Monday, November 2, 2015
Nov-Dec 2015 FABB Newsletter
November-December 2015 FABB News
A bi-monthly publication of Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling
Board of Supervisors and School Board Candidate Survey Responses
On November 3, all members and the Chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors are up for re-election as are all members of the county School Board. FABB recently sent questions regarding bicycling in Fairfax County to candidates for the Board of Supervisors and a separate set to candidates for the School Board. We received responses from 12 of 19 Board of Supervisors candidates and 19 of 24 School Board candidates.
See the Board of Supervisors candidate responses and the School Board candidate responses.
All Board of Supervisors candidates who responded agreed with the statement "Do you support safe bicycling as an integral part of the overall transportation options in Fairfax County." Three quarters or 75% of respondents said they support implementing the Bicycle Master Plan recommendation to "Allocate an annual budget dedicated to bicycle planning and program initiatives." All School Board candidates who responded to the survey generally agreed with the statement "The school system and school board should be doing more to enable FCPS students to walk and bike to school instead of driving or being driven."
FABB does not endorse candidates. We provide the information so that you can better understand candidates' views on improving bicycling in Fairfax.
Extension of Custis Trail Included in I-66 Outside the Beltway Project
On October 27, the Virginia Commonwealth Transportation Board approved the latest plans for the widening of I-66 Outside the Beltway. The plans include the parallel trail that will serve as an extension of the very popular Custis Trail, which is located inside the Beltway. The rebuilt bridges also will include new ped/bike facilities. We are very encouraged that the parallel trail is now included as an integral part of the project and that most of the ramp crossings are grade-separated using either bridges or tunnels.
Unfortunately much of the trail is located on the highway side of the soundwalls, mostly due to opposition from residents living adjacent to I-66, particularly in the Dunn Loring area. As the project moves forward we hope residents will begin to understand the major benefits of having access to this trail and that the final design will be modified to reflect that support.
Adam Lind Named as New Fairfax County Bike Coordinator
Fairfax County recently named Adam Lind as the new Bicycle Program Manager, commonly referred to as the Bike Coordinator. Adam has been serving as the acting Bike Coordinator since Charlie Strunk retired in January of this year. Congratulations Adam!
Adam has done a great job as acting coordinator, working with VDOT on the creation of more than 34 miles of new bike lanes as part of this summer's repaving program. The work included conducting numerous meetings around the county to seek comments on individual projects. He is developing a plan to implement bike sharing in Reston. Most recently he has worked with VDOT on the design of the I-66 parallel trail and other bike facilities related to the project.
See the FABB blog for more info on Adam.
Soapstone Connector Across Dulles Toll Road in Reston to Provide New Bike Access
Last week Fairfax County presented the latest plans for the Soapstone Connector, which will extend Soapstone Drive from Sunrise Valley Drive to Sunset Hills Road across the Dulles Toll Road. With limited crossings of the Toll Road, intersections around the Reston Parkway and Wiehle Ave. crossings become very congested during rush hour, making them especially dangerous for pedestrians and bicyclists. The Soapstone Connector will provide a new way for cyclists and pedestrians to safely cross the Toll Road and access the Wiehle-Reston East Metrorail station and other destinations on both sides of the Toll Road. Bike lanes are included in the project and serve as an extension of the current bike lanes on Soapstone Dr.
Unfortunately the proposed road will extend only to Sunset Hills Road on the north where no bike facilities exist. The W&OD Trail is located a short distance north of Sunset Hills Road but there are no nearby connections to the Trail. Please contact the county and ask that a connection to the W&OD Trail be included in the project. Deadline for comments is November 6. Email comments to audra.bandy@fairfaxcounty.gov.
Support the Proposal for Paving Cross County Trail in Wakefield Park
Fairfax Co. Park Authority has proposed to pave a section of the Cross County Trail through Wakefield Park. The trail is heavily used by commuter and recreational cyclists. The unpaved trail is in poor condition and is difficult for most transportation bikers to navigate. A paved surface will be easier to maintain and would provide a much better surface for most trail users with minimal adverse effects on the environment. Cyclists are encouraged to send a message to Project Manager Bill Boston, William.boston@fairfaxcounty.gov, to voice support for paving the trail segment. See the FABB blog for more info.
County to Apply for Federal Funds for Bike Projects
At their October 20 meeting, the Board of Supervisors endorsed four bike project applications to VDOT and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Government's Transportation Planning Board for FY2017 Transportation Alternative funding. See the Board Agenda for details (Action Item 3):
Vienna Metrorail Bicycle Access Improvements: $400,000[Application postponed until after planned Vienna Metrorail construction is completed.]- Cinder Bed Bikeway: $400,000
- Van Dorn Street Bicycle and Pedestrian Improvements: $400,000
- Reston Bike Share Capital Equipment: $400,000 (See FABB blog for details of recent Reston bikeshare meeting.)
