FABB Blog

Come Celebrate With Us. Please join us on Wednesday, December 21, 2016, to celebrate our continuing progress in making bicycling better in Fairfax County and to recognize some of our members, partners, and new found friends for their contributions to making the past year so productive. The celebration starts at 7:00 pm at the Mad Fox Brewing Company, 444 W Broad St in Falls Church. There will be finger food and a cash bar.

The following is a summary of major FABB- and bike-related milestones during the past year.

Local Outreach. To engage more Fairfax cyclists and bicycling supporters, FABB began rotating its monthly meetings between its usual Vienna venue and all of the county’s districts. These meetings’ successfully focused on local projects, pressing needs and advocacy opportunities. Many of our discussions in the districts, such as those in Braddock, Lee, and Dranesville, were complemented by presentations and discussion by the districts’ supervisors or members of their staff.
Alliances. FABB has worked hard to join with like-minded organizations to promote better bicycling throughout the Greater Washington region. We believe our voices are more powerful when we collaborate with others. FABB continues to work with WABA, our former sponsor, and long-time ally Reston Bicycle Club. We started cooperating with a wide range of other groups, including the Potomac Pedalers, Active Prince William, Sports Backers of Richmond, People for Bikes, Mid-Atlantic Off-Road Enthusiasts (MORE), the recently formed Capital Trails Coalition, and local bike shops, particularly The Bike Lane. FABB continues to work closely with the Fairfax County Department of Transportation Bicycle Program, and this year teamed up for a benefit event with the county, Celebrate Fairfax, Visit Fairfax, and the Workhouse Arts Center. FABB also is engaged with the Fairfax County Police Department on enforcement and education efforts.

National Bike Summit. In early March FABB members attended this three-day League of American Bicyclists event in Washington, DC. They attended advocacy workshops and networked with other Virginia advocates (BikeWalk RVA, Virginia Bicycling Federation, BikeArlington, etc.) and other groups from around the country.

Capital Bikeshare. FABB has been active in advocating for and then promoting the arrival of Capital Bikeshare to Fairfax County. The Bikeshare system, which launched in late October, allows a person to check out a bike and ride short to moderate distances from station to station. Twenty-nine Bikeshare stations have been installed in Tysons and Reston. Plans are now underway to expand the network to Falls Church.

Capital Bikeshare ribbon cutting.

Events. FABB participated in so many events in 2016 that we cannot do justice to them in this annual review. Instead, we encourage you to check out the FABB blog for details. Here, however, are some of the highlights. During April and May we were out in force to support Bike to Work Day pit stops, help WABA with New Belgium Brewery’s Tour de Fat, and represent bicycling at Fairfax County’s SpringFest. In July FABB supported the “Bike for Your Right” Richmond to DC Ride to demonstrate our area’s strong support for bicycling in the Commonwealth. We worked with the Potomac Pedalers and Active Prince William to promote bicycling at Fairfax County’s first Brewfest, a celebration of regional craft breweries, at the Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton in August. During the fall, FABB conducted a social ride to introduce area riders to Meadowlark Gardens Botanical Park and NoVi (Northern Vienna) Trail network. We also promoted the People for Bikes Draft Meetup networking event.

Our fantastic FABB Clips volunteers.

Clips. Our most important event and major fundraiser was the New Belgium Brewing Company’s Clips Beer and Film Tour, which FABB volunteers and The Bike Lane helped bring back to Reston Town Center in September. Crowds of visitors got to try some of New Belgium’s more exotic beers while enjoying short films celebrating the brewery’s twenty-fifth anniversary.

Kidical Mass ride.

Youth Programs. FABB continues to support programs that encourage bicycling among children and was pleased to see the continued growth of events such as Bike to School Day in May. In 2016 nearly 70 Fairfax County elementary and middle schools participated in the event. Fairfax County Public Schools encouraged increased ridership by handing out backpack tags to participants at the elementary schools and cinch sacks at the middle schools. Fairfax County Police Department bike patrol officers led three bike trains to WolfTrap Elementary in Hunter Mill District while other officers assisted at Hunter Woods and Sunrise Valley Elementary Schools in Reston. At Dogwood Elementary, riders received assistance from the Reston Bike Club with minor maintenance and helmet fit.
Later in May students at Vienna area elementary schools participated in the annual Walk Bike Challenge Week and clocked a combined 6,473 trips to school by foot, bike, skateboard and scooter. Of those trips, 1,250 were by bicycle. This was the 4th year in a row students have exceeded 5,000 trips, and the second time they’ve topped 6,000.

Public hearing.

SafeTrack. FABB has promoted bicycle commuting in response to public transportation disruptions caused by Metro's SafeTrack repair program, which started in early June and will continue into early 2017. There was an observable increase in biking as commuters took their bikes to avoid SafeTrack delays.

