffered bike lanes, shared lane markings (sharrows), and others.

Bob stated that the plan will result in a map showing specific facilities proposed for roads in the county. There will also be policy recommendations to ensure that county policies treat bicycling as an integral part of the transportation system. These not only include bike route facilities but also bike parking requirements, opportunities for bicycle safety education at all levels, improved enforcement, and encouragement of bicycling by using such measures as transportation demand management incentives.

Participants then gathered around the maps to mark where they would like to ride and to identify barriers to their travel. The Huntington and Franconia-Springfield Metro stations are major destinations.

Several natural and manmade barriers make cycling in this area a challenge. Route 1 is the biggest challenge. Few cyclists choose to ride with 45 mph traffic and there are almost no side paths along the road. Many of the surrounding neighborhood streets don't connect, especially on the south side.

Just north of Route 1, Huntley Meadows Park and Fort Belvoir form another barrier. For a 2 mile stretch just north of Mt. Vernon Estate, Little Hunting Creek is a major barrier between several residential neighborhoods, forcing cyclists to use either the Mt. Vernon Trail or Route 1.

There are several major attractions in the area including Mt. Vernon Estate, Mason Neck State Park and Natural Wildlife Refuge, Pohick Bay Regional Park, Huntley Meadows Park, and Fort Hunt National Park. U.S. Bike Route 1, the East Coast Greenway, and the Adventure Cycling Atlantic Coast route all pass through this area. The area could be a major cycling destination if there were good bicycle routes connecting major attractions. It's going to take the work of everyone to make this happen.

VBF Fall Retreat

2011-11-13T19:52:00.001-05:00

VBF Fall Retreat

On Saturday we attended the Virginia Bicycling Federation (VBF) Fall Retreat. VBF is a "statewide organization working to change public policy and community attitudes, to improve the safety, convenience, and acceptance of bicycling." The agenda for the retreat included discussion of the following topics: the State Bicycle Policy Plan, review of the updated state bicycle map Bicycling in Virginia, U.S. Bike Routes 1 & 76, legislative priorities for 2012, the 2015 World Road Cycling Championships to be held in Richmond, the Virginia Mountain Bike Trail, and an update on the U.S. Transportation Bill.

The State Bicycle Policy Plan was recently released and could have a very positive impact on development of bicycle facilities. Unfortunately there was little time for discussion of the plan. VBF did have copies (front and back) of revisions to the current VA bike map. It appeared that relatively minor changes are being proposed. Several of us recorded comments on the draft map. I think the map could contain much more detail.

Ride after Saturday's meeting

We spent considerable time discussing routing and signage of U.S. Bike Routes (USBR) 1 & 76. USBR 1 extends along the Mt. Vernon Trail to Mt. Vernon and continues along the southern part of the county to Occoquan. There are few signs and bike conditions are poor in several sections, especially along U.S. Route 1/Richmond Highway. VDOT is responsible for maintaining and signing the routes in Virginia and submitting changes to AASHTO. See a detailed map of the Virginia portion of these routes and an update on the routes from Adventure Cycling.

Of note, a new hostel in downtown Richmond is under construction and should be open in 2012. It is located very close to the East Coast Greenway and USBR 1, and not far from USBR 76.

Richmond will be the host for the 2015 World Road Cycling Championships, which is expected to draw 500,000 cycling fans to Richmond, visitors who will likely be traveling to other parts of the state. The races are expected to have a $135,000,000 impact on the Richmond area.

Chris Scott of Shenandoah Mountain Touring talked about a proposal for linking several mountain bike trails to create the Virginia Mountain Bike Trail. See a video clip of a ride on a portion of the trail.

Representatives from American Bikes and the Alliance for Biking and Walking gave an update on the U.S. Transportation Bill. Funding for Transportation Enhancements, which provided the bulk of funding for bike/ped projects in the past, has been cut and future projects will be lumped together with Safe Routes to School, recreational trails, and environmental mitigation projects. Even worse, states can opt-out of bike and ped funding altogether. The Senate bill should come before the full Senate this week. Stay tuned for possible advocacy alerts.

One of the main goals of the retreat was to develop a consensus on a legislative agenda for 2012. Bud Vye of VBF gave a recap of the attempt last year to pass the 3 foot passing bill. After some discussion it was agreed that VBF would try to find a sponsor for the 3 foot passing bill again this year. Bike Charlottesville cyclists are working on a bill to make "dooring" (opening a car door into the path of a bicycle or other vehicle) subject to a ticket and fine. We'll post info on the FABB blog during the session, as will VBF.

The day was capped with a 15 mile ride through the beautiful Virginia countryside. Thanks to VBF for organizing and hosting the summit.

Defend bicyclists' right to the road

2011-11-11T09:19:00.001-05:00

Unmaintained section of
FFX Co Pkwy trail

Earlier we mentioned that a mandatory sidepath provision is included in the current version of the Transportation Bill working it's way through the Senate. According to the League of American Bicyclists, the bill was marked up yesterday and the mandatory side path provision was retained:

"It requires cyclists on Federal lands to use a path or trail, instead of roads, if the speed limit is over 30 MPH and a trail exists within 100 yards, regardless of its condition or utility of the path. The provision sets a terrible precedent. Passing it would send the wrong message to transportation agencies that these policies are acceptable. Laws like this have been taken off the books in states over the past 30 years. This takes us in the wrong direction."

The League has started an online petition to let cyclists "demonstrate collective anger at this particular language and gives us the flexibility to "deliver" it at the most opportune moment." Please take a minute to sign the petition to fight this ill-conceived proposal.

Herndon bike/ped committee looking for volunteers

2011-11-11T09:12:00.001-05:00

If you live in the Town of Herndon and want to help make the Town a more bicycle-friendly place, this is your chance. The Town is looking for volunteers to serve on the bike/ped advisory committee:

Herndon's Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committee needs volunteers to fill vacancies on the panel. The committee advises the Town Council on safety and transportation issues related to walking and bicycling in Herndon. It works to promote the health and recreational benefits of walking and cycling. It generally meets four times a year. "Talent Bank" applications are available at the clerk’s office. 703-435-6804, town.clerk@herndon-va.gov, www.herndon-va.gov.

Falls Church HS Bike Club

2011-11-10T09:23:00.000-05:00

Falls Church HS bike club members
Austin Strand (Left)and Matt Quandt

We recently learned about the Falls Church High School Bike Club. The club is an after school activity organized by Andrew Zlatnik, a teacher at the school. We asked Andrew a few questions about the club.

The club was started last year. Currently there are 5 regular members with up to 20 students attending some of the meetings. According to Andrew, "Three of the five regular members ride their bikes at least some of the time. There is a standard bike stand [rack] in front of the school." Several teachers also bike commute some of the time.

Andrew would also "like to find ways that we can offer repairs for students who ride or bring bikes to school in the near future." He also works at Phoenix Bikes. "I tried to model the bike club after Phoenix Bikes, including the earn-a-bike program where students can earn one of our donated bikes for themselves, a friend, or a family member after working in the shop for 25 hours and demonstrating basic bicycle repair skills."