Fairfax County SRTS Coordinator Conducts Bike Safety Classes
Using Safe Routes to School grant funds, Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) has purchased 30 bikes and 6 Strider bikes for bicycle safety lessons at elementary schools. Week-long lessons were conducted at 12 elementary schools last spring for grades 4, 5, and 6, reaching over 8,000 students. Students at several more schools received lessons this fall. Additional grant funds will be used to purchase more bikes to expand the bike program to middle schools. Lessons include bike skills, safety education, signaling, and road simulation riding.
Elementary schools where classes have been held include: Island Creek, Kings Glen, Rolling Valley, Stratford Landing, Washington Mill, Greenbriar West, Lane, Hollin Meadows, Canterbury Woods, North Springfield, West Springfield, Colin Powell, Fort Hunt, Hunters Woods, and Rose Hill. Kudos to Sally Smallwood, FCPS SRTS Coordinator for implementing this program. We hope the program can grow in the near future to allow all elementary students to learn safe bicycling skills. See the Fairfax SRTS Newsletter for more info.
Fairfax County Parkway Trail Restored Between Fox Mill and Pinecrest Roads
Fairfax Water recently replaced a major water main adjacent to Fairfax County Parkway. Major construction work required removing and relocating the Parkway trail. Fortunately, Fairfax Water provided a paved detour throughout the long construction phase, which lasted for several years. In October, construction was completed and the original trail was replaced and opened. We want to thank Fairfax Water for their diligent efforts toward maintaining trail access during the construction period.
Help FABB Identify Bike Rack Locations in Fairfax County
To improve bike parking in the county, help us locate and map existing bike racks. Rackspotter is a web-app that Arlington County is using to map bike racks. The application is now available for mapping racks in the greater DC area. The app allows you to identify the rack type, capacity, and location. You can also add a photo of the rack. As you travel around the county, why not take a minute to map bike racks that you encounter.
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If you don't already, please Like us on Facebook and follow our Twitter feed. If you have news about bicycling in Fairfax to share with our readers, please submit brief articles to news@fabb-bikes.org.
- November 18, Wednesday - FABB Monthly Meeting in Vienna at 7:30 p.m.
- December 16, Wednesday - FABB Monthly Meeting at Mosaic District at 7:30 p.m.
- December 19, Saturday - Tour de Lights in Reston, 4:30-6 p.m.
Labels: adam lind, candidate survey, fabb newsletter, i-66, I-66 multimodal study, rackspotter, safe routes to school, soapstone connector, soapstone drive, transportation alternatives, wakefield park
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
September-October 2015 FABB Newsletter
September-October 2015 FABB News
A bi-monthly publication of Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling
Clips Beer & Film Tour in Reston on September 10
New Belgium Brewing Company’s Clips Beer & Film Tour is a celebration of handmade films, handmade beers and community benefiting FABB. Join us at the Reston Town Center on Thursday, September 10 from 7-10 p.m. Sample some of New Belgium Brewery's more exotic beers while enjoying short films displayed on a large portable screen. Films begin at 8:30 p.m. All proceeds raised at the event go toward helping FABB make Fairfax County a better place to bike.
Everyone is encouraged to ride, walk, or take transit. The Bike Lane will provide free bike valet. Everyone must have a valid government-issued ID to purchase beer tokens. Water stations will be available so bring your water bottle. See the Reston Clips Tour Facebook page for more info.
Progress On Parallel Trail Along I-66 Outside the Beltway
VDOT is refining the design of the I-66 parallel trail to reduce the right of way impacts on residents. VDOT is also trying to reduce at-grade conflicts at ramp crossings using bridges or tunnels. We expect to see the preferred alternative for the trail in mid-September. Public meetings in Fairfax County will be held Monday, October 19, 2015 at Oakton High School
2900 Sutton Road, Vienna, VA 22181 and Tuesday, October 20, 2015 at VDOT Northern Virginia District Office, 4975 Alliance Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030. The meetings go from 6:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. Please plan to attend one of these meetings to learn more about the parallel trail and the bicycle facilities planned for the rebuilt bridges crossing I-66.
Reston Bicycle Club Donates Mobile Bike Counter to Fairfax County
Thanks to a generous donation by Reston Bicycle Club and help from Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling, Fairfax County recently took possession of their first-ever automated bike counter. The mobile counter will allow Fairfax to begin to establish bicycle and pedestrian counts at locations around the county.
