Thursday, May 11, 2017
 

Fairfax County Receives Bike-Friendly Community Bronze Level

Congratulations to Fairfax County for becoming a Bronze level Bicycle Friendly Community. A special thank you to county bicycle program staff for their hard work and dedication. The county has been making great progress in becoming more bike-friendly over the past several years.


While we still have a long way to go before it's safe and convenient for all residents to bike, we now have a Bicycle Master Plan unanimously approved by the Board of Supervisors, new bike lanes throughout the county as part of the summer repaving program, Bicycle Parking Guidelines, very successful Bike to Work Day and Bike to School Days, a new bicycle safety program implemented by the Safe Routes to School Coordinator, and many other accomplishments. FABB has been a strong advocate of all of this work so thanks to all the FABB volunteers who have worked hard over the years to foster this effort.

From Fairfax County's Bicycle Friendly Community news release:
Today, the League of American Bicyclists recognized Fairfax County with a Bronze level Bicycle Friendly Community (BFCSM) award. The Bronze level BFC award recognizes Fairfax County’s commitment to improving conditions for bicycling through investment in bicycling promotion, education programs, infrastructure and pro-bicycling policies. The BFC program provides a benchmark for communities to evaluate these conditions and policies, while highlighting areas for improvement. The national scope of the program also promotes competition and comparison between communities - with 416 currently recognized BFC there is always a model for your community to be found.

“The Fairfax County Bicycle Program began just over 10 years ago and receiving this designation is a significant accomplishment," said Fairfax County Bicycle Program Coordinator Adam Lind. "The County has a growing network of off-road trails and on-road bike facilities, and we recently joined the Capital Bikeshare family. We also recently released the updated Fairfax County Bicycle Map just in time for the 2017 Bike to Work Day on May 19," continued Lind. "Receiving a Bronze designation is just the beginning as we continue to design and build safe streets for all, and strive to become a silver level Bicycle Friendly Community.”

Read Fairfax County BFC Report Card

With the announcement of six (6) communities moving from an Honorable Mention to Bronze, nine (9) communities receiving a Bronze award on their first application, and 22 renewing BFCs today, Fairfax County joins a group of communities, in all 50 states, that are transforming their neighborhoods. There are now 416 communities currently recognized with a BFC award for their efforts to make biking better.

“We applaud these communities for making improvements for people who bike in a ways that build upon their existing strengths and are based upon their particular needs, whether that is infrastructure, education, or encouragement,” said Bill Nesper, Executive Director at the League of American Bicyclists. “We are encouraged by the way that communities are using bicycling as a part of their solution to issues of health, job access, traffic safety, and the environment and using our program to make progress in those issues. We look forward to continuing to work with these communities as part of our mission to build a Bicycle Friendly America for everyone.”

The BFC program provides a roadmap to building a Bicycle Friendly Community and the application itself has become a rigorous and an educational tool in itself.Since its inception, more than 800 distinct communities have applied and the five levels of the award — diamond, platinum, gold, silver and bronze — provide a clear incentive for communities to continuously improve. To learn more about the BFC program, visit bikeleague.org/community.

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posted by Bruce Wright at 1:23 PM permalink

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Wednesday, March 15, 2017
 

Bike/Ped Info in Transportation Status Report February 2017

Twice a year the county Department of Transportation submits a Transportation Status Report to the Board of Supervisors. On Tuesday they unveiled the February 2017 report that includes status info on bicycle and pedestrian activities. For more information you can attend the FABB Monthly Meeting tonight at Oakton Library starting at 7:30 p.m. Bicycle program staff will be present to take questions.

The report will be posted soon on the Transportation Status Report page or you can see Information Item 4 in the March 14 Board Agenda:
Bicycle and Pedestrian Programs

