Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Draft 2010 Regional Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan
The Bicycle and Pedestrian Subcommittee of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments is in the process of updating the 2006 Regional Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan. This Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan for the National Capital Region identifies the capital improvements, studies, actions, and strategies that the region proposes to carry out by 2035 for major bicycle and pedestrian facilities. This plan is an update to the 2006 Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan for the National Capital Region, which was the first all-new regional plan specifically for bicycle facilities since 1995, and the first-ever regional pedestrian facilities plan.
The Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan for the National Capital Region is intended to be advisory to the CLRP and TIP, and to stand as a resource for planners and the public. In contrast to the CLRP, the Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan includes both funded and unfunded projects – projects in this plan may not yet have funding identified to support their implementation.
We haven't had a chance to review the plan yet. If you would like to comment on the plan you can visit the Draft 2010 Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan blog and post comments there.The Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan for the National Capital Region is intended to be advisory to the CLRP and TIP, and to stand as a resource for planners and the public. In contrast to the CLRP, the Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan includes both funded and unfunded projects – projects in this plan may not yet have funding identified to support their implementation.
The CLRP bike projects list is being updated. The projects listed in Fairfax County are woefully out of date. We understand county and VDOT staff are in the process of updating this list. We'd like to see some on-road bike facilities listed. This is yet another reason for completing a county bicycle master plan.
Labels: bicycle plan, clrp, mwcog
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Tysons Transportation Funding
Fairfax County transportation staff have outlined a number of possible options for funding Tysons transportation projects between now and 2030, "Funding Tysons Transportation Improvements". While we understand that bike facilities are included on many of the roads as part of the Tysons Bicycle Network, it would have been nice if there were a mention of bicycles in the funding document.There is no identified funding for bicycle connections to the surrounding communities. Having great bicycle facilities in Tysons in 2030 isn't going to help bicyclists who live outside of Tysons who cannot currently easily access Tysons by bike. The Tysons bicycle planning effort will identify many needed improvements. Because that planning effort was not included in the original transportation planning contract, there are no cost estimates for these improvements. However, some funds should be identified now for these anticipated needs.
We pointed this out during our testimony at the Tysons public hearing before the Planning Commission, but it's still not included in the most recent markup of the proposed plan text. The Board of Supervisors Public Hearing is planned for June 22 at 4:30 pm.
See the post article Fairfax County outlines tax options for Tysons Corner road projects.
Labels: bicycle plan, Tysons
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Tysons Bicycle Plan RFP released
The Request for Proposal for the Tysons Bicycle Plan was released yesterday. Work should begin in the next couple of months. This will be the first concentrated bicycle planning effort to be conducted in the county. Since a great deal of data were collected during the production of the County Bicycle Route Map, the time and effort needed for data collection should be reduced. This will allow the contractor to concentrate on analyzing existing conditions and planning proposed future facilities.The study will include recommendations for end of trip facilities including bike parking, showers, and changing facilities. There is currently very little short or long term bike parking in Tysons. Also, Tysons would be one of the better locations in the county for implementation of the county's first bike share system. The contractor will likely determine the cost and feasablity of implementing such a system.
Back in early 2009 a group of county staff and FABB members developed a conceptual bicycle plan that we presented to the Planning Commission Tysons Committee. This plan formed the basis of the bicycle network included in the draft plan language. Now it's time for the professionals to take over.
It's an exciting development and we look forward to working with county staff and the contractor to develop a plan for making Tysons more bicycle-friendly in the future.
Labels: bicycle plan, Tysons
