FABB Blog

 

Dr Gridlock supports greater investment in suburban bike lanes

Herndon-Monroe garage soon to more than double in capacity

In today's Post Dr Gridlock discusses the role that huge Metro parking garages have on suburban development, and the need to provide options for getting around our area, like bike lanes in the suburbs: Metro stations created car magnets in the suburbs for sake of livable downtown.
He notes that Fairfax did the right thing by not investing in car parking at the Tysons stations (there will be bike parking at each station). However, we are spending millions in regional transportation funds on building huge parking garages at Innovation Center and Herndon Metrorail stations. There will be room to store 2037 cars at Innovation Center and 1975 new spaces at Herndon, when added to the current 1745 spaces, totals 3720 spaces. Most of those spaces will be used to store cars from Loudoun Co and beyond.

What's the solution? Investing in all modes benefits everyone by taking cars off the road. According to Dr. Gridlock, "A greater investment in buses, bike lanes and walkable communities in the suburbs won’t end congestion around Metro stations, but it could ease commutes for everyone, including drivers." It will help reduce congestion around stations; maybe not end it, but at least if it is safe to ride to the stations it will be a viable option for anyone willing to ride a few miles by bike.

Fairfax needs to keep up with it's neighbors. According to another article that appeared in today's Post (Washington is a walking, biking city), the District will add 14 miles of bike lanes this year to add to 50 already in place.
Because we haven't invested in a fully funded bicycle program, our bike coordinator doesn't have the funds to do the job. The Bicycle Master Plan has been in draft form for nearly 2 years. Public hearings were postponed recently until at least September. It would be nice if the plan were at least available to the public but it's not even on the county website. A final version should be posted soon.

Labels: herndon-monroe, innovation center, metro parking garage

posted by Bruce Wright at 9:28 AM permalink

 

Biking to Herndon-Monroe metro station

One of the most crowded park and ride facilities in Fairfax is the Herndon-Monroe parking garage. Renovations to the garage begin this week, which means there will be a lot of disappointed motorists looking for a place to park.

We've got just the solution. Why not bike there? Bike parking is plentiful and under cover. There are several bike lockers there as well, available through Fairfax County.

Bicycle access to the station could be better. There is a paved trail to the east but it turns into a narrow concrete sidewalk leading to Fairfax Co Parkway. To the west the trail ends abruptly before reaching Monroe Street. While we usually have no major problems riding on the four lane road leading to the station, during rush hour motorists can be very impatient and aggressive.

The sooner the county improves access to transit, including the future Silver Line stations and busy park and ride lots, the better off we will all be.

Labels: herndon-monroe, park and ride

posted by Bruce Wright at 11:15 AM permalink

 

Public hearing on cycletrack on Herndon Parkway

The Town of Herndon Town Council will hold a Public Hearing on the draft Metrorail Area Plan. The plan includes cycle tracks on Herndon Parkway. The plan was approved by the Herndon Planning Commission on Oct. 3.

The meeting is on Tuesday, October 25th at 7:00 p.m., Ingram Council Chambers, 765 Lynn Street. Cyclists are encouraged to support the cycletrack plan. You can also submit comments online.

Labels: cycle track, herndon, herndon-monroe, Metro

posted by Bruce Wright at 4:48 PM permalink

 

Travel patterns to the Herndon-Monroe Park and Ride lot

By Tom Wyland

National government transportation surveys have shown that the vast proportion of short trips in the US are taken by personal motor vehicle. With that in mind, we took a look at some findings from a recent Fairfax County study which included the Herndon-Monroe Park & Ride (P&R). We were curious to see if many of the car trips to this facility were short enough to be easily replaced by bike trips.

With 1,745 free parking spaces, Herndon-Monroe is the largest P&R facility in the county without co-located rail service and was constructed at a cost of $20 million. The dedicated ramps at this facility allow eastbound drivers from the Dulles Toll Road direct access into the garage. From there, drivers can take frequent express buses to metro stations, the Pentagon, Dulles Airport or DC. The transit station also acts as a local community bus hub and will be expanded for the new Herndon-Monroe metro station. A Silver line station will be located here as part of Phase II of the project.



The 2008 study was performed to determine the starting locations of cars that park at the station. The results of the data reflect the two types of commuters: those who arrive from the west on the highway (from greater than 5 miles away, 38%) and those who drive on surface roads (0-5 miles, 62%). Looking at the close-up map, it is clear that many of that 62% share live within 2-3 miles of the facility, with a large cluster to the Southwest of the station (the median distance is 3.7 miles).





So why aren't more of the those living within five miles of the station walking or biking there? Here are some thoughts about why people drive to the station:

1. Free Parking: Garage parking is free and plentiful.
2. Poor North-South Connections: The bridge across the Dulles Toll Road at the station has no bicycle or pedestrian accommodations. The crossing of the Dulles Toll Rd on the Fairfax County Parkway trail is dangerous
3. No Dedicated On-Road Bicycling Facilities: Sunrise Valley Dr has narrow travel lanes and the county bike map shows this as a less-preferred route for on-road bicycling.
4. No Off-road Bicycling Connections: Even though the station is 0.5 miles from the heavily-biked Fairfax County Parkway and 1.5 miles from Washington & Old Dominion (W&OD) trails, there is no connection from these routes to the station. The sidepath on Sunrise Valley Dr is mostly a narrow sidewalk.
5. Poor access to the West of the Station: Missing links in the existing facilities make biking and walking less attractive from this direction where most of the short-distance drivers are located.

The majority of those who benefit from the expensive parking facilities are those living within five miles of the station. It would be much more cost-effective to spend devote funds in the future on improved non-motorized access and bike parking and less on very expensive structured parking. It would reduce the facility footprint, save on future operating expenses, and provide a community-wide benefit through improved non-motorized connectivity.

Instead the Herndon-Monroe transit station provides abundant free car parking and easy road access for local residents with no improvements for accessing the facility by bike or foot. The redevelopment of this site as part of the Silver line expansion is a chance to reverse this trend.

Labels: dulles metrorail, herndon-monroe, Silver line

posted by Bruce Wright at 9:43 PM permalink

 

Bicycle access to planned Herndon-Monroe Metro station

Cyclists in the Reston-Herndon area are encouraged to attend a discussion of future changes around the planned Herndon-Monroe Metro station. The meeting is one of a series to discuss possible changes to the county Comprehensive Plan for the area around the three Reston/Herndon stations. It will be held at Langston Hughes Middle School in Reston from 9 a.m. to noon. See the Reston Master Plan Special Study website for more information.

Many cyclists currently commute to the Herndon-Monroe bus station. Sunrise Valley Drive has narrow lanes, no shoulder and poor line of sight. The road needs dedicated bicycle facilities (wide curb lanes or bike lanes). There should also be good bicycle connectivity to Fairfax County Parkway and the W&OD Trail, as well as a bicycle crossing of the Dulles Toll Road to connect Herndon with the are to the south. Additional covered bicycle parking will be needed as well, including bike lockers.

Labels: dulles metrorail, herndon, herndon-monroe

posted by Bruce Wright at 9:54 PM permalink