The Board directed FCDOT to lead the effort to improve bicycle and pedestrian safety and mobility, including constructing bicycle and pedestrian facilities in high-priority areas of Fairfax County. In 2006, the Board endorsed a Ten-Year Funding Goal of $60 million for new bicycle and pedestrian projects. Through FY2020, the Board has greatly exceeded this goal by selecting $314 million in high-priority bicycle and pedestrian improvement projects.
  • Pedestrian and Bicycle Access and Safety: FCDOT staff advanced the Fairfax County Pedestrian Program by direct collaboration with other agencies and the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) for public information meetings such as the I-495 Tysons Pedestrian Bridge, the Tysons Experience (Open House), the Hunter Mill Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC), the Fairfax Alliance for Better Bicycling (FABB), the Vienna Metro Bicycle Access Study, the Little River Turnpike Bicycle Corridor Study, the Scotts Run Trail to McLean Metro, and Great Falls Street and Kirby Road sidewalks. 
  • Safe Routes to School: FCDOT has collaborated with Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), providing funding to build sidewalks needed to connect neighborhoods to schools. FCPS staff provides FCDOT sidewalk requests that would allow more children to walk to school. Projects are selected for funding based on FCPS priority and site-specific engineering. FCDOT currently has four SRTS-funded projects under design, at Terra Centre Elementary School, Flint Hill Elementary School, New Graham Road Elementary School, and Westbriar Elementary School. The Board’s adopted Transportation Priorities Plan for FY2015 – FY2020 provided additional funding for 23 school-walking-route sidewalk projects totaling $22 million. 
  • Trails and Sidewalks Committee: FCDOT provided staff support to the Trails and Sidewalks Committee which meets monthly. The committee is composed of representatives from across the County, including representatives from Washington Area Bicycle Association, building industry, community associations, equestrian clubs, Disabilities Services Board, and the Fairfax County and Northern Virginia Regional Park Authorities. The committee makes recommendations to the Board of Supervisors regarding pedestrian, bicycle, and equestrian issues in the County. [Note: FABB has several members on the committee. We are working on getting a formal position on the committee.] 
  • Yield to Pedestrians Fine Signs: Fairfax County is one of the few jurisdictions in Virginia allowed to designate certain crosswalks for Yield to Pedestrians in Crosswalk $100 - $500 Violation Fine signs. As of 2017, FCDOT has installed and maintains over 2,000 of these signs at over 500 intersections.
  • Education (Street Smart Media Campaign): FCDOT staff worked with regional partners on the Street Smart Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Media Campaigns. The twice-yearly campaigns utilized major-market television and radio, print, and bus advertising to promote safety awareness responsibilities of drivers and pedestrians in both English and Spanish. 
  • Enforcement: FCDOT staff worked with the Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD) which conducted pedestrian safety enforcement in high pedestrian crash areas countywide. The FCPD conducts pedestrian enforcement and public awareness through all district stations as part of annual traffic enforcement plans. 
  • Increase and Enhance Bicycle Parking: FCDOT added 17 new bicycle racks and completed one new bike parking installation, and is preparing several more for installation in 2017 at libraries, parks, and County government centers. 
  • Secure Bicycle Parking Facilities: Staff is finalizing work on new “Bike-and-Ride” facilities at various locations countywide including: Phase II Silver Line Stations and Springfield Community Business Center Commuter Parking Garage. The bike-and-ride at Wiehle-Reston East Metrorail Station continues to be heavily utilized (110 members to date) and the County now operates an additional bike-and-ride at the Stringfellow Road Park-and-Ride. Staff is also coordinating with WMATA on the addition of two bike-and- rides at the Vienna/Fairfax-GMU-Fairfax Metrorail Station and the Franconia-Springfield Metrorail Station. These stations will be owned and operated by WMATA. FCDOT added 17 bike racks at the following locations: Mason District Park, West Springfield Government Center, John Marshall Library, and Audrey Moore Rec Center. More bike racks will be added throughout 2017. 
  • Bicycle Route Signage-Countywide: Three wayfinding projects are scheduled to be completed in spring 2017: Franconia-Springfield Metrorail Station, Annandale to the East Falls Church Metrorail Station, and along the Gerry Connolly Cross County Trail from Route 50 to the Vienna/Fairfax-GMU Metrorail Station. FCDOT will continue to expand its bicycle wayfinding program throughout 2017, including the much anticipated Fairfax County Parkway Trail Wayfinding project. 
  • Western Fairfax Historic Cycle Tour: Cycle Tour Map is complete and sign design has been finalized. Printing of the route map is complete and design of the wayfinding is underway. 
  • Fairfax County Capital Bikeshare: Capital Bikeshare launched in Reston and Tysons on October 21, 2016. There were eight stations in Reston and seven stations in Tysons at the time of launch, which represented 50 percent of planned stations. Staff continued to add stations since the launch and there are now 12 stations in Reston and 11 stations in Tysons. The remaining seven stations will be added in 2017. Staff is also working to purchase and install more stations in 2018 through a VDOT Transportation Alternates Program Grant. More information on County Bikeshare, including station locations, can be found at http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/fcdot/bike/restontysonsbikeshare.htm. 
  • VDOT Repaving Program: FCDOT and VDOT once again partnered for a successful 2016 repaving program which added nearly 15 lane-miles of on-road bike facilities. A large concentration of bike facilities were added in the Annandale area (Mason and Braddock Districts), an area that lacked bike lanes until 2014. In 2015, 5.4 miles of bike lanes were added, and 14 miles of bike lanes by the end of 2016. Additional bike lanes were added in other areas of Braddock and Mount Vernon Districts as well.

