FABB Blog

 

Merrifield Bike Lanes Meeting in October

Labels: dunn loring, FCDOT, merrifield, mosaic district, public meeting

posted by Steve Ward at 6:00 AM permalink

 

Faces of Fairfax - Four FCPS Friends

Elaine Tholen, Jennifer Allard, Erin Sylves, and Evie Ifantides

At the Falls Church Bike to Work Day pit stop, these four friends posed for a FABB photographer while taking a short break on their commute to their jobs with Fairfax County Public Schools.

Jennifer and Erin were taking advantage of Bike to Work Day to try out bike commuting.  while Evie, who is a member of the City of Fairfax Parks & Recreation Advisory Board, and Elaine, an environmental educator for the county, said they regularly commute by bike to the FCPS office in Merrifield.

Evie said “I love riding to work because I see so many more people.  People say hello… I have much more interaction with people than when I drive.”

Labels: FABB, Faces of Fairfax, falls church, merrifield

posted by Steve Ward at 9:00 AM permalink

 

FABB Social ride wrap-up

We were lucky the predicted rain held off yesterday for the FABB Social Ride in the Vienna/Merrifield area. Fourteen of us gathered at the Mosaic District in front of Angelika Theater where families were watching cartoons on the outdoor theater screen and playing in the fountain. Thanks to Pete of Fresh Bikes for bringing a bike stand, pump, and tools to offer help to any cyclists in need. It was impressive that he hauled all the gear on his cargo bike.

Shortly after 10 the group headed south on Eskridge Rd toward the Cross  County Trail. The trail had been flooded earlier in the week but by Saturday the water had receded. The trail alternates between potholed paved sections and gravel. Given there are so few options for traveling between Gallows and Pickett Roads south of Lee Highway there's a strong argument for paving that entire section of the CCT.

At Pickett Road we saw the location of a new tunnel under Pickett that will provide a great connection across this busy road. Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority recently received a grant to help fund this connection. From there were headed north to the Vienna Metro station, then to Tapawingo Rd which is a connection to the W&OD Trail.

We turned onto Cottage St. and rode to Gallows Road and south past Dunn Loring Metro station to reach Lost Dog Cafe where most of us stopped for a good lunch.

We'd like to hold a few more Social Rides in the next couple of months. Thanks to everyone who came out to join the ride.

Labels: cross county trail, fabb social ride, merrifield, town of vienna

posted by Bruce Wright at 7:58 AM permalink

 

FABB Social Ride this Saturday - Merrifield/Vienna tour - Note 10am start time

Join FABB for a casual tour of the Merrifield-Vienna area. The tour will start at the Mosaic District in front of Angelika Theater. We will ride south to the Cross County Trail to the City of Fairfax Connector Trail to the Vienna Metro station, Town of Vienna, and Dunn Loring Metro station. We will ride at a slow pace as a group on local streets and trails. A section of the Cross County Trail is unpaved. The tour is approximately 12 miles. There is an optional stop at Lost Dog Cafe for an early lunch. Free registration is required.

Date: 7/13/2013 at 10 am. In the case of rain we will notify registered riders via email and a message on the FABB home page.

About the Ride:

• Riders will depart at 10am from Angelica Theater in the Mosaic District. The ride is a combination of neighborhood streets, and multi-use trails. A section of the Cross County Trail is unpaved. 
• The ride is a loop of about 12 miles 
• This is a no-drop social ride at a 10-12 mph pace. There will be stops along the way. 
• The ride is for adult WABA Members. Children 14-18 may participate if they are accompanied by an adult WABA member. 
• FABB will provide Ride Marshals for the ride 

What to Bring:

• Your bike 
• Helmet (required no exceptions) 
• Lock to secure your bike at the cafe 
• WABA membership number 
• Water and a snack, sunscreen 
• Cash for purchasing an optional lunch at Lost Dog Cafe near Dunn Loring Metro station 

How to Get There?

Labels: dunn loring, fabb social ride, merrifield, mosaic district, vienna, vienna metro

posted by Bruce Wright at 7:37 PM permalink

 

Fantastic Bike to Work Day

Riding from Herndon to Reston

What a great day for Bike to Work Day. The weather was perfect and it was impressive to see so many cyclists out enjoying the day and celebrating biking to work.

Kerie and I started at the Reston pit stop that we've helped organize for the past 12 years. Fortunately Reston Association has taken over management of the pit stop which allowed us to check out some of the other events. Reston was the first Fairfax pit stop back in 2002. Now there are 11.