"I have advertised on Freecycle and contacted several local condominiums or apartments for help in distributing the attached advertisement. We’ve had a slow but steady supply of donated bikes. We do depend on local donations for bicycles to work on. We try to fix the bikes we can, but strip others for usable parts. I recycle any frames or other metal parts that we can’t use."

Unfortunately, the club does not have rides since bicycle riding is listed as a "Prohibited Student Activity" by the Fairfax County Public Schools Risk Management office, along with such other activities as "Airplane or Helicopter Rides, All Terrain Vehicle (ATV) Rides, and Auto or Motor Racing". We contacted the Risk Management office and they indicated that if the permission were granted by the Activities and Risk Management offices and parents signed a release and the principal approved, a ride could be held.

If you would like to donate a bike to the Falls Church High School Bike Club, contact Andrew at zlatnika@gmail.com.

Proposed Transportation bill contains mandatory sidepath law

2011-11-09T13:56:00.001-05:00

The Wash Cycle summarizes key bicycle-related provisions of the proposed Senate Transportation bill:

First of all it rolls three key bicycle programs into CMAQ, funds them at a lower level than all the programs combined got last year, and then allows states to spend that money on nothing but roads.

Among the casualties are three key bike-ped programs: Transportation Enhancements, Safe Routes to School, and Recreational Trails. Those programs would be consolidated and listed as “eligible uses” under an $833 million subset of the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Program (CMAQ). That would represent a sharp drop from the $1.15 billion devoted to those programs in 2010. That year, Transportation Enhancements was funded at $878 million, Safe Routes to School at $183 million, and Recreational Trails at $85 million.

States could also divert their share of the $833 million to projects that add traffic lanes or don’t involve bike and pedestrian infrastructure at all. The bike-ped sub-category of CMAQ spending would be broadened to allow new road construction as an eligible use if the project “enhances connectivity and includes public transportation, pedestrian walkways or bicycle infrastructure.”

But if the effective loss of federal funding isn't enough, there's also the loss of access to roads on federal lands (page 226):

(d) BICYCLE SAFETY.—The Secretary of the appropriate Federal land management agency shall prohibit the use of bicycles on each federally owned road that has a speed limit of 30 miles per hour or greater and an adjacent paved path for use by bicycles within 100 yards of the road.

This is bad news for bicyclists. Sidepaths adjacent to roads are often in very poor condition. Fairfax hasn't had funds to maintain their paths for many years; imagine if cyclists were required to ride on these trails and were denied their right to ride on the road, roads that are only partially funded by user fees. General taxes cover more than half the cost of most roads.

America Bikes, the Alliance for Biking and Walking, and the League of American Bicyclists are all working hard to change the proposed bill. America Bikes created a comparison of the proposed and current bills.

Herndon Middle School bike collection Nov. 7 & 8

2011-11-07T08:48:00.002-05:00

The Herndon Middle School Bike Club is accepting bicycle donations on November 7 & 8 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Bike Club is an after school program at the school. They have teamed up with A-1 Cycling and have facilities for students to repair, repaint, and spruce up donated bicycles for needy children within the local community. See the event flier. See also our previous coverage of the club.

Cities with good bike-walk-transit will thrive

2011-11-05T10:57:00.003-05:00

We've been saying this for a while and it's good to see this article: Cities now compete on how well they plan for biking-walking-transit:

With more people moving to urban settings, the cities such as Portland and Minneapolis that do the most to build transit and bike-friendly streets will be the economic winners.

The new demographics are found in two generations deeply influenced by suburbia. First there’s the 20-30 somethings who grew up in suburbia and, like all generations, do not want what their parents wanted. The second demographic are their parents, who are now becoming empty nesters with a five-bedroom McMansions in the suburbs.

According to housing and location preference surveys, the younger crowd wants to be in the center of things — downtown. They want cafes, restaurants, entertainment, and other young people to socialize with. They want walkable communities with parks; they want bike trails; they want to bike to work; and they want transit.

At the aging boomer cutting edge, what are they interested in? For boomers, preferences split almost down the middle. Half of the 50-60 somethings want to move to a larger house in a semi rural area. They wanted to build their “Dream House,” the house they wanted all their lives, but deferred it to raise their children. The other half want to move to a central urban area with a walkable, transit-accessible life style. They want easy access to shopping, food, music, art, and health care. I always thought that this split speaks volumes about my generation.

Be Seen, Be Safe event in Portland

2011-11-04T16:23:00.001-05:00

I love the idea of the Be Seen, Be Safe event sponsored by Portland's TriMet. It's a high visibility fashion show, a bike light contest, and a ride to show off the lights and outfits.

This weekend the time changes back to standard time so everyone needs to be thinking about being seen and being safe by having the right gear after dark.

Regional Call to Action Published: Updated 11/11/11

2011-11-04T10:20:00.002-05:00

Shane Farthing, Executive Director of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association, officially released the Regional Call to Action report yesterday at the Call to Action Summit. The report was based on the over 1,000 suggestions from 200 cyclists, gathered at local meetings hosted by WABA during the past month.

The primary message was that bicycling needs to be a viable, functional transportation choice for the 60% of area residents who are interested in cycling but concerned about the perceived dangers of bicycling. "They would ride if they felt safer on the roadways—if cars were slower and less frequent, and if there were more quiet streets with few cars and paths without any cars at all."

In order to create conditions for encouraging those interested but concerned cyclists, we all need to work toward this goal; advocates and bike advisory groups, local bike shops, recreational and competitive organizations, and WABA leading the way as the regional advocacy organization. WABA has paid staff who can help make this happen. FABB serves as WABA's volunteer advocates on the ground in Fairfax and we need everyone's help.

The best way to help in Fairfax is to get involved in planning for the future of bicycling in the county. The bicycle master plan is currently being developed by the county. Meetings are being held to gather cyclist input. This is the detailed information needed to develop a list of projects and activities that will help make bicycling a functional transportation choice in Fairfax. The next meeting is for the Mt. Vernon area on Thursday Nov. 176.

Other highlights from the Summit included a very good presentation by local attorney Bruce Deming, "Crashed! Your Legal Rights In A Bicycle Accident." Bruce covered what cyclists should do if they're involved in a crash. He stressed the importance of having a witness to the crash. Without that, it's going to be your word vs. that of the motorist. Find out if a ticket was issued to the motorist and if so, follow the case.

Be aware that anything you say about the crash and your actions can be used in court. Since Virginia, Maryland, and DC are all contributory negligence states, if you admit to any negligence, however minor, it can result in the case being dismissed if it is tried in court. If you need an attorney, look for someone with experience working with bicyclists. WABA maintains a list of bicycle attorneys.