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posted by Bruce Wright at 1:44 PM permalink

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Monday, April 18, 2016
 

Need Volunteers to Develop Bike Routes to August Brewfest

FABB is looking for help developing bike routes from various locations in Fairfax County to the Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton and its inaugural Brewfest on August 13, 2016. 

The Workhouse, in partnership with Celebrate Fairfax, Visit Fairfax, and Fairfax County Government, is presenting the BrewFest from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm that day.  It will feature nearly 100 craft brews by 30 breweries, a dozen bands performing on three stages, numerous food trucks, lawn games, and Workhouse artists in their galleries, which will be open for visitors to explore.

To make it easier for bicyclists to attend the event, FABB wants to work with a few riders who know the area around Lorton to develop routes and cue sheets for the event.  If you are willing to help, please contact Steve Ward at srward1057@gmail.com. 

 In the meantime, FABB members are encouraged to mark the date on their calendars and plan on attending what appears to be an amazingly fun event.

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Tuesday, July 1, 2014
 

Bicycle Master Plan available on Fairfax Co website

The final draft of the Fairfax County Bicycle Master Plan is now available on the county website. Phase I of the plan was the Tysons Bicycle Master Plan that has since been incorporated into Phase II. Also included are four quadrant maps showing recommended bicycle facilities.

Public hearings on the Master Plan will be held before the Planning Commission on October 1 and the Board of Supervisors on October 28. FABB will be leading rides to the public hearings to show support for the Plan. FABB is encouraging all county cyclists to support the Plan by signing the Bicycle Master Plan petition. We'll be posting more info about upcoming bike plan meetings.

From the Master Plan Executive Summary:

Fairfax County Bicycle Master Plan Vision and Goals

The Master Plan articulates the vision, goals and objectives for bicycling in Fairfax County. The vision for bicycling in Fairfax County is:

Meeting the safety, access, and mobility needs of bicyclists today, while encouraging more people to bicycle in the future...making Fairfax County bicycle friendly and bicycle safe.
In order to attain this vision, the Master Plan includes the following goals:
  1. Develop a safe and connected network of on-road and off-road bicycle route options (shared-use paths and trails), and other supporting infrastructure, that serve all communities and destinations. This network will consist of shared-use paths, select sidewalks, park trails, neighborhood streets, and collector, arterial, and primary roadways as well as signed routes, bicycle parking facilities, and integration with public transit.
  2. Plan, develop, design, construct, and maintain new facilities and accommodations, and upgrade existing facilities to safely and comfortably serve all bicyclists from 8 to 80+ years of age when cycling for transportation or recreation purposes.
  3. Increase bicycle use for transportation, especially for non-commute trips, which account for approximate 75 percent of all transportation trips.
  4. Establish and track annual progress towards goals for bicycle travel demand and provision of bicycling infrastructure as identified in the Plan.
  5. Increase actual bicycling safety and the perception of safety for bicycling on roads and trails in Fairfax County.

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posted by Bruce Wright at 12:05 PM permalink

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Monday, May 26, 2014
 

Repaved trails in Burke area

Alan Young and his grandson James discovered this week that VDOT Fairfax County has repaved roadside trails in Alan's neighborhood, connecting Rolling Road and Burke Road homes to Rolling Road VRE Station! The trails were in desperate need of repair. There were holes in the pavement and tree roots. Now, they have smooth pavement to encourage them to ride to adjoining neighborhoods, the VRE station and beyond! "We are so pleased that VDOT Fairfax County is paying attention to our pedestrian and bicycle needs! Thanks VDOT Fairfax County!"

As you can see above, Alan learned that Fairfax County was responsible for the work, so he has changed his quote:)


James on the newly paved Burke Rd
path across from Burke VRE station

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posted by Bruce Wright at 9:55 AM permalink

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Wednesday, January 9, 2013
 

Fairfax Bicycle Master Plan - Summary - Update: Draft maps added

Over the past couple of years FABB has been working with Fairfax County to develop the Tysons and Countywide Bicycle Master Plans. Several FABB members served on the advisory committee and we attended all of the community and focus group meetings. The draft bike plan was delivered to the advisory committee and county in July. We understand that some changes have been made to both the plan text and maps, although the advisory committee has not met since the summer.

The plan will be going before the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors over the coming months. FABB will be meeting with Commission members and Supervisors to encourage them to pass the plan and provide funds for implementation. The following is a summary of the plan extracted from the July 13, 2012 draft. We'll be using this information, and any changes made since the July draft, to prepare briefing materials and to get the word out to the larger community about the plan.

