FABB Blog

 

Mark Your Calendars: FABB September Meeting

Photo Courtesy of FCPS SRTS.

Labels: bicycle education, mason district, safe routes to school, srts coordinator

posted by Steve Ward at 9:13 AM permalink

 

Mason District Repaving and Restriping Meeting Set

Labels: FCDOT, gallows road, mason district, vdot

posted by Steve Ward at 7:30 AM permalink

 

FABB Meeting tomorrow: Providence & Mason Districts

Please join us tomorrow to discuss bicycling in the Mason and Providence Districts. Meet-up with other local bicyclists at FABB's meeting in Annandale. We'll hear about plans for an Arlington Boulevard Trail and get an update on bike improvements happening in your area of the county. FABB also wants to hear from you about ways to improve bicycling for you in your community. Hope you can make it!

Labels: arlington boulevard trail concept plan, mason district, providence district

posted by Bruce Wright at 2:02 PM permalink

 

Public Comments Due on Mason District and Braddock District Projects

Labels: Braddock District, braddock road, FCDOT, mason district

posted by Steve Ward at 6:00 AM permalink

 

Annandale Bike Meeting Tues. Jan. 31

Labels: hummer road, mason district, repaving, sleepy hollow road

posted by Bruce Wright at 3:07 PM permalink

 

New Bike Lanes Planned for Mason District

Map of proposed bike lanes. (FCDOT)

Also, public comments are being received until April 8 and can be submitted on the form available on the county's Mason District Bike Lanes web page. Please make time to send supportive comments to help bring these improvements to our county’s bicycle infrastructure to fruition.

Labels: bike lanes, mason district, repaving, supervisor penny gross

posted by Steve Ward at 6:59 PM permalink

 

Meeting on Proposed Bike Lanes in Annandale March 21

Proposed bike lanes in Annandale

Fairfax County will hold a meeting on March 21 to discuss plans to install bike lanes on several roads in the Annandale area as part of the summer repaving cycle. Cyclists are encouraged to attend the meeting to support the projects. Without your support these projects may not happen.

 From the Fairfax County site Mason District Bike Lanes:

Labels: annandale, bike lanes, mason district

posted by Bruce Wright at 1:24 PM permalink

 

FABB Monthly Meeting in Mason District on March 16

Poe Middle School (Photo courtesy FCPS)

FABB will be meeting in Mason District this month as part of its effort to better serve and represent cyclists and other supporters throughout the county. We encourage all FABB members and others interested in making bicycling better in Fairfax and in Mason District to join us at 7:30 pm on March 16, at the Poe Middle School Cafeteria at 7000 Cindy Lane in Annandale.

This meeting will provide a great opportunity to learn about current and future bicycle plans in the Mason District. We also plan to have a discussion of the Safe Routes to School program and ways to encourage children to ride bicycles. In addition, the meeting will be a forum to share your concerns about and suggestions for improving bicycling in the district and Fairfax County and to hear from local cyclists about nearby trails and routes.

During 2016 FABB plans to hold monthly meetings in all of the county’s districts. If you would like to assist in setting up the program for the meeting in your district, please contact Steve Ward at srward1057@gmail.com.

Labels: FABB meeting, mason district

posted by Steve Ward at 1:43 PM permalink

 

I-66 Forum and Mason District bike meeting Wednesday

Two important bike-related meetings are planned for Wednesday, March 25:

FABB is co-hosting I-66 and Our Neighborhoods, a forum on the I-66 outside the Beltway project. Learn more about the project and hear comments from Supervisor Smyth, Stwart Schwartz of the Coalition for Smarter Growth, and reps from VDOT, Fairfax DOT, and the Fairfax Transportation Advisory Commission. The meeting is from 7pm – 9pm at Oakton High School, 2900 Sutton Road, Vienna, VA 22181.

This is a great opportunity to voice concerns about the project's effects on our community and ask that bicycling and walking be an integral part of VDOT's multi-modal solutions to the I-66 corridor.