Gina Arlotto, WABA Safe Routes to School Network Coordinator, discussed Tools for Planning Healthy Communities. She discussed the Safe Routes to School program and Health Impact Assessments (HIA) as possible tools. "HIA is used to evaluate objectively the potential health effects of a project or policy before it is built or implemented." Gina has been a tremendous asset in Fairfax, helping FABB and others as we work with Fairfax schools to encourage more kids to walk and bike to school. See the Fairfax SRTS Facebook page for more info.

One statement that summed up her discussion is that people should not only live in a place but they should be able to thrive. Bicycling allows people to get around in a healthy, low cost way. A good resource on the topic is Making Healthy Places: "There is a pressing need to create healthy places and to reduce the health threats inherent in places already built."

Former WABA Executive Director Eric Gilliland gave an overview of the first year of Capital Bikeshare. He is now General Manager, of Capital Bikeshare (CaBi). CaBi now has 19,000 annual and monthly members. Over 1,000,000 trips were taken in the first year. Most of those trips were less than 20 minutes in duration (there is no additional charge for trips under 30 minutes).

We asked Eric about the possibility of having CaBi in a suburban location like Reston. He said it depends on the situation such as the density of population, type of destinations, proximity to transit, etc. Charlie Denney, Senior Associate of Alta Planning & Design, said that 20 stations with 200 bikes is a rough guess at the critical mass needed for a small system.

Professor Ralph Buehler and Masters Candidate Darren Buck, of Virginia Tech Alexandria Center presented interesting research on CaBi use and bicycling in the DC Metro area in general. Their research will be presented at the Transportation Research Board meeting in January. An interesting but not surprising finding of Darren's was that proximity to bike lanes has a significant impact on use of CaBi in an area. The results of an extensive survey of CaBi users will be available in December.

Professor Buehler gave preliminary results of his work on bike commuting in the Metro area. He noted that in DC, bike commuting comprises a much higher promotion of bike trips that in other places. He also showed that where there are more bike trips per person, the rate of bike fatalities is lower than where there are fewer bike trips per person, with Fairfax Co. having the highest fatality rate in the region.

WMATA panel

WMATA staff Nat Bottigheimer (Assistant General Manager), Patrick Schmitt (Parking Manager), Kristin Haldeman (Manager of Access Planning & Policy Analysis) discussed advances WMATA is making in providing better access to, and parking at WMATA facilities. WMATA expects to need 30,000-40,000 new parking spaces in the future at a cost of $20,000-25,000 per structured parking space. If some of those patrons rode bikes or walked, significant savings could be realized.

Forty five percent of those who park live within 3 miles. Currently 33% of their patrons walk to the station, 29% park, and 1% bike. One major change at WMATA is that bike parking, both lockers and racks, is now managed by the Parking office. As we noted earlier, a Bike & Ride facility is under construction at College Park ~~Silver Spring~~ and one is planned at Franconia-Springfield.

Local bike industry panel

The final panel consisted of local bike industry reps discussing the importance of bike advocacy to their business. They know that if more of those 60% interested but concerned cyclists were riding, they would sell more bikes and we'd live in a better place. It was mentioned that we need to get other businesses that support bicycling and healthy communities to get involved. When they are in the room, politicians listen. Without their help, it will be a much harder struggle making the DC Metro area a more bike-friendly place.

One added benefit of attending the conference was the spectacular view of Georgetown and DC from atop the Waterview Conference Center, including being able to watch the interactions of trail users and other traffic at the Custis Trail/Lynn St intersection.

Update: WABA has posted their summary of the Call to Action Summit and the final version of the Call to Action report.

FABB bike light giveaway on the W&OD Trail

2011-11-02T20:31:00.000-05:00

Planet Bike Blinky light set

Tonight three of us from FABB gave out 18 sets of bike lights to cyclists along the W&OD Trail and at nearby retail areas. We started in Falls Church at the intersection of the W&OD Trail and Route 123. There are usually several bikes parked at a car wash nearby so we stopped there and installed some lights on those bikes.

We then rode from there toward Vienna. As we saw cyclists without lights we asked if they wanted a free set. Most were surprised and grateful. Once we got to Vienna we cruised along Route 123 looking for bikes parked near restaurants and other shops.

The bike lights were purchased through a grant from the Transurban-Fluor Community Grant Program. We have a few more sets of lights that we'll be giving out in the next couple of weeks. Daylight savings time ends on Sunday, Feb. 6 so be sure you have your lights ready. Sunset on Monday, Feb. 6 is 5:02 p.m.

If you ever need to check sunrise and sunset times try the Sun and Moon Data website.

Nov-Dec 2011 FABB News

2011-11-02T12:59:00.002-05:00

NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2011 FABB News

A bi-monthly publication of Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling

www.fabb-bikes.org

County Bicycle Master Plan Subarea Meetings

Fairfax County recently held meetings in the Clifton and Reston-Herndon areas to hear from cyclists about what bicycle improvements are needed. As part of the County Bicycle Master Plan process, meetings are being held around the county. Six more subarea meetings are planned over the coming months. The next meeting will cover the Mt. Vernon area on Thursday, Nov. 17, from 5:30 – 8:00 p.m. at the South County Government Center. See the County Bike Plan website for details, including a map of the 8 geographic areas.

The meetings are a good opportunity for you to point out barriers to your travel by bike, suggest improving bicycle education in schools, and discuss your most important destinations, dangerous intersections, and where bike parking is needed. Comments from the meetings will be used to develop the final plan, which will set the stage for bicycling in the county for the next 20-30 years. The next meeting of the Master Plan Advisory Committee is on November 16. FABB has members on the committee and if you have ideas you would like us to pass on, please let us know.

County Celebrates International Walk and Bike to School Day

On October 5, Fairfax County Public Schools celebrated International Walk and Bike to School Day for the first time. In the past, only a few individual schools were involved. FABB, Washington Area Bicyclist Association, Trails for Youth, and others advocated that the county celebrate the event throughout the school system. We worked with FCPS staff to develop promotional materials to help get the word out about the event. Twenty-seven schools participated this year, holding various activities for walkers and bikers. See the map of schools that participated. For news on Safe Routes to School activities in Fairfax visit the Safe Routes to School - Fairfax Facebook page.

Virginia State Bicycle Policy Plan released

VDOT published its Virginia State Bicycle Policy Plan in October. The two main goals of the plan are:

Increase the use of bicycling in Virginia to include a full and diverse range of the population for all trip purposes
Improve safety and comfort of bicyclists throughout Virginia and reduce bicycling crashes

FABB provided extensive comments on the plan in September 2010. Most of our comments were included in the final report. Highlights from the plan include narrowing travel lanes to 10 feet to create bike lanes or wider outside lanes, extending VDOT projects to link to nearby bike facilities, and doing a better job of inventorying bike facilities and counting bicyclists so that future progress can be tracked. The plan contains lots of good information and it is worth spending some time reading it. See the FABB blog entry for more information.