Unfortunately the plan is not yet available to the public. Much of the material from the planning meetings was hosted on the consultant's website but is no longer available. Some of that material is available on Fairfaxpedia. Here is the bike plan summary:


Fairfax County Bicycle Master Plan
DRAFT July 13, 2012

Investments in Bicycle Transportation Benefit Everyone

  • Enhancing safety for all County residents
  • Improving air quality and reducing energy consumption:
  • Reducing traffic congestion:
  • Providing transportation options:
  • Reducing transportation costs:
  • Providing opportunities for routine exercise:
  • Expanding recreational opportunities for residents, employees and visitors:
  • Improving quality of life:
  • Improving economic competitiveness:

The vision for the Countywide Bicycle Master Plan is:

Meeting the needs of bicyclists today, while encouraging more people to bicycle in the future.

In order to attain this vision, the following goals are established:

  • Develop a connected physical network of existing and proposed on-street and off-street (shared use paths and trails) bicycling accommodations that will serve all bicyclists from 8 to 80+ years of age when cycling for recreation or transportation purposes.
  • Provide guidance for the development of new facilities and accommodations and the upgrading of existing facilities such that shared-use paths, selected sidewalks, neighborhood streets, collector, arterial and primary roads will provide safe and comfortable bicycling route options that serve all communities and destinations.
  • Increase bicycle use for transportation, especially for non-commute trips, which are about 75 percent of all trips. Establish and track annual progress towards bicycle travel demand and bicycle network supply goals identified in the Countywide Bicycle Master Plan.
  • Increase actual bicycling safety and the perception of safety for bicycling on roads and trails in Fairfax County. Establish and track annual progress towards safety goals identified in the Countywide Bicycle Master Plan.

These goals are supported by the following objectives:

  • Encourage healthy lifestyles and physical activity through regular bicycle use for transportation and recreation.
  • Enhance recreational opportunities.
  • Increase conservation of energy resources.
  • Support congestion mitigation and emission reductions.
  • Improve mobility and access for all transportation system users.
  • Convert short (less than three miles) single-occupancy vehicle trips to bicycle trips.
  • More fully integrate bicycle improvements into the planning and project development process.
  • Improve overall bicycle safety, access and connectivity throughout the County and to adjacent counties.
  • Foster the development of bike culture in Fairfax County.
  • Make bicycle travel a viable transportation choice and thus expand the numbers and variety of people bicycling for transportation.

The following principles provide a foundation upon which a Bicycle Network can be developed:

  1. The facility recommendations shown on the Bicycle Network maps generally represent the bicycle facility that should be installed if action to improve bicycling conditions is to be taken in the near term (within 10 years of Plan adoption). Many of these recommendations may remain applicable beyond that timeframe.
  2. Fairfax County will build upon and take full advantage of VDOT’s recently adopted Bicycle Policy Plan.
  3. To provide overall guidance regarding Network development, Fairfax County will follow the most current editions of the AASHTO Guide to the Planning and Design of Bicycle Facilities, and the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. Other important references include the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) Urban Bikeway Design Guide, VDOT’s 2011 MUTCD Supplement, and VDOT's Road Design Manual, Volume 1 Appendix A, Section A-5.
  4. Given County law that permits bicycling on all sidewalks and paths, it is understood that whether or not a sidewalk or path is considered part of the Bicycle Network, it likely will be used by children/youth bicyclists to get to and from school, and/or by other bicyclists as a link to the Network. As such, the owning agency or entity should be attentive to basic maintenance and its general condition.
  5. Every roadway development project and land development proffer should be evaluated for its contribution toward, or lack of contribution to, achieving the goal of creating a connected network that is safe and functional for bicyclists from ages 8 to 80+.
  6. New bicycle facility designs and treatments should be routinely considered and and used where appropriate; where roadway conditions and travel patterns warrant, formal experimentation should be undertaken when implementing new designs.
  7. While flexibility is needed in bikeway design, flexibility shall not be used by developers or transportation agencies for the purposes of providing “lowest cost” facilities at the expense of bicyclist safety and comfort and/or network continuity and connectivity.
  8. A FCDOT bikeway design exception policy should be established; the intent of which is to help the County provide safe and appropriate quality bicycle facilities at reasonable costs, while preserving opportunities to upgrade facilities in the future at the lowest additional cost.

On-Road Bicycle Facilities

These recommendations are based on a planning level assessment of what facility is generally feasible, and what facility is optimal based upon road and traffic conditions and likely levels of bicycle usage. Other factors such as maintaining continuity of a single facility type through connecting road segments, whether or not the road segment is part of a longer route, and the types of destinations served also factored into the recommendation.

