Friday, November 22, 2013
Road diet on River Birch Rd includes bike lanes
 |
| River Birch Rd bike lanes Photo: VDOT |
This is the third road diet in the county that has resulted in new bike lanes being installed. The others are Lawyers Road and Soapstone Drive, both in Reston. They are all examples of how we can make better use of our existing roads to provide space for bicyclists. There are many similar roads throughout the county. We hope that the success of these projects leads to more bike lanes in the future.
From VDOT:
VDOT’s latest road diet was implemented today, on River Birch Road between Dulles Technology Dr. and Sunrise Valley Dr. The project took away a through lane in each direction in favor of bike lanes and on-street parallel parking. Over the years the adjacent community has repeatedly requested additional parking because of a shortage of off-street parking, and the project helps address the shortfall. The reduction of a travel lane also will help control speeding, improve safety, and improve cyclist accommodations.River Birch carries at most about 4,000 vehicles per day, an amount of traffic that can be easily accommodated in a single travel lane. The entire 0.7-mile length of the street was treated.
The project was tailored to accommodate the needs of Coates Elementary School, where a queue of vehicles forms daily to enter the kiss-and-ride lot. The parking and southbound bike lane were discontinued for about 500’ in this queuing area, and shared-lane markings were installed to bridge the gap in the bike lane. The number and configuration of approach lanes were maintained at the stop signs at each end and the middle of the street.
The project was implemented after VDOT and Supervisor Foust held a community meeting on October 2, at which residents showed overwhelming support for the proposed change.
This is VDOT’s first road diet that was installed as a stand-alone project, rather than in conjunction with roadway repaving. As such, the project was configured so it did not require any changes to the existing centerline and very little eradication of existing markings.
A few photos of the finished project are attached. Many thanks to Ivan Horodyskyj for managing the project, to Bobby Mangalath for preparing the in-house pavement marking plan, Lew Graef for fine-tuning the signs, and to VDOT’s pavement marking and sign crews for their quick action to get the project implemented before winter weather sets in.
Labels: bike lanes, Randy Dittberner, River Birch Road, road diet
Monday, September 23, 2013
Community meeting to discuss proposed road diet on River Birch Rd
A public meeting is scheduled for Oct. 2. See below for more information;
River Birch Road: Community Meeting on Changes to Pavement Markings
VDOT and Fairfax County Supervisor Foust have heard concerns from the community surrounding River Birch Road: there is too much speeding traffic, and there is not enough parking. VDOT is considering ways to change the pavement markings to help address these concerns and wants the community’s input before taking any action.
In particular, River Birch is currently striped with two lanes in each direction, but the amount of traffic is so low that it would easily fit in one lane. Taking a lane away would make room for other uses of the pavement, such as on-street parking and bike lanes. Public input is essential in deciding if and how to reconfigure the street, so please consider attending to let VDOT know your views.
Wednesday, October 2, 2013, 7:00 p.m.
Coates Elementary School, Cafeteria
2480 River Birch Rd., Herndon, VA, 20171
Questions? Please contact Ivan Horodyskyj, VDOT Traffic Engineering, ivan.horodyskyj@vdot.virginia.gov
River Birch Road: Community Meeting on Changes to Pavement Markings
VDOT and Fairfax County Supervisor Foust have heard concerns from the community surrounding River Birch Road: there is too much speeding traffic, and there is not enough parking. VDOT is considering ways to change the pavement markings to help address these concerns and wants the community’s input before taking any action.
In particular, River Birch is currently striped with two lanes in each direction, but the amount of traffic is so low that it would easily fit in one lane. Taking a lane away would make room for other uses of the pavement, such as on-street parking and bike lanes. Public input is essential in deciding if and how to reconfigure the street, so please consider attending to let VDOT know your views.
Wednesday, October 2, 2013, 7:00 p.m.
Coates Elementary School, Cafeteria
2480 River Birch Rd., Herndon, VA, 20171
Questions? Please contact Ivan Horodyskyj, VDOT Traffic Engineering, ivan.horodyskyj@vdot.virginia.gov
Labels: River Birch Road, road diet, vdot
