FABB Blog

 

Bike Parking Expansion at Wiehle-Reston East Metro Station

There are several options for parking bikes at the Wiehle-Reston East Metro station. The secure bike room can hold over 200 bikes. There is a $60 annual fee. The free bike room just outside the secure room can hold around 36 bikes. There are also now bike racks on the plaza and two sets of U racks on the south side of the station.

The free bike room has become very crowded, with bikes locked to the fence and elsewhere. We've counted over 55 bikes on a nice summer day. Fairfax County will be expanding bike parking in the free bike room next Tuesday, September 5. All bikes must be removed from the room during that time. Thanks to Fairfax County for addressing the need for more parking at the station.

From the county:

Labels: bicycle parking, wiehle station bike room, wiehle-reston east

posted by Bruce Wright at 8:27 AM permalink

 

Bike parking counts at Wiehle station

We live near the Wiehle-Reston East Metro station and ride by the station most days. We've been stopping by the three bike parking locations at the station and counting bikes since the station opened, usually around 10am.

There are 10 U racks at the south station entrance, with a capacity of 20 bikes. On the north side there are 16 U racks outside the bike room that hold 32 bikes. Those racks are free and under cover. And then there is the secure bike room that can hold over 200 bikes.

Over time the number of bikes has gradually increased from a low of 61 on the second count to a high today of 107. If you compare the high number with the 2013 Metrorail bike parking census conducted by WMATA, the Wiehle station would rank 3rd in the category "Top Stations for Total Bikes Parked".

Here's a chart of the counts from July 31 to August 28:

The free bike room racks were over capacity 6 of the 10 days, at capacity 1 day, and under capacity 3 days. The south racks usually were in the 12-14 bike range (of 20 capacity), so there was usually place to park there. The bike room was at about 1/4 capacity with plenty of room for more bikes.

While it's great that people are using the existing racks and there is plenty of capacity in the bike room, the free bike parking at the Wiehle station needs to be expanded soon, especially on the north side nearest the W&OD Trail. We think many commuters are using the W&OD Trail to reach the station, many going to/from the Reston Town Center and other locations on the north side of the station. Ultimately there will be bike racks on the plaza outside the station entrance; those racks should be installed as soon as possible.

Information about the bike parking is located in several places online. If you visit the WMATA Wiehle-Reston East station page there are 10 lockers listed. Those are located on the south side of the station, next to the 10 U racks that are not listed. The bike parking on the north side is not listed either. If you visit the Silverline Metro Wiehle-Reston East page it incorrectly lists 15 racks on both the north and south sides. It also lists the 200 spaces in the bike room.

To rent the lockers you need to contact WMATA. To rent space in the bike room you need to contact Fairfax DOT. We were contacted recently by someone who tried to park their bike in the free racks outside the bike room but the racks were full. He checked the WMATA Bikes & Metro leaflet and there was no contact info about the bike room. He asked staff at the station but they didn't know how the system worked. Metro police told him to call the WMATA bike locker number, 202 962 1116, but they don't control the bike room. Not wanting to lock his bike to the fencing around the racks he gave up.

There is a sign next to the bike room that lists the Fairfax County DOT phone number (Information and  Lost & Found, 703-877-5600). There is also a sign on the door to the bike room with the county logo with the text County of Fairfax Virginia, Wiehle-Reston East Bike & Ride, not to be confused with WMATA's Bike & Ride, a completely different system.

People don't care who controls what at the stations; they just need clear information about how to use the facilities. Ideally there would be one point of contact for all bike facilities at the stations, but that will likely not happen for a while.

Labels: bicycle parking, bike parking, wiehle station bike room

posted by Bruce Wright at 1:12 PM permalink

 

Biking to the Silver Line

Bike parking at Spring Hill station Photo: Chris French

That's the online title of our Letter to the Editor that appeared in today's Post. It was based on the print article Parking worries loom over Silver Line (of course the Post uses a different title for the online article).