If facility selections need to be modified, the following principles should guide any changes made to the initial recommendations:

  1. In general, bicycle accommodation with some type of striping or markings (i.e. bike lanes, striped/paved shoulders, or shared lane markings in wide outside lanes) are preferred over unmarked wide outside lanes.
  2. At a minimum, buffered bike lanes or wide (6-10’) shoulders should be provided on Bicycle Network roads with heavy volumes and/or speed limits at or above 40 mph.
  3. On-street parking will not be over-supplied at the expense of an opportunity to provide appropriate/planned bicycle facilities. Facilities that require modification to on-street parking in residential areas should be vetted with the affected property owners. In almost all cases the bikeway recommendation requires only a reduction in capacity, not elimination of all on-street parking. Alternating the side with parking block-by-block can both calm traffic and ensure that inconvenience is not born solely by residents of one side of the street.
  4. VDOT and FCDOT should experiment with at least two bicycle facility design options for four lane divided roadways with 26-27’ cartways11:
    • 10-11’ inside lane and 13-14’ outside lane with a shared lane marking
    • A 10’ inside lane, 10’ outside lane and a 5-6’ bike lane with 3-4’ of asphalt and a 2’ gutter pan
  5. When sections of primary arterial roads are resurfaced or reconstructed in Fairfax County Revitalization Districts, and other areas seeking a traditional main street or urban downtown setting, they should be retrofitted as follows:
    • Where short-term on-street parking is provided – Standard bike lanes or shared lane markings.
    • Speed limit of 25 mph – Standard bike lanes or share
    • Speed limit of 30 or 35 mph – Standard Bike lanes.
    • Speed limit > 35 mph – Cycle tracks or buffered bike lanes.
    • Continuous service roads with Standard bike lanes or shared lane markings.
New, resurfaced, and reconstructed streets (collector and local) in revitalizing or urbanizing areas should have a speed limit of 20-30 mph and accommodate bicycles using shared roadways (without markings), shared lane markings, or standard bicycle lanes as is appropriate given their overall function in the Bicycle Network and roadway system.
  1. The County will continue to develop a system of signed bicycle routes; Phase 1 and 2 routes in the Tysons Corner area (see Tysons Bicycle Plan) and routes in McLean being of the highest priority. Future routes should be developed as conditions on roads and trails along the route are determined to be consistent enough to support a signed route.

Maintenance of Transportation Trails and On-Road Facilities

  1. The GIS database of all trails in the county should be updated annually to include the trail owner and the agency responsible for maintenance for all trail segments. This database should include information about privately-owned trails that are open for public access, and the trail surface type, surface width and other information relevant to effective maintenance and management of a trail system.
  2. Using GIS and interactive internet mapping capabilities, the County should establish a method of effective coordination between key agencies that own, manage and maintain components of the Transportation Trail Network. This will include the VDOT, FCDOT, NVRPA, Fairfax County Park Authority, the National Park Service, the Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Services, the Fairfax County Public Schools, private property owners, Home Owner Associations, and potentially others.
  3. Fairfax County, VDOT and other key agencies/entities that own and manage Transportation Trails should establish dedicated funding for annual maintenance of Transportation Trails in the Bicycle Network; VDOT and FCDOT should establish dedicated funding for maintenance of on-road bicycle facilities.
  4. By 2015, periodic bicycle lane and shoulder sweeping should be a routine VDOT maintenance activity.
  5. Clean up activities after car crashes must leave the road safe for cyclists.

Policy Roads

The safe accommodation of bicycle travel on these roads will depend on other choices that are made, such as what type and configuration of development happens, and what type of future roadway configurations are selected. At the time of developing the Bicycle Master Plan, these choices cannot be predicted. As a result, a table is included on the Recommended Bicycle Network Maps to provide guidance on how best to accommodate safe bicycle travel contingent upon the other choices that are made about roadway and land use development

Implementation

  1. Bike facilities as part of resurfacing, using 2% funds to create 3 foot minimum shoulders, preferably 4 feet or greater.
  2. Use of 10 foot wide lanes on roads with speed limit of 35mph or less.
  3. Possibly reduce speed limits on some roads to allow use of Shared Lane Markings
  4. All bridges will accommodate bicyclists
  5. Value engineering should not be used to degrade or remove bicycle facilities in the plan.

Fairfax County Bike Program

It is anticipated that if the following actions are carried out, over a period of 5 years absent any other major initiatives, the Plan goals for improving bicycling conditions and increasing levels of bicycle use can be accomplished:
  1. Provide a minimum staff of three full-time employees.
  2. Provide a minimum $500,000 annual budget for planning and programmatic and small scale capital projects such as: installation of bicycle parking racks and lockers, signs for signed bicycle routes, curb ramps, and small bicycle access and trail access projects.
  3. Establish a permanent Countywide Bicycle Advisory Committee that reports to the Board of Supervisors through the Transportation Advisory Commission (TAC). Reform the Trails and Sidewalks Committee as a Pedestrian Advisory Committee under the TAC. If needed, create a Recreational Trails Committee under the Fairfax Park Authority to address issues and needs related to equestrian trails, mountain biking, hiking and other issues pertaining to Non-Transportation Trails.
  4. Charge the Bicycle Program with bicycle transportation tasks related to the following: on-road and off-road bicycle facility engineering and design, bicycle parking, bicycle-related coordination with VDOT, bikeway capital project management, interagency and intergovernmental coordination, development review, bicycle counts, data management and program evaluation, and staff liaison with Bike Fairfax. Bike Parking Guidelines recently developed by the Fairfax County Bike Program are considered to be the standard by which to decide and judge the quantity and quality of bike parking to be provided.
  5. Delegate primary leadership for encouragement and education programs to a new Bike Fairfax program (discussed below).