We said hi to Todd from The Bike Lane at the Reston stop. Todd's wife Anne attended the first FABB meeting in 2005. FABB volunteers Rob and Kelley were providing advice on bike routes. As we were leaving Del. Ken Plum, who may have attended almost every Reston event over the years, stopped to say hi.

After Reston we rode to Herndon to visit with Tom and Mike of FABB and take some photos. The pit stop was adjacent to the W&OD Trail and it was buzzing with activity. A-1 Cycling, another early FABB supporter, was providing free checkups.

Next we rode to Vienna which was overrun with cyclists. Liz and Susan, with the help of Jeff Palmer from Spokes, Etc, managed to sign up nearly 60 people for the FABB newsletter. Tim Fricker of bikes@vienna was also there. FABB's first meetings were held at that shop.

Next we visited the Merrifield-W&OD Trail stop that was just closing down, but the Performance mechanic was still working on bikes. From there we rode to the Merrifield-Mosaic stop that

FABB at the Vienna pit stop

was about to close. We took a photo with John, our FABB rep there. This was their first year as a pit stop and they had around 40 cyclists, which is OK for a first year event. Alex of Freshbikes was checking over people's bikes.

Final stop in Tysons

Finally we rode north past the Dunn Loring Metro station to reach the Gallows Road bike lanes north of I-66 and continued north to the Tysons pit stop in front of the LL Bean store at Tysons Corner Center mall. They had blocked off the parking lot in front of the store and they reported a decent turnout. LL Bean mechanics were checking out bikes there.

Unfortunately we didn't get a chance to get to Burke VRE Station (Alan), Fairfax Corner (Fionnuala), Fairfax City Downtown (Douglas, Charlie, and Jim), Mt. Vernon-Collingwood Park (Eric), or Springfield/Metro Park (Paul). Thanks to all the FABB volunteers for helping out today.

All in all the day was a huge success. We hope that many more cyclists discovered the joys of biking to work and that they continue to ride throughout the year. We also hope everyone has a safe ride home.

Cyclists crossing Maple Ave in Vienna

Vienna pit stop

Labels: bike to work day, herndon, merrifield, mosaic district, reston, Tysons, vienna

posted by Bruce Wright at 12:19 PM permalink

 

Bike parking at Halstead Square in Merrifield

It was a beautiful day to be out riding. We needed to run some errands so we rode from Reston to Merrifield to the Home Depot and to have lunch at Lost Dog Cafe. Lost Dog is located at Halstead Square, a new mixed-use development near Dunn Loring Metro station.

As you can see from the photo on the right, there's good bike parking conveniently located near the restaurant. U-type racks are well-spaced and installed properly.

After lunch we wanted to check out the Halstead apartments. We asked about tenant bike parking and were told that there are racks in the parking garage. What we found was disappointing. There were about 6 U-racks installed just a few inches from the wall. There should be a minimum of 24 inches between the rack and the wall.

There were a couple of bikes parked to plumbing fixture. Several bikes were double-parked. There are not enough racks and they are installed incorrectly. We were told there are racks on each level of the garage. One positive is that the garage requires key access.

According to the draft Fairfax County Guidelines for Bicycle Parking, there should be 1 long term parking space for every 5 units and 1 visitor space for every 25 units. There are 436 units so there should be 18 visitor spaces (9 U-racks) and 88 long term spaces (44 U-racks).  These requirements seem inadequate in practice. Most households have at least one bicycle, many have 2 or 3 bikes. Arlington requires 3 spaces for every 10 units (p. 33). Seattle requires 1 space for every 2 units.

On an earlier trip to Halstead Square we discussed giving them a bike-friendly award. They are making some good efforts at being bike-friendly. They have the right type of parking and provide more spaces than most similar developments. The details matter when it comes to bike parking. Racks need to be installed correctly and unfortunately in Fairfax that's rarely the case.

Labels: bike parking, halstead square, merrifield

posted by Bruce Wright at 6:09 PM permalink

 

Ribbon-cutting for Beltway bridge bike facilities

FABB members at Oak St Bridge

Today some FABB members rode to the Oak St. bridge over the Beltway to participate in a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new bike facilities on that and many of the other 50 bridges that were rebuilt as part of the 495 Express Lanes project, formerly known as the HOT lanes.

The Oak St. bike lanes have been in place for some time but several of the other bridges are just now opening, including the new sidepaths on the Route 7, Westpark Dr, and Lee Hwy bridges. While many of the bike facilities are not ideal, in most cases this is the first time there has ever been a bike facility on those bridges. Starting in 2007 FABB fought hard to ensure some facilities were included in the project.