Regional Call to Action

WABA is holding its Regional Call to Action Summit on Thursday, Nov. 3. WABA recently met with Fairfax cyclists to gather information for the Regional Call to Action report. Suggestions from the meeting along with comments from FABB, will be published during the Call to Action Summit. This information will also be used by FABB as additional input to the County Bicycle Master Plan. Visit the WABA summit page for details about the summit and to register.

League of American Bicyclists (LAB) Bicycle Friendly Program

LAB recently recognized George Mason University as a bronze level Bicycle Friendly University. GMU has made great progress in recent years. They hold Bike to Mason Day each year. This year they are also holding regular Bike to Campus days coordinated by the GMU bicycle program. They also hold occasional bike commuter and safety classes on campus.

Staff can apply for the bicycle benefit and receive $20/month toward purchase of bike supplies and maintenance. Patriot Circle and George Mason Blvd now have bike lanes or shared lane markings. Covered bike parking with inverted U racks is available in many locations.

In a separate action, Reston failed to receive recognition as a Bicycle Friendly Community, but they were given an honorable mention, which is encouraging. On the plus side, Reston has a few miles of bike lanes on Lawyers Road that VDOT installed as part of a road diet. VDOT is also adding bike lanes on Soapstone Drive as part of another road diet. Reston holds a very successful Bike to Work Day that FABB members help organize each year. The Reston Bike Club holds numerous group rides throughout the year.

However, Reston needs to do much more to become truly bike friendly. Along with the Honorable Mention designation comes a list of actions the community can take to improve their bike friendly ranking. These actions include improving bike parking, adding bike lanes and paved shoulders to major roads, provide better bicycling education and encouragement, and starting a bicycle count program. The Reston Pedestrian & Bicycling Advisory Committee plans to use this feedback to plan future projects.

Bike Light Giveaways

FABB will be giving away bike lights again this fall. The main goal is to enhance the safety of service workers who depend on bicycles for transportation and who often travel at night without lights. If you know a good place to hold a giveaway and want to help organize it or assist in installing the lights, please contact us. This is a very worthwhile service to the community.

VDOT Six Year Plan Public Hearing

On October 25 FABB testified before the Commonwealth Transportation Board on future transportation projects in Virginia. We discussed the need for developing transportation projects that also contribute to our quality of life. More county residents want to walk and bike for short trips, and often VDOT projects have a negative impact on those modes. We noted that poorly maintained roads and trails have a significant impact on cyclists’ safety. We asked that adequate funding be provided for bike and ped projects in preparation for development associated with the new Silver Line stations in Tysons. See our complete testimony on the Six-Year Improvement Program.
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FABB FACTS - In the Reston-Herndon area 45% of all non-commute trips are less than 3 miles and can easily be taken by bicycle. Of commuting trips, 18% are less than 3 miles.

Events

November 3, Thursday - WABA’s Regional Call to Action Summit from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Waterview Conference Center, 1919 N Lynn St, Arlington, VA 22209.

November 16, Wednesday - Fairfax County Bicycle Plan Advisory Committee Meeting, 1:00-3:30 p.m., Fairfax County DOT office, 4050 Legato Rd, Suite 400 (4th floor).

November 16, Wednesday - FABB monthly meeting from 7:30-9:00 p.m. at Patrick Henry Library, 101 Maple Avenue East, Vienna, VA near the W&OD Trail. All are welcome. For more information contact Bruce Wright at chairman@fabb-bikes.org.

November 17, Thursday - Fairfax County Bicycle Master Plan area meeting - Mt. Vernon, Rose Hill, Ft. Belvoir, Mason Neck, Huntington areas. The meeting is from 5:30-8:00 p.m., South County Government Center, 8350 Richmond Hwy, Alexandria, VA, Conference Room 221 A-B, 2nd Floor. Residents of these areas should attend and let the planners know what is needed to make the areas more bike friendly.

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Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling is a sponsored project of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association, aiming to make bicycling an integral part of Fairfax County's transportation network. Visit us on the web at www.fabb-bikes.org, on Facebook and on Twitter. FABB News provides periodic updates on Fairfax County bicycling issues, along with occasional updates and action alerts on breaking news. We encourage all FABB supporters to join WABA at www.waba.org. Donations to FABB are tax deductible. If you would like to support our advocacy work in Fairfax, you can donate by sending a check made out to WABA/FABB to WABA, 2599 Ontario Rd. NW, Washington, DC 20009 or donate online.

Route 1 widening includes bike facilities

2011-11-02T12:06:00.000-05:00

Funding is now available for widening of Route 1. A 10-foot side path and wide outside lanes are included in the project:

Virginia has secured a $180 million grant from the Defense Department's Office of Economic Adjustment to widen Route 1 in the area of Fort Belvoir to six lanes between Telegraph Road and Mount Vernon Highway. The 3.5-mile widening could begin as early as 2013 and take up to three years to complete.

"Widening Route 1 is critical to ensuring a viable transportation network in the Fort Belvoir area," said Governor McDonnell. "Our nation's wounded warriors, veterans and their families deserve to have reliable and safe access to Fort Belvoir's new Community Hospital. Moreover, every day, commuters are stuck in long traffic queues on Route 1 that has only worsened with the additional traffic generated by BRAC changes bringing more defense personnel to Fort Belvoir. This widening will improve the quality of life for thousands of commuters and visitors."

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and Fairfax County submitted joint grant applications earlier this year requesting funding to accommodate the increased traffic generated by the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) and the new Fort Belvoir Community Hospital which will generate 574,000 trips annually. VDOT estimates the widening will cost $180 million, including $53 million to acquire right of way, $20 million to relocate utilities, $10 million for environmental mitigation and $97 million for construction.

The portion of Route 1 serving Fort Belvoir is only two lanes in each direction, carries 56,000 vehicles a day and has one of the highest highway crash rates in northern Virginia. Between 2006 and 2008 there were 294 crashes on the 3.4-mile section between Telegraph Road and Mount Vernon Memorial Highway, including 13 injuries and one fatality. In 2011 two more fatalities occurred. In addition, Route 1 in this area lacks pedestrian and bicycle access and crosswalks at intersections.

Allen Muchnick of Virginia Bicycling Federation sent the following letter to FHA requesting that the 14-foot outside lanes planned for the Route 1 widening be modified to allow striping of 4-foot bike lanes instead:

Mr. Jack Van Dop
Environmental Specialist
Federal Highway Administration
Eastern Federal Lands Highway Division
21400 Ridgetop Circle
Sterling, VA 20166

Dear Mr. Van Dop:

I'm writing to comment on the proposed design for the above-referenced highway widening project, as described in your agency's brochure for the October 19, 2011 public meeting. Although the official public comment period ended yesterday (10/31/11), I only became aware of this project this afternoon after seeing Governor McDonnell's news release about the $180 million Department of Defense funding award. Thus, I hope you will include this comment as part of the official record of your October 19, 2011 public meeting.

