FABB Blog

 

Beulah Road Trail Ribbon Cutting - Update

he Beulah Road trail was officially opened on Friday. The project is a culmination of many years of dedicated effort led by Jenifer Joy Madden. Jenifer wanted a safe way to walk and bike to Meadowlark Gardens Botanical Park located a short distance from her house. There was no sidewalk or trail and walking along Beulah Road was dangerous.


Jenifer convinced Supervisor Hudgins that many people in her community wanted safe bike and pedestrian access to the numerous nearby parks, including The Barns at Wolf Trap and The Filene Center. Jenifer then worked with residents, including FABB's president Jeff Anderson, and county staff to obtain Federal funding for trail construction, and with then Congressman Moran's support, funding for a new ped/bike bridge over the Dulles Toll Road parallel to Trap Road. See the project website.

Congratulations to Jenifer and her team and to the county for completing this work. These new facilities have made it much easier to me and others who visit Wolf Trap and Meadowlark Gardens and the other parks in that area to more safely access these great resources.

Update May 26: Article from the Connection newspaper, A Long Time Coming, But Finally Here.

Labels: beulah road, jenifer madden, novi trail network, supervisor hudgins

posted by Bruce Wright at 10:00 AM permalink

 

FABB Social Ride Oct. 9 - NoVi Trail Network

Join FABB for a casual bike ride on Sunday, October 9 starting at 2 p.m. We will visit two county, two regional, and one national park, all within a short distance of Tysons. The ride begins at Meadowlark Gardens Botanical Park and will travel along the NoVi (Northern Vienna) Trail Network, including the newly completed portion on Beulah Road.  Register on Eventbrite.

The Beulah trail is part of a bike-friendly route to Wolf Trap National Park's The Barns of Wolf Trap and the Filene Center. We will return to the W&OD Trail and ride to the Meadowlark Connector Trail which leads back to Meadowlark Gardens.

Some portions of the route are very steep and may require some riders to walk a short distance. The majority of the ride will be on trails but there are a couple of short road segments. Total distance is approximately 7-8 miles. The ride begins at 2 p.m. and will take about 2 hours, with stops along the way to discuss how the trail system was created.

Joining us will be Jenifer Joy Madden, Vice Chair of the Fairfax County Transportation Advisory Commission and the NoVi Trail Network’s chief advocate.The ride concludes back at Meadowlark for refreshments where Jenifer will tell us a bit about her new book, How To Be a Durable Human, which tells the NoVi story and includes tips for making your own community more bike- and walk-friendly.

All riders must have a helmet and sign a ride waiver. The ride is free and you can register using the FABB Social Ride Eventbrite page.

Labels: beulah road, fabb social ride, jenifer madden, meadowlark gardens botanical park

posted by Bruce Wright at 4:03 PM permalink

 

Confusion about Bicycles May Use Full Lane Signs

Photo: Fairfax Times

In the Fairfax Times article New state road signs spark confusion for cyclists, motorists: ‘Bikes May Use Full Lane’ intended to alert motorists that cyclists can use center lane on narrow roads, a motorist is quoted as saying the new signs are illegal.

The new Bicycles May Use Full Lane signs are used "where travel lanes are too narrow for bicyclists and motor vehicles to operate side by side" according to the official guidelines for their use. The guidelines go on to state "The Bicycles May Use Full Lane sign may be used in locations where it is important to inform road users that bicyclists might occupy the travel lane."

In the article Ronald Corso, who says he's a cyclist, complains about "bikers taking up the full lane and going a fifth of the speed limit and backing up traffic." He goes on to state that he thinks the signs are illegal: "In addition, the signs appear to be in conflict with [Va. Code § 46.2-905] which states: ‘Bicyclists operating a bicycle on a roadway at less than the normal speed of traffic at the time and place under conditions then existing shall ride as close as safely practicable to the right curb or edge of roadway.’"

What Mr. Corso neglects to quote is the end of that sentence in the code, "except under any of the following circumstances:" One of those circumstances is "substandard width lanes that make it unsafe to continue along the right curb or edge."

Fortunately Randy Dittberner of VDOT knows the code and he did a good job of explaining why the signs are needed. The signs are for both cyclists and motorists. The cyclist pictured in the article (above) is demonstrating what not to do in a narrow lane, ride in the gutter. This is very dangerous. There is not enough operating room and one small mistake by a cyclist in this position could lead to a crash, potentially in the path of a following motor vehicle. The cyclist is much safer riding away from the curb. If the lane is too narrow to share with a motorist, taking the lane and forcing motorists to pass safely is the best option.

Regarding delay of traffic; bicycles on the road are part of traffic and during rush hour often travel about the speed of other traffic. Even if traffic is traveling at the posted speed, which is 35mph on Beulah Rd, bicyclists are traveling only slightly slower than other traffic. Delays for following motorists, especially on the short 1/4 mile stretch between Clarks Crossing Rd and Trap Rd where most cyclists ride on Buelah, are minimal.

We wrote about the signs not long ago, along with several articles about shared lane markings. Obviously more needs to be done by VDOT and the county to educate motorists and cyclists about the purpose of the new signs and markings and about the laws in Virginia as they apply to bicyclists.

Labels: beulah road, bicycles may use full lane, BMUFL, shared lane markings

posted by Bruce Wright at 11:30 AM permalink

 

Bicycles May Use Full Lane signs and Sharrows

Bicycle May Use Full Lane sign on Beulah Rd

Tonight we rode to the Transforming Tysons Open House to check out the latest information on bicycle projects in Tysons. The meeting was held at Westbriar Elementary School off Old Courthouse Road on the outskirts of Tysons. The route we used from Reston included the W&OD Trail to Clarks Crossing Road to Beulah Road. This section of Beulah is about 1/4 mile but it's a narrow, busy commuter route and there is just a very narrow paved shoulder.

The road now has a sign that tells motorists that Bicycles May Use Full Lane. The biggest problem encountered on this stretch is harassment by motorists. Now they know that we belong on the road and I'm hoping they show a bit more patience. This is a busy bike commuter route leading into Tysons and the signs are a welcome addition.

From Beulah Rd we continued to Trap Road, Gelding Lane, Bois Ave, Montmorency Dr to a trail that connects to Palm Springs Dr to Hidgon Dr to Pine Valley Dr. These are all quiet neighborhoods streets and it was a very pleasant ride in the cool 70 degree weather.

Getting ready for sharrows on Old Courthouse Rd

We arrived early so we could check out another location nearby where signage is needed. Old Courthouse Rd has bike lanes for a short stretch that end at the Vienna line. Where they are needed most is further east where the road narrows and is uphill, in front of Freedom Hill Park. We've mentioned the need for sharrows (shared lane markings) on this section in the past. They were included in a list of candidates for either sharrows or Bicycles May Use Full Lane signs.

As you can see from the photo on the left looking east toward Freedom Hill Park, VDOT has marked the spot where sharrows will soon be installed. There are plans to add paved shoulders to the road in the near future.

We've also heard there are Bicycles May Use Full Lane signs on Idylwood Rd, another road we've suggested needs the signage. We've already heard that someone has requested that sharrows also be used. The traffic and cyclist harassment is so bad on that section that we agree that both the Bicycles May Use Full Land and sharrows are needed.

Good things are happening in Fairfax. New bike lanes on Gallows Road into Tysons, and sharrows and Bicycles May Use Full Lane signs appearing in several places around the county. With the completion of the bike plan, this might be the start of a new chapter for bicyclists in Fairfax.

Labels: beulah road, bicycles may use full lane, freedom hill park, old courthouse road, shared lane markings

posted by Bruce Wright at 10:03 PM permalink