Vienna Named Bicycle Friendly Community. The Town of Vienna was designated a Bronze Bicycle Friendly Community by the League of American Bicyclists. Bronze, the lowest of five levels of bike friendliness, indicates that important steps are being taken by the community in the five areas of Engineering, Education, Encouragement, Enforcement, and Evaluation. Along with Reston, Vienna has become the second bicycle friendly community in Fairfax.

Bike/Pedestrian Staff. Nicole Wynands and Lauren Delmare joined the county’s bicycle and pedestrian programs this year. As of this writing Fairfax County is trying to hire a Pedestrian & Bicycle Program Manager to oversee the bicycle program managed by Adam Lind and pedestrian program managed by Chris Wells.

New Bike-Related Law in 2016. In July Virginia joined Maryland and the District in having a law that helps protect cyclists from “dooring.” The dooring law requires drivers to wait for a reasonable opportunity to open vehicle doors on the side adjacent to moving traffic. A violation constitutes a traffic infraction punishable by a fine of not more than $50.

FABB Board President Honored. Jeff Anderson was honored this year by Volunteer Fairfax as the Hunter Mill District Community Champion for leading FABB's Safe Routes to School work, which encourages more kids to bike and walk to school.

Finally, thanks to all of our FABB members and supporters who helped make 2016 so productive. As an all-volunteer organization, FABB relies on supporters like you to donate their time to improve bicycling in our neighborhoods and around the County. Please visit our volunteer webpage to learn about specific opportunities and get in touch with us. We’ll find the right fit for you.

Warmest wishes for everyone to have a safe, happy, and prosperous 2017.

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As many of you are now aware, FABB has been holding our monthly meetings in Fairfax’s various districts this year. We are pleased to announce that our September meeting will be in the Sully District, which includes the areas of Centreville, Clifton, Chantilly, Oakton, and the Route 28 corridor. Even better, our special guest speaker will be Sully District Supervisor Hon. Kathy Smith. 

These meetings in district venues are part of FABB's efforts to hear from local residents about their bicycling needs. Fairfax County Bicycle Coordinator Adam Lind has been invited to discuss future projects in the local district, and a FABB representative will facilitate a group discussion about improvements needed in the district. 

Please plan on joining us--and invite your friends and neighbors!--on Tuesday, September 20, from 7:30 to 9:30 PM in the Frank Room of the Sully Governmental Center, 4900 Stonecroft Boulevard, Chantilly.

Join FABB on June 15 at 7:30 pm at the Richard Bird Library in Springfield to talk bicycling and learn about upcoming Fairfax County bike plans for the Lee District. These meetings in district venues are part of FABB’s effort to hear more from local residents about their bicycling needs. 

Lee District Supervisor Jeff McKay will be there to speak about his vision for bicycling in the district and county.  Fairfax County Bicycle Program Manager Adam Lind also will be there to discuss current and future bicycle plans for the district.  We also plan to have a discussion about Safe Routes to School programs and representatives from local bike shops and Springfield Towne Center there. As always, FABB monthly meetings will provide updates on various events and developments around the county of interest to cyclists. And, the meeting is your opportunity to share concerns about and suggestions for improving bicycling in Fairfax County. 

The Richard Byrd Library is at 7250 Commerce Street in Springfield.  See you there!

FABB is thrilled to announce we received our 501(c)(3) status in March. We are now officially an independent non-profit working to improve bicycling in Fairfax County. FABB has some specific plans for making bicycling better in 2016, and we need your help to put them into action. Here are two ways you can help:

Make a Donation – FABB is developing an advocacy leadership workshop that will train and empower a community of advocates and grow our movement for a bike-friendly Fairfax.  We also plan to update our website to help provide a fresh public interface for local bike news and reach new supporters.  Your donation here will help make these plans a reality.     

Volunteer -- As an all-volunteer organization, FABB relies on supporters like you to donate their time to improve bicycling in our neighborhoods and around the County.  Volunteers can provide outreach at local events, advocate for better bicycling, and provide administrative support and guidance.  Visit our volunteer webpage to learn about specific opportunities and get in touch with us. We’ll find the right fit for you.   

FABB has already been off and running in 2016:

Sports Backers, with an assist from Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe, announced on Wednesday the inaugural Ride to DC: Bike for Your Right event, a 160-mile ride from Richmond, Virginia to Gateway Park in Rosslyn on 23-24 July 2016. FABB is encouraging interested northern Virginia cyclists to participate in this challenging and fun advocacy ride to demonstrate our area’s strong support for bicycling in the Commonwealth. 

The ride will rely on back roads and trails to cover the distance between Richmond and Fredericksburg on the first day.  On day two, riders will bike from Fredericksburg along the western border of Quantico Marine Corps Base into Manassas and Chantilly before joining the Fairfax County Parkway trail into Reston. From there, the riders will take the W&OD trail south to the Custis Trail and into Rosslyn.  Early registration costs $150, which includes access to food and water stations every 15 miles and a complimentary beer for riders over 21 who make the finish line.