This 3.4-mile segment of US Route 1--between Mount Vernon Memorial Highway and Telegraph Road--is a vital link for local, regional, and long-distance bicycle travel and could serve as a key link in the East Coast Greenway, the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail, and/or U.S. Bicycle Route One. Because of its importance for long-distance bicycling, it's critical that this project include exemplary accommodations for all types of bicyclists, including skilled, faster, and longer-distance bicyclists.

The "Current Proposed 148-foot Typical Section" illustrated in the meeting brochure seems amply wide to accommodate all needed pedestrian and bicycle facilities as well as a dedicated transitway in the median, in addition to six roadway travel lanes. However, in view of the high (50+ MPH) motor vehicle speeds on this roadway, the 14-foot wide "Oversized Outside Lane[s] to Accommodate Bicycles" should be designed and striped as dedicated bike lanes and continued on the *left* side of *all* right-turning lanes at the approaches to *all* intersections. To best execute these bike lanes, the middle and inside travel lanes could be striped 6 to 12 inches narrower than illustrated in the meeting brochure, to provide an 11-foot wide outside travel lane plus a 4-foot wide bike lane (to the left of the concrete gutter pans) in lieu of the 14-foot wide "oversized outside lane" illustrated in the meeting brochure.

Thank you for considering this comment. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you need more information, and please include my email address and/or other contact information in future project announcements.

Sincerely,

Allen Muchnick, board member
Virginia Bicycling Federation

While the widening project will provide bike facilities, it will make the road more dangerous for pedestrians and some bicyclists. The wide road and speeding traffic, in a busy commercial area, are a deadly mix. The speed limit should be lowered and much better bicycle and pedestrian accommodations are needed in this corridor.

Bike parking facility planned at Franconia-Springfield Metro Station

2011-11-01T16:29:00.001-05:00

WMATA is in the final stages of planning an indoor, enclosed bike parking facility at Franconia-Springfield Metro station. It will likely be located in the new parking garage shown on the right in the photo. The project is funded through a TIGER I grant for multimodal improvements at the station.

A similar bike parking facility, referred to as "Bike & Ride", is being constructed at the College Park Metro station. BikeLink is providing the parking system.

There will be approximately 30 U racks. WMATA is experimenting with two double-decker racks, similar to the Dero Decker, at the College Park station. If the single U racks are being used to capacity they can be replaced with additional double-decker racks. This could also be done at the Franconia-Metro station.

Access is controlled by a key card and hourly rates will be very affordable. The station will be accessible 24 hours, with a lower rate charged between evening and morning rush hours. This would allow commuters to arrive by Metrorail pick up their bike in the morning to ride to work. In the afternoon they would bike to the station from work to leave the bike overnight. A bicycle repair stand is also planned, similar to those installed in Cambridge, Mass.

There are two main locations under consideration, Options 1 & 2. A third location, which is closest to the station entrance, has too many constraints. While Option 2 is furthest from the station entrance, it is more accessible to cyclists entering the station grounds from the NE. Many cyclists arrive from the Franconia-Springfield Parkway trail using the circular ramp shown on the right side of the air photo above. A new trail is needed where the ramp enters the station since the road is one way at that point. There is a sidewalk on the north side of the access road parallel to the Parkway that could be widened. The downside is that it's about a 350 foot walk to the station entrance.

Option 1 would require creating a new entrance where there is currently a wall. A new trail would also need to be built leading to the entrance. Another trail or sidewalk is needed to lead from the bike entrance to the station entrance since access through the garage is not planned.

Many cyclists also access the station from the south, parking on the opposite side of the tracks and walking into the station from there. There is limited room for expanding this parking.

This planned facility will be a great benefit to Metro patrons who bike to the station. We predict the racks will fill fast once people realize the benefits of having a secure, enclosed place to park their bikes. There are many other stations where this solution is needed, including Vienna and Dunn Loring, where the existing racks are often full and are not protected from the weather. This is a great step forward for WMATA.

We plan to visit the site in the near future to take a close look at the proposed locations. If you have comments on the proposed locations or on access to the locations, leave a comment here.

WABA's Call to Action Summit on Thursday

2011-11-01T15:07:00.001-05:00

It appears that it's not too late to register for WABA's Call to Action Summit to be held this Thursday from 8:30-4:30:

Regional Call to Action Summit Schedule

8:30 am – Gathering with light breakfast & coffee

9:30 am – Welcome

9:45 am – Tools for Planning Healthy Communities - Gina Arlotto (Safe Routes to School Network Coordinator, WABA)

10:15 am – Crashed! Your Legal Rights in A Bicycle Accident – Bruce Deming, Lawyer

11:00 am – Panel: Regional Bikesharing – Eric Gilliland (General Manager, Alta Bicycle Share, Inc.) Darren Buck (Masters candidate, Urban Affairs and Planning, School of Public and International Affairs, Virginia Tech Alexandria Center), Ralph Buehler, PhD (Assistant Professor in Urban Affairs & Planning, Virginia Tech Alexandria Center)

12:00 pm – Lunch Break (1 1/2 hours)

You are responsible for your own lunch, so please plan accordingly. The Waterview Conference Center has a full-service and delicious cafeteria with options for all dietary needs. The lunch break will be long enough for you to seek other options in the Rosslyn neighborhood.

1:30 pm – Panel: Planning Bicycle & Pedestrian Access to Metro – Nat Bottigheimer (Assistant General Manager, WMATA), Patrick Schmitt (Parking Manager, WMATA), Kristin Haldeman (Manager of Access Planning & Policy Analysis, WMATA)

2:30 pm – Panel: The Role of Bicycle Businesses in Advocacy – Jakob Wolf-Barnett (Chief Operating Officer, Revolutions Cycles), Philip Koopman (Owner, BicycleSPACE), Stephen Marks (Managing Partner, Bike the Sites), Debora Hardng (CEO, City Bikes), Anne Mader (Owner, The Bike Lane)

3:30 pm - WABA’s Presentation of the 2011 Regional Call to Action

4:30 pm – Summit Ends

Regional Call to Action Summit Location & Directions
Waterview Conference Center
1919 N Lynn St
Arlington, VA 22209

Google Map Link (create bicycle directions!) : http://bit.ly/tXSwds
Metro Accessible via the Rosslyn Station on the Blue & Orange Lines
Bike Accessible via the Mount Vernon Trail, Custis Trail & the Key Bridge
Indoor Bike Parking!

Public hearing on Herndon Metro area plan

2011-10-26T08:58:00.002-05:00

Last night the Town of Herndon held a public hearing on the Herndon Metrorail Station Area Plan. Several residents spoke about the need for good multimodal access to the future Herndon Metro Station. One speaker noted that Reston Town Center and Manhattan aren't clogged with traffic all of the time because of their design; the grid streets and mix of uses give people reasons to walk and bike there instead of driving.

A cycle track along Herndon Parkway is included in the plans. You can comment or send suggestions on the plans. Visit the project website for more information.