There is a common misconception that there is no parking at the Tysons Metrorail stations. While it is probably not sufficient, there is bike parking at each of the four Tysons stations, and biking to the station from surrounding neighborhoods is very feasible and will get better once planned bike facilities are built.

Here's the letter:
Fairfax County has also made extensive changes to transit around the stations that will facilitate taking short trips to Metro. In order to entice residents, who know of no other way to get around than to drive, to take transit, it need to have frequent service and be convenient. Even if that is the case it will take a major change in mindset for many Fairfax County residents to try transit or biking. It's delusional to think that if there are be massive parking garages at each of the stations there would not be more congestion in Tysons. Driving alone for short trips just does not make sense; it's wasteful, expensive, and does not contribute to creating livable spaces.

Labels: bicycle parking, Silver line, Tysons

posted by Bruce Wright at 9:42 AM permalink

 

New bike racks in McLean

Thanks to the efforts of FABB member Dennis Frew and support from the McLean Chamber of Commerce and Dranesville District Supervisor Foust, new bike racks are popping up around downtown McLean. Several of us from FABB attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony yesterday to celebrate the installation of racks near Greenberry's Coffee. Greenberry's hosted the event which was attended by Supervisor Foust, Chamber of Commerce members, county staff, Virginia Delegates Comstock and Keam, WABA suburban outreach staff, and FABB. Virginia Senator Favola stopped by briefly after the event.

McLean is leading the way for better bicycling in Fairfax. Wayfinding signs were installed this summer throughout McLean and now they have a bike parking initiative. Why not support their efforts by riding to McLean or stopping by Greenberry's and saying thanks? You could also take the McLean neighborhood tour that Dennis has led in the past.

Cutting the ribbon on two of the bike racks

Nelle Pierson (WABA), Kerie Hitt (FABB), Vanessa Aguayo and Charlie Strunk (Fairfax DOT), and Dennis Frew and Bruce Wright (FABB)

Update: See Sun Gazette article New Bike Hitches Installed to Boost Cycling in McLean.

McLean Patch article Cyclists Can Now Get 'Hitched' in McLean.

Labels: bicycle parking, mclean, supervisor foust

posted by Bruce Wright at 9:04 AM permalink

 

Bike parking at REI Tysons

From the DC Bike Parking Design document

When the new REI store opened in Tysons we were disappointed that there was no bike parking available. We were told that it would be installed real soon now. On a recent visit a FABB member noted that there is now bike parking at the store. The bad news is that the rack is a "wave" rack, which is discouraged by most jurisdictions, including Arlington Co. and DC. See the image on the right from the DC Bike Parking Design document.

A photo of the REI rack is below on the right showing how most people end up using the rack. The rack is supposed to hold 5 bikes but in effect usually holds 2 at the most. We've written to REI asking that they use inverted U racks in the future at their stores.

Fairfax County does not have bike parking guidelines. There are guidelines in draft form and we've been told they should be implemented soon. Bike parking is a very important component of bicycle infrastructure and all too often either the incorrect rack is used or a good rack is installed incorrectly.

REI Tysons bike rack

An example of an incorrectly installed rack is one of the new bike racks at the Spring Hill Metrorail station in Tysons. U-racks were used, but the nearest rack in the photo is installed too close to the concrete structure to the left so that there isn't enough room to properly park a bike. We've pointed out this problem and hope it's fixed soon. In my experience WMATA has gotten much better about bike parking recently and the Spring Hill example is the exception.

Spring Hill Metro bike racks

Labels: bicycle parking, rei, spring hill metro station

posted by Bruce Wright at 3:38 PM permalink

 

FABB purchases bike racks for Falls Church community

FABB recently purchased 4 inverted U racks that will provide bike parking cyclists at a local pool in Falls Church. Two years ago FABB received a grant from the Transurban Community Grant Program for bike light giveaways, purchasing bike racks, and conducting bike commuter classes. We've held several bike light giveaways, conducted bike commuting seminars in Tysons, and provided racks for cyclists in Vienna and Falls Church.