Counts are transmitted automatically to a central server and are accessible by the county using custom software from Eco Counter. That data can be displayed on a publicly accessible dashboard the following day, similar to Arlington's Counter Dashboard.
Eventually Fairfax County hopes to have a network of counters. The counters would be part of an annual performance tracking program that is recommended by the recently approved Bicycle Master Plan. The counts would be used "to both establish a baseline assessment of bicycle activity in Fairfax County, and to track on an annual basis the implementation and performance of the Master Plan."
Help FABB Identify Bike Rack Locations in Fairfax County
Conveniently located, good quality bike parking is an important way to encourage more people to bike. Many bike destinations either have no bike parking or the racks provided are inadequate or incorrectly installed. The county is making some progress. Bicycle Parking Guidelines were recently presented to the Board of Supervisors. The county also recently ordered 35 inverted U bike racks to be placed where needed on county property.
To improve bike parking in the county, help us locate and map existing bike racks. Rackspotter is a web-app that Arlington County is using to map bike racks. The application is now available for mapping racks in the greater DC area. The app allows you to identify the rack type, capacity, and location. You can also add a photo of the rack. As you travel around the county, why not take a minute to map bike racks that you encounter.
Provide Feedback to VDOT on Biking Conditions in Northern Virginia
VDOT is updating the Northern Virginia Regional Bikeway and Trail Network Study completed in 2004. NoVa cyclists are encouraged to participate in a survey to provide feedback to the study team on the current state of cycling in the NoVa area and future needs. FABB is part of the team that is working with VDOT to update the study.
Fairfax High and Middle School Students Can Ride Connector Buses for Free
Fairfax County is experimenting with allowing high school and middle school students to ride Fairfax Connector buses for free to get to and from school, to after school jobs, and other activities. Students must apply for a pass that is valid on Fairfax Connector buses between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. M-F. In-school outreach is being done at five target high schools. See the FABB blog for more info and a link to a video about the program. We were pleased to see a student demonstrating how to use the bus bike racks in the video.
NVRC Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Events
On August 7 and August 22, Northern Virginia Regional Commission (NVRC), Inova Trauma Center, and FCPS Safe Routes to School (SRTS), along with League Cycling Instructor Kelley, put on pedestrian and bicycling safety events at two apartment complexes on Rt. 1 in Alexandria. The communities were selected under a VA Department of Motor Vehicles Grant because they have experienced pedestrian and/or bicycle fatalities in interactions with motorists.
FCPS SRTS put on bike rodeos, Inova distributed helmets, NVRC gave information in English and Spanish about safe use of the roads and crosswalks, and Kelley instructed about helmet use, the importance of lights, and signaling. On the 22nd, two young mechanics from Phoenix Bikes and volunteers from VeloCity provided minor bike maintenance. The coalition of partners will host another event in Herndon on September 19. For more information or to volunteer, contact Kelley at kbikeva@gmail.com. Spanish language skills particularly sought.
Incremental Progress Improving Multi-modal Transportation - by FABB member Paul Kent
We are seeing incremental change in multi-modal transportation. Many have seen bicycles of all different types (and condition) locked to anything vertical at entrances of Metro stations in NoVa. Bike lockers were installed at stations but they cannot be expanded easily so why not install a secure bicycle room with greater capacity?
A while back though, money was found to improve bus stops in Fairfax County. Concrete pads were installed and some shelters were also installed. Now we are seeing bicycles locked to the posts of shelters in what is a clear indication of the appeal and utility of multi-modal transportation. All Fairfax Connector buses have dual bike racks on the front that have become so popular, bicyclists now are reluctant to use them for fear the rack will be full when the bus arrives at their stop.
Reflecting on this, while I have multiple bicycles at my disposal, a year in review finds I most often reached for my folding bicycle, which follows me on the bus and Metro to get me pretty much anywhere I want to go in the greater Washington Metropolitan Area, and back.
More and more on-road bicycle facilities are appearing. While painfully slow for some, the dots are being connected, making cycling available to an ever greater proportion of the 1 million-plus inhabitants of Fairfax County.
There is much to cheer us, even as we face a mountain of work ahead.
One step at a time.
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If you don't already, please Like us on Facebook and follow our Twitter feed. If you have news about bicycling in Fairfax to share with our readers, please submit brief articles to news@fabb-bikes.org.
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Labels: bike counter, clips beer and film, fabb newsletter, i-66, northern virginia regional bikeway and trail network study, rackspotter, reston bike club