Virginia Transportation Plan public hearing wrap-up

2011-10-26T08:33:00.003-05:00

Fionnuala Quinn testifies before CTB

Approximately 16 citizens testified last night at the public hearing on transportation projects in Virginia. Only 3 of 17 members of the Commonwealth Transportation Board were present, Thelma Drake, Director of the Department of Rail and Public Transportation, Douglas Koelemay the Northern Virginia District rep and Gary Garczynski the At-Large Urban rep.

More than half of the speakers wanted better bicycle, pedestrian, and transit solutions. Roger Deitrick and David Dixon of the Sierra Club testified as did Fionnuala Quinn and myself from FABB, Pat Turner of BikeLoudoun, and Jenifer Madden of the Tysons Metrorail Station Access Management team. Chairman Bulova, Supervisor McKay and several other speakers stressed the need to fund Tysons access projects, including those in the Tysons Bicycle Master Plan.

Folks from the car lobby once again advocated for the sprawl-inducing outer beltway. With our current system badly in need of maintenance funds they and their developer supporters want to build a new north south highway to feed new development in Loudoun County. Carol Welty of the Washington Airports Task Force even advocated for a 6-8 lane freeway circling Dulles airport. Bob Chase of Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance has been the biggest booster of the outer beltway, including a new crossing of the Potomac into Montgomery Co.

See our complete testimony on the Six-Year Improvement Program.

See also Greater Greater Washington's excellent summary of the CTB's reversal of having connected neighborhood streets that was the subject several speaker's comments last night: Virginia turns back toward the 1950s by weakening road connection standards, neglecting populated areas.

Update: See coverage of the meeting in Vienna Patch: NOVA Weighs In On Allocation of VDOT Transportation Funds.

Transportation Enhancement program on the chopping block

2011-10-25T08:39:00.001-05:00

The Post has an article today entitled Tight money, looser constraints? With the transportation budget stretched, Congress may jettison mandates that have guided funds to bike paths and walkways. The Transportation Enhancement program funds projects such as rail-trails like the W&OD trail. Back in 2007 and 2009 Senator Coburn tried to cut TE funding, each year getting more votes in favor of gutting the program. In 2009 Virginia's Senator Webb vote for the cuts.

The current battle is being led by Senator McCain who wants to retain funding for "active transportation projects" but cut funding for the other Enhancement programs such as landscaping, historic preservation, museums and welcome centers. McCain and Coburn may have gotten the message about how popular bicycle projects are in most communities. According to Streetsblog Capital Hill:

Notably, even Sen. Tom Coburn - author of the last attack on TE - specifically noted in his floor speech supporting McCain’s language that “this is not about attacking the bicycle community.” He also seemed to commend McCain for excluding from his measure the active transportation elements of TE that Coburn said appear to be important to many people. (That means he got an earful from a lot of walking and biking advocates last time around!)

VDOT Multimodal Transportation Investments hearing

2011-10-24T21:51:00.001-05:00

This year the Six-Year Improvement Program public hearings are being billed as a chance to "Comment on Multimodal Transportation Investments, Your Transportation Dollars at Work." The meeting will be held at VDOT Northern Virginia District Office 4975 Alliance Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030. 6-6:30 p.m, Open House, 6:30 Moderated public meeting.

This is a chance to tell the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) how you think they should be spending our transportation dollars. The car lobby will be there to promote spending more money on the "I-66 corridor (inside and outside the Beltway), the Bi-County and Tri-County Parkways, [widening] Routes 1, 7, 9 and 15, as well as new Potomac River bridges."

We'll be asking for more funds to improve bike conditions in Northern Virginia, including funding the recommendations of the Tysons Bicycle Master Plan, improved maintenance, implementing the Bicycle Policy Plan, and providing bike facilities on major roads that cyclists are forced to use since our neighborhoods don't connect. It would be good for the CTB to hear from some new voices. If you can't attend the meeting, you can send comments to Six-YearProgram@VDOT.Virginia.Gov. You can see all Fairfax projects in the plan by visiting the Six-Year Plan database, selecting District: Northern Virginia and Jurisdiction: Fairfax County.

Virginia State Bicycle Policy Plan released

2011-10-24T15:54:00.002-05:00

Today VDOT announced the publication of the Virginia State Bicycle Policy Plan. The plan has been in draft form for over a year, a time in which there was no bike coordinator. One result of hiring John Bolecek as the new bike coordinator is that final work on the plan could be completed.

FABB provided extensive comments on the plan in September 2010. Most of our comments were included in the final draft.

The Policy for Integrating Bicycle and Pedestrian Accommodations was adopted in 2004. It ensures that bicycle facilities are included in the planning and implementation of all future projects (with exceptions). The new policy plan provides better guidance to ensure implementation of the 2004 policy.

The two goals of the police plan are:

Goal 1: Increase the use of bicycling in Virginia to include a full and diverse range of the population for all trip purposes

Goal 2: Improve safety and comfort of bicyclists throughout Virginia, reduce bicycle crashes

Remaking our roads and connecting existing bike facilities: Here in Northern Virginia we have a major challenge with creating bicycle facilities on a road network designed almost exclusively for cars. The plan tries to address this issue:

However, further guidance is needed to determine the appropriate type or level of bicycle accommodation that may be needed in different roadway environments. This is a particular issue for large suburban roadways because land use changes due to development create an even greater need for non-motorized transportation accommodations and safety countermeasures.

This should include strategies to ensure that piecemeal development results in bicycle facilities that are contiguous and functional in both the short- and long-term, see example policies and procedures in Appendix A.

From Appendix A:

During road construction and rehabilitation projects, VDOT will investigate nearby bicycle facility connections and make all reasonable attempts to close gaps and facilitate transitions between different bikeway types.

This has not been the case in the past. FABB worked with VDOT to try connect the trails being constructed as part of the Route 50 widening project, that ended west of Route 28, with trails on the east side of 28. We were not successful in getting the project limits extended; the new policy provides incentive to make this type of connection in the future.

Innovative bike designs: The policy also includes support for using non-standard bike facilities that are in use in other communities.

VDOT will study and, where appropriate, implement new types of bikeways that are being used effectively in other jurisdictions, including bike signals, bike boxes, cycle tracks, buffered bike lanes, contra-flow bike lanes, and bike boulevards, among others.

Performance measures and data collection: We have very poor information about the level of bicycle use in the county and about the effectiveness of various bike facilities. The Plan includes recommendations for improving that knowledge:

VDOT should establish benchmarks needed for future tracking of bicycle-related implementation efforts and changes in ridership numbers over time. Measures that can be considered include the number of bikeway miles implemented, the number of bicycle crashes, the number of bicycle parking spaces, percentage of students bicycling to school, and other measures.

VDOT should establish a long-term pedestrian and bicycle facility inventory and counting program, in coordination with towns and cities, Regional Planning Commissions, Planning District Commissions, and Metropolitan Planning Organizations.