From the folks at Glen Forest:
With the purchase of these racks, we've used all the grant funding for lights, classes, and racks. We've applied for additional funding for conducting bike light giveaways this Fall and Winter.

Labels: bicycle parking, bike racks, Transurban

posted by Bruce Wright at 8:52 AM permalink

 

Apartment renters want good bike parking

Photo: Washington Post Express

Riding ’Hoods: Apartment buildings find ways to appeal to those who ride on two wheels recently appeared in Washington Post Express:
I'm quoted as agreeing with the statement that in the suburbs "You often have to drive your car somewhere to bike." While bike conditions aren't great in burbs, there are many bike-freindly streets and trails near where most people live. The first and last miles of many trips can be the worst because we don't have a connected network. Riding from home often does require riding on roads with no bike facilities, but unless the road is a major arterial, skilled cyclists can navigate most of these streets without too many problems.

I guess the main point is that it should be easier for everyone from 8 to 80 to be able ride from home to our destinations. That's the goal of the County Bicycle Master Plan. It will take political will to make it happen.

The transformation of Tysons from a car-dominated place to a more bike- and pedestrian-friendly place is mentioned in the article. There are major battles currently being fought to ensure that the excellent Tysons Plan is implemented. It won't be easy but with the transformation Tysons will be a better community, better able to compete with surrounding jurisdictions like Arlington and Alexandria.

Labels: alexandria, arlington county, bicycle parking

posted by Bruce Wright at 8:46 AM permalink

 

Vienna bike racks installed today

FABB has been working with the Vienna Bicycle Advisory Committee to help get better bike parking for residents and visitors to the Town of Vienna. Thanks to a generous grant from the Transurban-Fluor Community Grant program we were able to purchase and have installed 3 inverted U racks at Red Mango frozen yogurt and Maple Ave Market.

The Vienna BAC developed a streamlined application form for businesses that wanted to install bike parking. They worked with the Town Council to get the form approved and then helped the two stores fill out the applications. The racks were installed today.

The racks at Red Mango are in front of the store and are mostly visible from inside. There is almost no concrete or asphalt space for the racks so they were installed in concrete in the grassy area. Mulch will eventually be put down to keep the area under the racks from getting muddy.

Behind Maple Ave Market there is one inverted U rack also installed in concrete in a parking space that is currently unusable. The rack is very close to the edge of the asphalt so that the area behind the store can be used for loading and unloading. The items to the right of the rack will be moved and mulch will likely be used where there is no asphalt.

Thanks to both of these bike-friendly shops for providing bike parking for their customers. We suggest that you check them out and at the same time purchase some of the tasty frozen yogurt at Red Mango (serve yourself and then pay by the ounce), and the fresh produce and other goodies at Maple Ave Market.

Thanks also to the hard-working folks at the Vienna BAC. They are currently working with other businesses in the Town to get more bike parking installed. Maple Ave Shopping Center recently applied for permission to install 11 inverted U racks, which should be in place by this spring.

Labels: bicycle parking, bike racks, maple ave market, red mango, town of vienna, Transurban

posted by Bruce Wright at 10:30 PM permalink

 

Bicycle parking at VDOT NOVA headquarters

We recently attended the public hearing on VDOT's Six Year Improvement Program. The meeting was held at VDOT's N. Va. District office, which is now located on West Ox Road near the Fairfax County Parkway. This was our first visit to the new building and we were disappointed with the bike parking that was provided.

LEED Silver certification of the building is pending. Unfortunately the LEED bicycle storage specifications are very weak. Racks can be located as far away as 200 feet from the building and there appears to be no guidance regarding type of rack used. This is in contrast to Arlington's requirements that visitor parking be located within 50 feet of the building and that U-racks be used.