Bike Fairfax

The Bike Fairfax program will be structured to address the goals of the Bicycle Master Plan and will undertake the following list of program tasks:
  1. Provide bicycle commuting support and information to employers and employees.
  2. Promote bicycling for non-commute trips.
  3. Coordinate and host countywide bicycle encouragement events, such as those during Bike to Work Month, regional Bike to Work Day, etc.
  4. Organize local bike promotion events with shopping centers, large employers, health care institutions and agencies, special events, festivals, the Fairfax County Park Authority.
  5. Promote the bicycle parking installation program.
  6. Coordinate with the Towns and Cities within Fairfax County, as well as other institutions such as the Department of Defense, National Park Service, and other Fairfax County government agencies to promote biking as a safe and reliable transportation choice in the County.
  7. Organize and offer classes that teach hands-on bicycling skills and rules of the road to a wide variety of constituencies within the county.
  8. Be a clearinghouse for skills and safety education training opportunities offered by other programs in the county.
  9. Provide a website and serve as a source of bicycle-related news and events.

Law enforcement is an important cornerstone of an effective local bicycle program. To improve bicycle-related enforcement and outcomes, the following recommendations are included in this Plan:
  1. Work with law enforcement, State and County elected officials and advocacy groups to enact changes in law or policy at the State and County levels that would clarify code language relating to right-of-way on public facilities.
  2. To ensure a common understanding of laws related to bicycling and right of way on public facilities, and the consistent and fair enforcement of these laws, prepare clarifying communications for the law enforcement community, VDOT and FCDOT traffic engineers, cyclists, motorists, and judges.
  3. Improve training of law enforcement officers to ensure equal and fair treatment of bicyclists with regard to traffic law enforcement, crash reporting and fault finding.
  4. Coordinate road and trail design and enforcement practices to ensure consistency in the application of bicycle and trail safety treatments and infrastructure design.
  5. Always include education with enforcement to achieve the greatest impact with the intended audience.

Safety Education

  1. Implement Fairfax County’s bike safety education curriculum in all Elementary Schools, the State’s curriculum, BikeSmart in Middle schools and bicycle safety education in P.E. in the High Schools. To assist with school based education, restore the budget for School Resource Officers (SROs) and School Education Officers (SEOs).
  2. Work with the DMV to update the Virginia Driver Education curriculum to include bicycling. Driver’s education programs in public schools are required to use VA DMV curriculum which does not effectively address sharing the road with cyclists.
  3. Focus public education campaigns on the issues surrounding motorists and bicyclists sharing of the road and participate fully in the regional Street Smarts Campaign, which coordinates education and enforcement efforts relative to bicycle, pedestrian and motorist safety.
  4. In conjunction with the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority (NVRPA) and Fairfax Park Authority conduct a trail user and motorist education campaign related to safety at trail/roadway crossings, and other trail safety issues.
  5. Track and report the annual number bicyclist injuries in Fairfax County, the annual number of bicyclist fatalities in Fairfax County, the annual number of programs or classes hosted in Fairfax County to address bicycle safety education, and the number of schools in Fairfax County teaching bicycle safety education.

School Transportation

  1. Provide high quality bicycle parking at all school facilities.
  2. Make spot improvements on school properties to improve bike access to and through school grounds; prioritize other bicycle infrastructure improvements near middle and high schools as those schools develop interest in promoting biking to the school.
  3. Continue expansion and institutionalization of the bicycling component of safe routes to school activities for all schools in the system, K-12; address bike safety education, encouragement, enforcement, engineering and program evaluation.

Funding

To accomplish the vision and goals outlined in the Bicycle Transportation Master Plan:

  1. The County must establish dedicated funding for Bicycle Network development and program implementation.
  2. Funding and programming for development of bicycle facilities should be simplified and made transparent in order for performance measures for spending and program utilization to be established and monitored through public oversight.
  3. Funding for encouragement and safety education should be derived from employer contributions to TDM programs, partner organizations, and CMAQ funds.
  4. Fairfax County will consider funding stand alone projects to address bicycle safety and facility discontinuity resulting from intermittent redevelopment of roadside property.