Narrow lane widths to create bike facilities: One advantage to having so much asphalt in Northern Virginia is that our travel lanes are relatively wide. They can be reduced to create bike lanes or wide outside lanes:

VDOT should consider issuing an Instructional and Informational Memorandum (IIM) that encourages the inclusion of bike lanes during road reconstruction and resurfacing projects by narrowing travel lanes to 10-foot (where possible). This IIM should explain when 10-foot and 11-foot wide travel lanes can be utilized without decreasing safety for motorists

The plan contains lots of good information and it's worth spending some time read it. See page 36 for a summary of the recommendations.

Public hearing on cycletrack on Herndon Parkway

2011-10-21T16:48:00.000-05:00

The Town of Herndon Town Council will hold a Public Hearing on the draft Metrorail Area Plan. The plan includes cycle tracks on Herndon Parkway. The plan was approved by the Herndon Planning Commission on Oct. 3.

The meeting is on Tuesday, October 25th at 7:00 p.m., Ingram Council Chambers, 765 Lynn Street. Cyclists are encouraged to support the cycletrack plan. You can also submit comments online.

Bicycling part of Sustainable Reston Forum discussion

2011-10-21T16:21:00.001-05:00

Nicole Wynands, Reston resident and Bicycle Friendly America Program Specialist at the League of American Bicyclists, is one of the featured speakers at the Sustainable Reston Forum. Nicole also recently joined the Reston Pedestrian & Bicycling Advisory Committee. The forum is tomorrow, Sat. Oct. 21, at Reston Community Center at Hunter's Woods, from 3-5 p.m. She will be speaking about sustainable transportation, and bicycling is probably the most sustainable form of transportation other than walking. Registration is free.

Vienna Police have large collection of found bicycles

2011-10-21T13:12:00.002-05:00

According to the article Vienna Police Have Large Collection of Stolen Bicycles

Police in Vienna, Virginia say they have recovered quite a few stolen bikes. But no one has come forward to claim them. The bikes have generally been found around town, recovered by an officer and then stored at Vienna Police Heaquarters.

A recovery database for stolen bike exists, but police can’t track down the owners if they have not contacted police or registered the serial number. In such cases, the bike is placed into storage.

Police now have what they describe as "a large number of unclaimed bicycles.”

They’re hoping the rightful owners will come and pick them up. But as one might expect, there is a decided emphasis on “rightful.”

According to Officer Barker, most of the bikes were picked up after someone reported an abandoned bike, so perhaps the operative word should be "abandoned" bikes rather than "stolen." I would guess most of the bikes are in poor condition. If the bikes are not claimed, they will be donated as required by law.

Reston-Herndon bike plan meeting well-attended

2011-10-21T08:47:00.000-05:00

An enthusiastic group of around 35 people showed up for the Reston-Herndon area bike plan meeting last night. It was the second of eight planned meetings to gather input for the countywide bicycle master plan. The meeting started with a half hour open house that gave people a chance to connect with other cyclists and to talk to the planning team.

Consultants from Toole Design Group gave a brief presentation on the plan and the purpose of the meeting. Participants split into several groups: Reston bike facilities, Herndon bike facilities, Educate/Encouragement/Enforcement, and Trails.

Each group marked up maps and listed their ideas for making the area more bicycle-friendly. The Reston group marked dangerous intersections such as Wiehle Ave/Sunset Hills Rd, W&OD/Wiehle Ave, and several FFX Co Pkwy trail intersections. Bike lanes were suggested on Sunrise Valley Drive, South Lakes Dr, and on Lawyers Rd, extending the existing bike lanes, and signed bike routes were indicated on Village Rd, North Shore Dr, and Glade Dr. The information was collected by Toole and will used as input for developing the final county bicycle master plan.

The next area meeting will cover the Mt. Vernon, Rose Hill, Ft. Belvoir, Mason Neck, and Huntington areas, on Thursday, Nov 17, 2011, from 5:30 – 8:00 p.m. at the South County Government Center, 8350 Richmond Hwy, Alexandria, VA in Conference Room 221 A-B, 2nd floor. Visit the project website for more information.

GGW post on biking Old Keene Mill Rd

2011-10-18T21:10:00.004-05:00

Malcolm Kenton writes on GreaterGreaterWashington about a long bike trip he took that ends along Old Keene Mill Road headed toward the Franconia-Springfield Metro station. The road is like most arterial roads in Fairfax that carry heavy commuter traffic with no facilities for bicyclists or pedestrians. Experienced cyclists can ride on the road using proper riding techniques, but it's a daunting experience for most cyclists. As the Springfield area develops it's critical that better bike and per access be provided along this and the other major roads in the area.

Old Keene Mill Road is far from a complete street:

At the end of a long trail ride, my friend and I faced the daunting challenge of getting from Accotink Creek to the Franconia-Springfield Metro station by bicycle. We soon found out that Old Keene Mill Road in Springfield has a long way to go before it is fully accessible for all users. Sidewalks, at the very least, are needed.

Tom Biesiadny named new Fairfax DOT chief

2011-10-18T20:41:00.001-05:00

From the Fairfax County news release:

At its meeting today, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors named Tom Biesiadny director of the Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT). He will assume his new position on Oct. 24.

FCDOT provides public transportation services including the Fairfax Connector and other transit, highway, pedestrian and bicycle facilities and information for those who live, work, travel or do business in the county. It oversees projects including long-range transportation planning and funding and coordinates on regional initiatives, such as the Dulles Rail project.

Biesiadny has worked for FCDOT since 1988 and is currently the department’s acting director. Prior to that he was chief of the Coordination and Funding Division. In that position, he coordinated between FCDOT and other state and regional transportation and air quality agencies. He also served as the county’s transportation lobbyist at the Virginia General Assembly, monitored federal legislation and chaired regional staff supporting the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority. He oversaw project funding through grants, legislation, bond issues and tax districts and negotiated agreements for funding transportation projects.

Biesiadny also has been Fairfax County’s liaison to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority (WMATA) and the Virginia Railway Express (VRE). His Fairfax County recognitions include the A. Heath Onthank Award (the highest honor Fairfax County bestows on its employees), a Transportation Advisory Commission Award and several outstanding performance awards.

His prior FCDOT positions include chief of the Coordination and Funding Section; head of the Liaison and Contract Services Section; head of the Liaison and Technical Analysis Section; and a transportation planner. He began his career as a transportation planner with the city of Port Authur, Texas.

Biesiadny received a bachelor’s degree in transportation, with a minor in management, from Parks College of Saint Louis University, Cahokia, Ill.

He is a resident of Fairfax. His salary will be $147,270.