At the VDOT building the infamous wave racks are used and they are located across the entrance drive in a corner of the parking lot. The parking is not covered. As we rode up to toward the racks we noticed there are no curb ramps to allow access. We had to ride to the front of the building, onto a sidewalk leading to the racks. Not only is this poor design, but it's a bad example for others. VDOT should know better and should be setting a better example for others.

Labels: bicycle parking, vdot

posted by Bruce Wright at 1:38 PM permalink

 

Bicycle: The Metro parking solution

That's the title Post editors gave to my letter to the editor about bike parking at Metro stations. It's a much better title than the online version, Metro present and future:

Labels: bicycle parking, dulles metrorail, Silver line

posted by Bruce Wright at 2:20 PM permalink

 

Lack of bike parking in Fairfax County

Bike coordinator's office

In the past week we've had bike-related meetings at three locations in Fairfax County, the bike coordinator's office, Visit Fairfax, and Northern Virginia Regional Commission. There was no visitor bike parking at any of the locations. Worse, at the bike coordinator's office, where we had parking in front of the building, we were told, through an all employee message sent while we were meeting to discuss the Tysons bicycle plan, that we had to move our bikes immediately. Two of us had locked the bikes to the only places we could find to securely attach them, to the hand railings of the wide staircase leading to the building. We were told to "please promptly relocate your bikes to the bike rack located in the garage."

Visit Fairfax building

The garage has three levels with one rack and no signs. I guess visitors are expected to ride around the building and through the garage in search of this lone rack. We did find the rack, a grill type rack with a bike parked parallel, taking up all of one side of the rack (which is the only way to use a u-lock with such a rack).

The coordinator has been trying to get inverted u-racks installed since his office moved to the building; it's unfortunate it's taken so long.

NVRC building

At Visit Fairfax, located in Tysons on Jones Branch Dr, there is no bike parking available anywhere. We used the light fixture out front. At NVRC it's the same situation, so we used the wheelchair ramp railing. A single inverted u-rack costs around $300 installed, a small price to pay to offer parking for visitors and to avoid having bikes randomly parked to fixed objects in front of the building.

There are many examples of either lack of bicycle parking or incorrectly installed racks in the county. Fairfax County has never had a bike parking requirement at new buildings. Supervisor Smyth asked staff to prepare bike parking guidelines in 2007; they are still in draft form and haven't had an outside review. Once the final draft is ready, it will take time for the requirements to become official policy; they can't come soon enough.

Labels: bicycle parking

posted by Bruce Wright at 7:16 AM permalink

 

Wiehle Ave Metro development approved by Board

Fairfax County owns the land on which the Reston East Park & Ride lot is located. This lot is adjacent to the planned Wiehle Ave Metro station on the new Silver line.

As we noted in an earlier posting, a major mixed-use development is being proposed on this site, which is very close to the W&OD Trail.

At the Board of Supervisors public hearing on this development we made the following comments:
In response to my comments about insufficient access to the site, the applicant said that an 8-foot asphalt trail along Wiehle Ave is sufficient for bicyclists and pedestrians. He also said that "we have made our lanes somewhat larger to try to facilitate bicycle access. Our curb lanes in front of the project will be 14-feet not 12-feet to give a little additional room for bicycle access. Ultimately I think the creation of bicycle lanes is something that can occur with development to the north and east of us occurs and provides additional right of way. The site is somewhat constrained by the available right of way willingness or ability of MWAA to condemn additional right of way."

Having wide curb lanes through the site will help bicyclists, but the 8-foot shared path from the W&OD to the site is not sufficient for bicycle and pedestrian access, especially during rush hour, and the county should have forced the developer to adhere to the RMAG recommendations.

Regarding bicycle facilities, Supervisor Hudgins did add two additional development conditions before the Board approved the project:
While the two conditions are welcome, they are much less than what is required in Arlington Co. Without bicycle parking guidelines, the county is forced to negotiate with each developer and has no real leverage in these negotiations. The phrase "where feasible" in the first bullet will likely mean "never" and is vague and difficult to track and subject to employees having to demand additional facilities.