Sports Backers, a Richmond-based sports commission that promotes active and healthy lifestyles, organizes and supports numerous nationally recognized sporting events. Sports Backers created Bike Walk RVA—a regional program to support bike and pedestrian friendly policies, programs, and infrastructure projects. During the past 23 years Sports Backers’ events have contributed to Richmond’s growing reputation for sports tourism, which has had a tremendous positive economic benefit for the region. 

More than 30 Mt. Vernon area cyclists and other interested citizens turned out for FABB’s February meeting, our first to be held in the Mt. Vernon District.  A presentation by Adam Lind, Fairfax County’s Bicycle Program Manager, on the implementation of the county’s Bicycle Master Plan in the district flowed quickly into a valuable discussion on various bicycling related projects and issues that need county government and VDOT attention. 

Brett Kenney of Mt. Vernon District Supervisor Dan Storck's office spoke to the group about the Supervisor's support for bike lanes and focus on transportation issues. He mentioned that there would be an opportunity for the community to support bike projects on February 27th at the 29th Annual Mt. Vernon town meeting with Supervisor Storck, County Executive Edward Long, and Fairfax Co Board of Supervisors Chairman Sharon Bulova. 

FABB looks forward to working with area residents and other interested groups in advocating for a wide range of issues raised during the meeting. Among the largest and highest priority are: 

FABB intends to continue working with Fairfax County and VDOT on existing plans for the southern part of the county. 

FABB appreciates the participation of all of the attendees, including local representatives of the Mt. Vernon Council of Citizens Associations, Fairfax County Trails and Sidewalks Committee, and the Fairfax County Tree Council. In addition to the projects above, the group raised worthwhile ideas about advocating for the enforcement of parking restrictions in bike lanes, multilingual outreach to area bike commuters, improved traffic light sensors, and making roads and trails safer with additional and well designed tree plantings. 

This meeting was part of FABB's effort to better serve and represent cyclists and other supporters throughout the county. During 2016 FABB plans to hold monthly meetings in all of the county’s districts and will be in the Mason District in March. If you would like to assist in setting up the program for the meeting in your district, please contact Steve Ward at srward1057@gmail.com.

Dear FABB Supporters,

Happy 2016! We hope everyone is staying warm on their bike rides over the past few days; very different than the shorts weather we experienced over the holidays. I'd like to take this opportunity to give you a quick update on FABB’s plans and activities for 2016.

During 2015, FABB embarked on a path to change its status from a sponsored project of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA) to an independent non-profit.  As part of that process, the decision was made to rename FABB the Fairfax Alliance for Better Bicycling, to reflect our goal of building an even stronger advocacy organization. FABB’s increased focused on alliance-building fulfills a need to take advantage of the combined strength of Fairfax County’s many other bicycling focused organizations to achieve our common goals by enhancing our collaboration with County government as well as the private corporations that show a rising interest in supporting bicycling.  

We are still in the process of filing the applications to be granted 501(c)3 status, so changes to FABB’s activities and the effort to publicize our new status and goals will occur gradually.  We are extremely grateful to WABA for sponsoring FABB over the past several years and look forward to continue working with Greg Billings and his team to promote better bicycling throughout the Greater Washington region.

Organizationally, FABB has established a Board of Directors. The seven Board members are:

Bruce continues in the acting Executive Director role but expect to see a very active and engaged Board of Directors.  

However, we can't do this alone and are eager to engage more Fairfax cyclists and bicycling supporters than we have in the past. To improve this outreach FABB will be rotating its monthly general meetings among each of the Supervisor districts in Fairfax County.  With the FABB Board now handling organizational “housekeeping”, our goal is to sharpen the focus of FABB meetings and make them more interesting and useful by discussing advocacy opportunities related to the district hosting the meeting along with other topics of interest to area cyclists and cycling advocates, such as VDOT meetings and Fairfax Board of Supervisors actions.  

We are still working out the schedule for the year but our first meeting under this new focus will be:

Providence District

Wednesday, 20 January @ 7:30pm

Mosaic Community Space in the Mosaic District.  (Directions below).  

We will keep this meeting to three topics: (1) an open discussion with citizens about Providence district issues, (2) working w/ a consultant to engage those in attendance in creating a promotional video about FABB and (3) a quick discussion of FABB's 2016 goals.

Please join us afterwards for a beer at nearby MatchBox around 8:45pm to toast recent cycling related successes in Fairfax - like Tuesday's announcement of Capital Bike Share coming to Reston AND Tysons.   

Be safe and see you on Wednesday.

Regards

Jeff Anderson

President - Board of Directors

Fairfax Alliance for Better Bicycling

Directions to the Mosaic Community Space: Located near the intersection of Gallows Road and Lee Hwy. Coming from Lee Hwy, head south on Eskridge Rd then turn left on Merrifield Town Center and continue past Brine and DGS Deli to a right on Merrifield Cinema Dr. The meeting room is located just around the corner. See the map of FABB Meeting Room Locations. If you have problems finding the room you can call 703-328-9619.