Braddock District candidates discuss bikes

2011-10-18T10:17:00.000-05:00

In a recent news article candidates for Braddock District supervisor discuss the need for better bike facilities in the county. Janet S. Oleszek, the Democratic Challenger:

TRAFFIC/INFRASTRUCTURE: Long term we need to be focused on modes of transportation other than cars. To that end, we must complete the Silver line to Dulles Airport and expand bus service on the HOT Lanes. Land use decisions need to consider public transit and pedestrian and/or bicycling routes. One simple solution for Braddock residents is to link the Burke VRE station to the over 75 miles of bike and pedestrian trails that exist within a 3-mile radius of the station.

and Carey C. Campbell, Independent Challenger:

GROWTH: We need light rail, modern rail that is quieter than buses, and can travel 70 miles per hour on the beltway, on all major right-of-ways, like Little River Turnpike, Braddock Road, Route 50, rail along Columbia Pike. Greatly expanded rail should be accompanied by bike lanes, and pedestrian friendly communities. The new bike rental program that is so successful in Washington D.C. and Arlington must be expanded across Fairfax County. We need smarter, more intelligent choices for future development.

The Republican incumbent, Supervisor John Cook, does not explicitly mention bicycles but does mentions the need for more trails:

TRAFFIC/INFRASTRUCTURE: There are four broad categories of critical infrastructure needs in Fairfax County School renovations, road construction and maintenance, storm water facilities, and a new public safety complex. There are additional needs for parks, libraries, trails, and other county buildings.

You may recall that Supervisor Cook once said that "A bicycle is not a transportation device." After making the statement FABB met with him to discuss the comment and the need for better biking in Fairfax. Since that time he held Braddock Bike Day and is working with residents of Burke to try to tame Burke Centre Parkway.

Hat tip to WashCycle.

WABA Fairfax Meeting report

2011-10-18T09:22:00.000-05:00

About 15 people attended the meeting last night hosted by WABA to discuss bicycling in Fairfax. WABA is preparing a Regional Call to Action that will be unveiled at the Call to Action Summit to be held on November 3.

Several good ideas emerged in the comments from the group. One common theme was the need for better education; of cyclists of all ages, motorists, and police. There are a lot of misconceptions about where cyclists should ride and how they should behave on the road. Residents have very few opportunities to get good bicycle safety education. It needs to be taught in the schools and the county could sponsor adult bike skills classes. Another way to spread this information is to include it in high school drivers ed courses, the VA drivers manual, and on DMV driver's license test.

As you would expect, most people stated that we need more bike facilities; bike lanes, wider outside lanes, well-maintained paved trails, and better bike parking. On four-lane roads Charlie Strunk, the county bike coordinator, said that VDOT has recently agreed to narrow the inside lane on some roads and increase the width of the outside lane, giving more room for bicyclists.

Fairfax should hold fun, community bike rides. We also discussed the possibility of holding a "civlovia" type event where a major road is closed to motorized traffic and bicyclists, pedestrians, runners, etc. can enjoy these public spaces for a change.

All of the ideas were recorded by WABA volunteers and will be used as input to the Regional Call to Action. Thanks to Greg Billing of WABA who facilitated the discussion, and to the other WABA volunteers.

More details about the November 3 Summit were released by WABA yesterday in their blog post Nov. 3rd Call to Action Summit’s Speakers:

9:45 am – Tools for Planning Healthy Communities - Gina Arlotto (WABA’s Safe Routes to School Network Coordinator)
10:15 am – Crashed! Your Legal Rights In A Bicycle Accident – Bruce Deming, Lawyer
11:00 am – Panel: Regional Bikesharing – Speakers TBA
12:00 pm – Lunch Break (1 1/2 hour)
1:30pm – Panel: Planning Bicycle & Pedestrian Access to Metro – Nat Bottigheimer (WMATA Assistant General Manager), Patrick Schmitt (WMATA Parking Manager), Kristin Haldeman (WMATA Manager of Access Planning & Policy Analysis), Justin Antos (WMATA Transportation Analyst)
2:30 – Panel: The Role of Bicycle Businesses in Advocacy – Jakob Wolf-Barnett (Chief Operating Officer, Revolutions Cycles), Erik Kugler (Owner, BicycleSPACE), Stephen Marks (Managing Partner, Bike the Sites), Debora Hardng (CEO, City Bikes), Anne Mader (Owner, The Bike Lane)
3:30 pm - WABA’s Presentation of Regional Call to Action

2011-10-17T14:39:00.001-05:00

A few FABB members took a brief tour of the Reston-Herndon area on Saturday in preparation for two meetings this week, the WABA Fairfax meeting tonight and the Reston-Herndon bike plan area meeting on Thursday.

Bike l ockers and racks at Sunset Hills P&R lot

We started the tour at the Sunset Hills Park and Ride lot. Thanks to the efforts of the county bike coordinator, the bike parking at this new lot is the best example of good bike parking in Fairfax. There are 20 inverted U racks, spaced properly and conveniently located near the bus bays. Next to the racks are a row of 20 weatherproof bike lockers.

During the tour we reviewed current bike access to the three area Silver Line stations, Reston-Wiehle Ave, Reston-Town Center, and Herndon-Reston West. The Reston Metro Access Group report contains many recommended bike improvements for the two Reston stations, including bike lanes on Sunset Hills Rd, Sunrise Valley Dr, and Town Center Parkway leading to the station.

We looked at possible locations for future trails on both sides of the Dulles Toll Rd that would allow easy access to the new stations and to the many businesses that will be located in the area. Parking lots occupy much of the space today, and as the area redevelops, a small amount of that space could be reserved for these trails. On the south side of the Toll Rd there are private service roads that would make good bike connections if the county could obtain easements.

It will be imperative that good bike facilities be provided to link the most popular paved trail in Northern Virginia, the W&OD Trail, to the future stations. The connections should reduce conflicts with people walking to and from the stations. The W&OD Trail will also likely need to be widened in the near future. It is currently being used to capacity on most fair weather weekends and there are already many conflicts between cyclists traveling at different speeds, pedestrians, runners, and others. The road crossings on the Trail could be made safer by having raised crosswalks that force motorists to slow down.

Where the W&OD Trail crosses Wiehle Ave near the Sunset Hills Rd intersection, not far from the future Reston-Wiehle Ave station, is one of the most dangerous locations in Fairfax for bicyclists and pedestrians. A bridge over, or tunnel under Wiehle Ave would be a major improvement. Prohibiting right on red at the Wiehle/Sunset Hills intersection would also help cyclists and pedestrians trying to reach the station. A bike box, which would allow bicyclists to cue up in front of traffic, would also help; it’s a short ride to the station entrance from Sunset Hills Rd.

The last stop of the tour was the Herndon-Reston West station, current site of the Herndon-Monroe Park and Ride lot. This is another example of good bike parking, with several inverted U racks and bike lockers. Bikes on the roads approaching the station in the south, on Sunrise Valley Dr, and on the north, on Herndon Parkway, will provide good bicycle access to these stations. The Town of Herndon is even considering creating cycletracks on Herndon Parkway.

The ride was a good chance to enjoy a beautiful Fall day seeing firsthand what bike access is like today, and envisioning a bike-friendly future.