For every 50,000 square feet of commercial development Arlington requires "one (1) shower per gender shall be installed, up to a maximum of three (3) showers per gender. Also, a minimum of one (1) clothes storage locker per gender shall be installed for every required employee bicycle parking space." The guidelines go on to give specifications for lockers including size and placement. In Fairfax it's up to the whim of the developer to decide the kind and location of these facilities. While we think the county is getting close to a first draft of the bike parking guidelines, they can't some soon enough.

Labels: bicycle parking, showers, wiehle ave

posted by Bruce Wright at 3:18 PM permalink

 

Another improperly installed bike rack

I needed to ride to the county courthouse yesterday. It was a beautiful day and a nice ride from Reston to Fairfax City. When I arrived I didn't notice the rack in front of the main entrance, so I parked near the front door. As I was leaving I noticed the rack on the right.

I'm not fond of the wave rack since there's only one contact point with the bike compared to the U rack, which is the standard in most places. Bikes are supposed to be parked perpendicular to the rack. As you can see, when used properly bikes end up in the flower bed. What many people do is park parallel to the rack, which turns a 5-bike rack into a 1- or 2-bike rack. In this case, the 10-bike rack becomes a 2-bike rack.

Why is it so common to see improperly installed bike racks? One reason is that Fairfax County has no bike parking guidelines. In November of 2007, nearly two and a half years ago, Supervisor Smyth The guidelines are still under development. We continue to ask about the status but have never seen draft guidelines although we've been assured they are due any day now.

Staff do work with new developments to request racks and provide guidance regarding placement, but almost every new rack that I've seen in the past couple of years is incorrectly placed and of the wrong type. The county bike program needs more resources for this type of work, and yet the county executive has proposed cutting all operating funds from the program.

Labels: bicycle parking, bike racks

posted by Bruce Wright at 3:24 PM permalink

 

Green inverted-U racks in Vienna

The Town of Vienna recently received a number of green inverted U racks that were provided by the Fairfax County bike program. The racks were purchased with CMAQ (Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality) funds and there are several other locations around the county where they will be installed.

There is a critical need for more and better bike parking in the county. Lack of bike parking is a major factor in preventing people from biking. During the past year I've had meetings at several county offices, and most don't have visitor bike parking. The locations include the county Health Department headquarters at 10777 Main Street, Fairfax, the Department of Transportation headquarters offices at 4050 Legato Road, and Fairfax County Public School headquarters offices at 8115 Gatehouse Road.

At places where there is bike parking, racks are often incorrectly installed, like those at the City of Fairfax library and Vienna Community Center. While we're thrilled to see new racks in Vienna, from looking at the photo it appears the rack was installed incorrectly [see Update below]. There should be 36" on the curb side to allow a second bike to be parked (according to Arlington Co specs).

The sooner Fairfax has bike parking guidelines, the better off we will all be.

Thanks to John Brunow of bikes@vienna for the photo and for working with Charlie Strunk, the county bike coordinator, to help get the racks for the Town.

[Update Jan 1, 2010] We had a chance today to see the new green racks in Vienna, and from this photo, you can see that the rack is installed correctly. The concrete to the left of the rack in this picture is not the curb but part of the sidewalk, which extends to the edge of the snow. Other new racks along Maple Ave were also installed correctly. We should have verified our earlier assumption by checking out the rack ourselves. Our apologies to the Town.]

Labels: bicycle parking, bike racks

posted by Bruce Wright at 11:50 AM permalink

 

More bike racks in Vienna

The Town of Vienna will be installing a new batch of bike racks throughout the town. Earlier we mentioned the new racks at the Vienna Community Center that were dedicated to Richard Black, the former head of Vienna Parks and Recreation Department. Those racks were appropriately painted black. The next set of racks are inverted U racks painted "Charlottesville Green." These will be placed in the public right of way at 21 locations around town. See the full list of possible rack locations.