We initially planned to use the sidepaths on the Lee Hwy bridge, but the side paths were too narrow and aren't really a bike facility. Instead there are supposed to be wide curb lanes on that bridge and it wasn't safe to try to simulate a ribbon-cutting there. The outside lane isn't really wide; there is a painted stripe 3 feet from the curb making it an 11-foot lane with a 3 foot shoulder which isn't very useful for cyclists. I'd prefer to see the lane without the stripe.

After the ribbon-cutting we rode to the new Mosaic District (that I wrote about earlier) to attend the grand opening of Fresh Bikes. We met the manager Stacey and dropped off some FABB rack cards. It's a very nice shop, with many fine bike-oriented details including a bike chain used as edging on the front counter and bike chains used to support sections of the ceiling structure. We especially liked the automatic double-door entrance. We didn't see many transportation bikes; Fresh Bikes is a bike store for the "performance-minded." Some of their hybrids and cross bikes could be used for commuting. We wish them well and we hope to work with them in the future.

Mosaic District bike racks

Some of us then stopped at a nearby coffee shop for snacks and drinks. When we left we rode around the streets that are open and only saw one set of bike racks. They were nice racks that were like a U rack but with some style. There should be many more racks in place for visitors and we'll check no future plans for racks.

Finally, as we were leaving the development we decided to use Eskridge Rd to travel north where it turns into Merrilee Dr. We were in the straight through lane with no cars behind us and we waited through 2 full cycles before a car finally appeared. Under VA law we are allowed to go through the light after 2 cycles, but there should be a bicycle-sensitive sensor present. Traffic is so heavy on Lee Hwy that legally running the red light was not an option.

By the way, Eskridge Rd will soon be open south toward Route 50. That means that from Dunn Loring Metro station it will be possible to ride a route parallel to Gallows Rd all the way south to Woodburn Rd using Merrilee Dr to continue on Eskridge Rd to Williams Dr across Route 50 to Willow Oaks Corporate Dr to a new road that leads south past the Ronald McDonald House to Inova Hospital and on to Woodburn Rd.

Labels: 495 express lanes, fresh bikes, hot lanes, merrifield, mosaic district

posted by Bruce Wright at 9:42 PM permalink

 

"Walkable" Mosaic District not so bike-friendly

We've been hearing about the new Mosaic District development in Merrifield that is supposed to be transforming that area into a walkable community. See the Post article "Development transforming Merrifield into more walkable community." Only the first phase is complete, or nearing complete, so we'll hold off judgement about how walkable and bikeable the development is, but we did see what's in store for cyclists who want to ride to that area and it isn't pretty.

5-foot sidewalk on Lee Hwy at Gallows Rd

The county Trails Plan indicates that major paved trails 8 feet in width are planned for each side of Lee Highway adjacent to the development. What we found were 5 foot sidewalks on the south side and 6 foot sidewalks on the north side. There are no bike facilities on the road that has 10 lanes in some sections.

When this area was being planned several years ago there were suggestions from cyclists for bike lanes on Lee Highway. I can remember now-Planning Commissioner Earl Flanagan saying to me some time afterwards that those pesky bicyclists wanted too much and they didn't get bike lanes. We'll we didn't get a paved trail either. It looks like we're stuck with a narrow sidewalk on one side and a slightly less narrow sidewalk on the other side. All the more reason to make one of the travel lanes a bike lane by taking it when riding there; but only for the more experienced riders. Shouldn't we be encouraging more people to travel by bike to places like this?

To make things interesting, VDOT placed (or approved the placement) of a large pole holding traffic signals right in the middle of where a cyclist would enter the sidewalk on a curb ramp at one of the intersections (Yates Way?).

It's depressing to see what has happened in this area. To say this area in general is a walkable place is delusional. Pedestrians will take their lives in their hands trying to cross Lee Highway and Gallows Road. As you can see in the top photo, the right turn lane was designed for maximum speed for motorists and maximum danger for pedestrians. Conditions in the interior of the development should be much better for non-motorists, but they will likely need to drive to get there.

The only consolation is that these roads were planned many years ago. It seems that the county and VDOT do not have the flexibility to modify auto-dominated road plans in what should be walkable places. The roads can be re-engineered, but it's sad that they were built this way in the first place.

As a side note, when browsing the Mosaic District site we noticed that Fresh Bikes now has a shop located there. Maybe they can help make this location more bike-friendly.