Performance Measures

  • By 2020, triple the number of bicycle trips over current levels,
  • By 2020 increase by five-fold the number of center line miles of on-street bicycle facilities, and minimize gaps in the bicycle network, and
  • By 2020, reduce bicycle crash and fatality rates by increasing the numbers of people bicycling and maintaining or reducing the total number of crashes and fatalities involving bicyclists.

To track the rate of Plan implementation, keep the public informed on Plan progress, and report the benefits of the overall Plan to Fairfax County, an annual Bicycle Master Plan performance tracking program is needed. The Bicycle Master Plan recommends the following count program to both establish a baseline assessment of bicycle activity in Fairfax County, and to track on an annual basis the implementation and performance of the Plan.

  1. FCDOT shall establish an annual bicycle count program using a methodology focused on select locations throughout the County where significant bicycle trip activity is already present.
  2. FCDOT should expand the bicycle count program annually to additional locations as the physical network is expanded and use automatic counters in high-volume locations.
  3. Utilize WMATA’s bicycles-at-rail station census and bicycle and pedestrian access needs assessment database to count bicycle activity and ensure adequate bicycle parking capacity and quality of service at Metrorail stations in Fairfax County, including the new Silver Line stations as they open.
  4. FCDOT and VDOT should coordinate tracking of total miles of the on- and off-road Bicycle Network and provide an annual report to the Board of Supervisors and general public. The report should include the following:
    • Growth of miles of each facility type
    • Growth in bicycle parking capacity
    • Growth in use of new or experimental facility types
    • Change in levels of bicycling as measured by the bicycle count program
    • Change in levels of reported bicycle crashes and resulting deaths and injuries
  5. Coordinate with the Transportation Planning Board to enhance future regional travel surveys to better account for bicycle travel.

Moving Forward

In order to meet the vision identified in this Plan, the County will need to invest resources in bicycling as it does with all other transportation modes. An annual budget allocation will enable the County to build more bicycle facilities, create longer linear connections of on and off-road facilities, and better maintain those that already exist. Resources are also required to support encouragement and safety education programs that will capitalize on building momentum while increasing the safety of both bicyclists and drivers who will be interacting with greater frequency in the coming years. 

 Without a consistent investment in bicycling, there should be no expectation of more than the slow progress that the County has seen over the last two decades. However, with greater investment and a commitment to getting the details right, the County will see faster and more visible progress. This will increase safety, enhance quality of life, and support economic competitiveness, which will benefit everyone in Fairfax County today and in future generations.

Update: Recommended Bicycle Facilities Maps

 The following are overlapping maps of four quadrants in Fairfax County showing recommended on- and off-road bicycle facilities. These maps are DRAFT as of July 15, 2012:

 Northwest - Northeast - Southwest - Southeast

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posted by Bruce Wright at 8:47 PM permalink

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Thursday, November 22, 2012
 

Ghost bike placed at site of recent bicycle fatality

Today FABB placed a ghost bike near the intersection of Ashwood Place and Columbia Pike. Elizabeth Shattuck was killed when she was hit by a motorist driving a pickup truck. The motorist was headed westbound. Elizabeth was likely crossing Columbia Pike to reach Barcroft Plaza Shopping Center.

At this location Colubmia Pike is a high speed arterial with no bike facilities. There are service roads on either side of the main road but at this intersection there is no crosswalk or traffic control device to assist anyone trying to cross the Pike to reach the shopping center. The speed limit appears to be 45 mph. The crash occurred at around 2pm. Sight distance should not have been a problem, and the motorist should have been able to see the cyclist. Since police are seeking eyewitnesses, there were likely no witnesses at the scene. The motorist has not been charged.

This is the first bicycle fatality in Fairfax County this year.

Elizabeth is memorialized at the website Every Bicyclist Counts, which was established in May of this year by the League of American Bicyclists. For more information on Every Bicyclist Counts see the LAB blog. Our condolences go out to Elizabeth's family.

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posted by Bruce Wright at 1:32 PM permalink

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Monday, October 29, 2012
 

Fairfax Co map tool for reporting storm-related problems

Fairfax County is testing a crowdsourced mapping tool that lets people report problems as a result of Hurricane Sandy. There are four types of problems that you can report: No Power, Trees Down, Flooded Road, Traffic Light Out. These problems affect cyclists. I hope that no one is riding today or tomorrow, although I'm sure there is someone who depends on using a bicycle to get to work who will ride. Over the next several days if you encounter any of the conditions above, why not use the interactive map to report them.

Fairfax should have a version of this mapping tool to allow cyclists to report bicycle-specific problems. FABB would be glad to compile the data and work with the county bike coordinator to find solutions.

Update: Here's another map from Fairfax County showing road closures.