There will be a brief panel discussion followed by an extended open forum Q&A.
Also on Wednesday Fairfax County is hosting a meeting on two bike projects in the Mason District. Sections of Annandale Road and Evergreen Lane will be repaved this summer and bike lanes will be added. According to Fairfax County:
Cyclists are encouraged to attend this meeting to learn more about these important projects and to support the County and VDOT in trying to make Fairfax County more bike-friendly.

Labels: i-66, I-66 multimodal study, mason district, repaving

posted by Bruce Wright at 8:36 PM permalink

 

Seven Corners Redevelopment Forum tonight

Fairfax county is studying redevelopment of the Seven Corners area, a densely populated area where several major roads converge. Navigating through the area is a challenge for cyclists and motorists. Cyclists are encouraged to attend the Mason District Council 7-Corners Forum tonight at 7:30 p.m. at Sleepy Hollow Elementary School to ask how safe bicycling conditions will be incorporated into the plan.

As background see the Seven Corners Visioning site that includes links to various planning documents. The Existing Conditions report notes the challenges faced by bicyclists. It also contains an old excerpt from the Bicycle Master Plan for that area. Instead of showing Routes 7 & 50 as "Policy Roads," as depicted in the report, the current bike plan recommends parallel shared use paths on Route 50 and a cycle track on Route 7.

Labels: mason district, seven corners

posted by Bruce Wright at 8:23 AM permalink

 

Annandale Bike Plan and FABB Meetings tomorrow

This month FABB will move our monthly meeting to coincide with the Annandale Bike Plan Meeting. Both meetings will be held tomorrow, Wed. Feb. 15 at the Mason District Governmental Center, 6507 Columbia Pike, Annandale. The bike plan meeting is an open house that begins at 4:30 p.m. There will be a presentation at 6:00 p.m. The event is scheduled to end at 8:00 p.m. The FABB meeting will start at 7:30 p.m. in an adjacent room. Everyone is welcome to attend both meetings.

This is a good opportunity for cyclists to let the bike planners know where you ride, where you can't ride because of obstacles, and what the county can do to make the Annandale area more bike-freindly. There are many people who get around by bikes in this area. Many are service workers who rely on bikes for transportation. All cyclists in the area need better on- and off-road bike facilities, including adequate bike parking. School kids need safe ways to ride their bikes to school and places to park when they get there. They also need bike safety education classes. Let your voice be heard by attending this important meeting.

Labels: annandale, bike plan, FABB meeting, mason district

posted by Bruce Wright at 10:43 AM permalink

 

Annandale and Bailey's Crossroads bike plans

Planning for the redevelopment of the Annandale and Bailey's Crossroads business centers (community business centers, CBC) is nearing completion. We just learned that the Fairfax County Planning Commission will hold two public hearings on June 23 to discuss changes to the comprehensive plans for these two areas. The changes include recommended bicycle facilities. The Annandale plan contains general language about the need for better bike facilities, including: "Bicycle lanes should be provided within the Annandale CBC where appropriate."

The Bailey's Crossroads plan contains much more detailed recommendations for bicycle facilities, including a map showing planned bike lanes on specific streets. Street cross sections show recommended bike lane widths. However, bike parking guidlines are vague:  "In an effort to encourage bicycling in Baileys Crossroads CBC, safe, secure, and convenient bicycle parking should be provided. The number of bicycle parking spaces should be determined based on the planned land uses."

If you are familiar with these areas, please take the time to review the proposed plans and see what you think. The Annandale plan needs work. At a minimum we think that the bike routes shown on the county bicycle map should include bicycle facilities, either bike lanes or wide curb lanes. Bicycle parking guidelines for the county, that have been under development for three needs, need to be finalized. Send comments about both plans to Mason District Supervisor Penny Gross and Mason District Planning Commissioner Janet Hall. It would help to attend the public hearing and speak out for better bicycle facilities in these two urban areas.

If the county had a comprehensive bicycle plan and bicycle parking guidelines, updating the area plans would be straightforward. As it is, each plan is approached in separately, as resources become available. Fortunately the bicycle planning process has started. Phase I of a countywide plan will begin in Tysons. A contract for the bicycle master plan for Tysons Corner is being negotiated this month, with work expected to begin in July.

Labels: annandale, bailey's crossroads, mason district

posted by Bruce Wright at 8:04 AM permalink