Labels: fresh bikes, gallows road, lee highway, merrifield, mosaic district

posted by Bruce Wright at 6:50 PM permalink

 

VDOT meeting on Gallows Rd/Route 29 construction

VDOT rendering of the project

VDOT is holding a public meeting Wednesday night from 7-9pm at Luther Jackson Middle School to discuss the Gallows Road/Route 29 project that will include widening both Gallows Rd and Route 29. According to the Countywide Trails Plan, bike lanes are designated on Gallows Rd, with major paved trails (>8') on each side, and major paved trails are called for on each side of Route 29. That doesn't quite match what's being built:

Co Trails Plan

The meeting on Wednesday is a "pardon our dust" meeting. Public hearings for this project occurred several years ago after study by a task force, before FABB was formed. Around that time we recall being told by a member of the Transportation Advisory Commission, currently a Planning Commissioner, that "those bikers" wanted too much, despite the fact that the Trails Plan contained the above recommendations. Looks like we didn't get much either.

Gallows Road is a major north-south connector for all modes of transportation, and a 10 foot shared-use path isn't sufficient to serve the pedestrian and bike traffic expected in this area. The 5 and 6 foot sidewalks along Route 29 are even worse. Given the late stage of this project, it's not very likely these plans will change. We plan to attend the meeting on Wednesday.

Update July 26—We've learned that wide outside lanes are included on Gallows Road. Bike lanes were proposed but they are not included in the final configuration. Wide outside or "wide curb" lanes work well for many cyclists although most people who are reluctant to ride in traffic would much prefer striped bike lanes. Bike lanes are currently striped on Gallows from the W&OD Trail to the bridge over I-66 just north of Dunn Loring Metro. Later this year bike lanes will be striped from the W&OD Trail north to Tysons.

Labels: gallows road, merrifield, route 29

posted by Bruce Wright at 9:36 PM permalink

 

Merrifield development achieves Silver LEED status

Located within a short distance of the Dunn Loring Metro station, Mosaic is a new mixed-use development under construction near the intersection of Gallows Rd and Lee Hwy (Rts 29/237) that will be part of a revitalized Merrifield area. This is the site of a multiplex theater complex across from Home Depot. Last year FABB met with the project developer to encourage adequate bike access, long and short term bike parking, changing and shower facilities, and bike sharing.

The project was recently awarded Silver LEED status. Bike parking, and changing and shower facilities are part of LEED certification. Below is a summary of the LEED 2009 bicycle requirements, which count for 1 point in the rating process.
These requirements are a start. Having bike parking within 200 yards of the building is insufficient. As with the Arlington Co bike parking requirements, more detail is needed to guide developers in selecting the type and location of the parking, which should be located much closer than 200 yards from the building. Now that Andy Clarke of the League of American Bicyclists is on one of the LEED advisory committees, these requirements should improve over time.

Labels: league of american bicyclists, LEED, merrifield

posted by Bruce Wright at 9:20 AM permalink

 

Progress on Gallows Road bike lanes

At last night's FABB meeting representatives from VDOT and Fairfax Co DOT discussed plans for bike lanes on Gallows Road. The road is currently used by many bicyclists traveling between the Merrifield/Dunn Loring Metro Station area, the W&OD Trail, and Tysons Corner.

The project will be done in two phases. Phase I is planned for September 2009 and will be done in conjunction with re-striping of the section of road between Stenhouse Place (just north of the Dunn Loring Metro Station) and Idylwood Road (just north of the W&OD Trail). The second phase, between Idylwood Road and Old Courthouse Road in Tysons, will require several changes to the road and will take much longer, from April 2009 to April 2011.

The sections of these two phases are shown above (green is Phase I, orange is Phase II) and on this map of the proposed bike lanes. In some sections where there is not enough road width, the bike lanes will become wide curb lanes with Share the Road signs. We hope that by the time Phase II is built that shared lane markings, or sharrows, will be approved for use.

This project has been in the works for a long time. Money was available for several years and the county and VDOT have finally been able to work out solutions to the many problems involved. We're excited about the progress and look forward to riding on the first section this Fall.

As with most bike projects, it's not perfect. We would prefer that the entire section be either bike lanes or wide curb lanes, not both. Also, just south of the project across the I-66 bridge is the Dunn Loring Metro Station. The bridge is too narrow for a bike facility and there are no plans to widen the bridge in the near future. There is a paved multiuse trail on the west side.

Labels: bike lanes, dunn loring, gallows road, merrifield

posted by Bruce Wright at 3:41 PM permalink