Labels: bicycle parking, town of vienna

posted by Bruce Wright at 12:29 PM permalink

 

New bike racks at Vienna Community Center

We were pleased to see 5 new inverted-U bike racks in front of the Vienna Community Center. We use that location for FABB meetings and the old grill rack there is not very good. Most people use the grill rack like a big U-rack, locking bikes on each end, which is about the only place for using a U-lock.

That's the good news. That bad news is that the racks were installed incorrectly. You can see from the photo above that the rack is placed too close to the wooden edging board. A properly parked bike will spill over into the landscaping bed. Why is it so difficult to install a bike rack? According to the Arlington County bike parking standards, there should be at least 24 inches of clearance.An earlier post includes photos of racks incorrectly installed at the City of Fairfax library and Southgate Community Center. The photo on the left shows the bike parking at the former office of the county bike coordinator. The new office has no visitor bike parking, although there is a new bike room for use by tenants.

One reason bike racks are installed incorrectly could be because the county has not implemented bicycle parking guidelines. The guidelines have been under development for two years; we expect to see the first draft any day now...

We're told that the Vienna Community Center racks can be moved without too much trouble. We hope so.

[Update Nov. 7, 12:50 p.m.] After speaking to Cathy Salgado, Vienna Parks Director, we've learned that the racks can easily be moved after a rack dedication ceremony later today. From the Town of Vienna News:

Labels: bicycle parking, town of vienna

posted by Bruce Wright at 2:41 PM permalink

 

City of Fairfax Regional Library bike racks

We finally had a chance yesterday to visit the City of Fairfax Regional Library that opened in 2008. It's one of the best libraries in the county, with an open feel, lots of internet workstations, and plenty of places to just hang out. It's located in the center of the City of Fairfax and many people access it by bike.

We were pleased to see several bike racks very conveniently located near the entrance to the building. Unfortunately they were installed incorrectly. The racks are known as hitch, hoop, or post racks. Bikes should be parked parallel to the hoop so that there are two contact points and a U lock can be used. As you can see from the photo on the right (black racks), if parked correctly, the three racks shown could hold perhaps 2 bikes. They are oriented the wrong way and were installed too close to the wall.

It's not the first time bike racks have been installed incorrectly; in fact it happens often. A very similar example is located at the Southgate Community Center in Reston (left photo, red racks). These two situations are one result of not having county bicycle parking standards.

Most local jurisdictions do have standards and have information on their websites regarding recommended rack types and installation information. Arlington County also has some bad examples of bike parking, and the first photo shows a hoop rack improperly installed. See the FABB Cyclist Resources page for more bike parking links. We want more bike parking, but it needs to be the right type and it should be installed correctly.

Labels: bicycle parking, city of fairfax

posted by Bruce Wright at 1:22 PM permalink

 

The importance of bike parking for commuters

Tom Vanderbilt, author of the excellent book Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do, has written a very good article at Slate.com about the importance of providing safe, secure, covered bicycle parking: What Would Get Americans Biking to Work? Decent parking: He mentions the recently passed law in New York that allows cyclists to bring their bikes into the building, which could greatly increase the options for indoor bike parking. Several cities are now requiring minimum bike parking with new developments.

Unfortunately, no such regulations exist in Fairfax. After a meeting with FABB to discuss this issue, Supervisor Smyth offered a motion to implement bike parking standards for the county at the November 19, 2007 Board of Supervisors meeting:While the motion passed unanimously, almost two years later we still do not have a policy in place. Given the size and geographic diversity of Fairfax County, it is difficult to develop a policy that fits all situations, but we do need a policy. While the bike coordinator has done a good job of ensuring that the topic is addressed in most rezoning applications, having a policy in place would save the county time and money by reducing the need to ask for parking in each specific instance. We'll continue to push for development of a policy in Fairfax.

Labels: bicycle parking

posted by Bruce Wright at 1:43 PM permalink