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Friday, July 6, 2012
 

Transit Network Study meetings in July

Fairfax County is conducting a major transit study. See an earlier FABB blog post about the study. Bicyclists are encouraged to learn more about how bicycling is being integrated with transit to allow more options for getting around the county. From Fairfax County:
The Fairfax County Department of Transportation will hold the first public meetings on the Countywide Transit Network Study.  Two meetings, covering the same materials, will be held in two different locations:

Monday, July 16, 2012 in Conference Rooms 9/10 of the Fairfax County Government Center at 12000 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax, VA, and

Thursday, July 19, 2012 in the Middle School Cafeteria of Hayfield Secondary School at 7630 Telegraph Road, Alexandria, VA.

Both meetings will be in an open house format from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., with a brief presentation at 7:00 p.m. and attendees are invited to join in two workshop discussions following the presentation.

This study will determine the most effective way to serve the County’s long term mobility needs and accommodate planned growth by establishing a network of high quality transit corridors.  The purpose of the public meeting  is to discuss the study purpose, scope and schedule and help refine proposed study goals and objectives, as well as to identify possible modifications to the Comprehensive Plan designation of Enhanced Public Transportation Corridors.

A project website has also been developed to keep residents up to date on project related news and provide feedback in the form of an online survey, which will remain open for comment until August 10, 2012 at http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/fcdot/2050transitstudy.
Please consider taking the Transit Survey.

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Monday, June 11, 2012
 

Bicycle Master Plan draft route network online

The draft bicycle route network being proposed by the Fairfax County Bicycle Master Plan team is now online and available for review. We encourage everyone who are familiar with the needs of cyclists in Fairfax to check out the areas you know and see what you think about the proposed routes.

Over the past year the planning team has gathered information from cyclists around the county. They've used information from the Bicycle Route Map, mostly determining how to fix the Less Preferred routes. They traveled throughout the county documenting bike conditions and determining what facilities are needed.

The bicycle plan advisory committee will meet on Wednesday to discuss the network and the policy and program recommendations. We've only seen a rough outline of the policy and program recommendations. Even though this is the last planned advisory committee meeting, we expect the dialog between the committee and the planning team to continue through June and July.

Public comments are being accepted through June. You can send comments through the project website or to FABB at chairman@fabb-bikes.org.

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Friday, May 4, 2012
 

Fairfax County news release on National Bike Month

It's encouraging to see this news release from Fairfax County on National Bike Month:

May is National Bike Month 2012



May 4, 2012

Highlights

  • Students are encouraged to bike or walk to school on Wednesday, May 9, the first national Bike to School Day.
  • Join others in biking to work on Bike to Work Day, Friday, May 18.
  • Bikes are allowed on Fairfax Connector buses, and bike lockers are available at three park and ride lots, along with . 
This month Fairfax County is encouraging residents and students to get around on two wheels instead of four.

May is Bike Month 2012, and biking to work, school or anyplace else is good for the environment, helps reduces traffic congestion, and benefits public health.

On Wednesday, May 9, students are encouraged to participate in the first national Bike to School Day by biking or walking. Marshall Road Elementary School, among others, will be joining in. Find out more about how to register or participate on the schools’ Bike to School Day page.

County residents also should consider commuting to work by bicycle on Friday, May 18 — Bike to Work Day 2012. There will be nine pit stops in Fairfax County where bike commuters can get free snacks, drinks, bicycle tune-ups. Find the pit stops locations and learn more on the county’s Bike to Work web page.

In Fairfax, .2 percent of residents commute to work by bicycle and 1.8 percent walk, according to 2010 Census estimates.

To encourage more two-wheeled commuting, Fairfax offers financial assistance to employers to create a bike benefit program for workers who commute by bike 80 percent of the time.
Bikes are allowed on Metro trains with some restrictions, and similarly, VRE allows bicycles on trains if they meet certain requirements. For those who want to ride to a train station, bike parking is available at most Metro stations, many VRE stations and the county’s Herndon-Monroe, Reston South and Sunset Hills park and ride lots.

Every Fairfax Connector bus is equipped with a bicycle rack, and there is no cost to bring a bike on board. Metrobuses also offer bike racks on every vehicle.

To plan out your ride, Fairfax created a comprehensive bike map that shows trails and routes countywide.

The county also is developing a bicycle master plan. This plan will guide the county in making improvements both on- and off-road for a more bike friendly community.

For more information about Bike to Work Day, county bike facilities, and maps, call the Fairfax County Department of Transportation at 703-324-BIKE (2453), TTY 711.

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posted by Bruce Wright at 9:45 PM permalink

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Sunday, December 4, 2011
 

Safe Routes to School in Fairfax

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.

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Tuesday, October 18, 2011
 

WABA Fairfax Meeting report

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

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