Wednesday, November 22, 2017
Rolling Road Public Hearing Next Week
Springfield-area FABB members have an excellent opportunity next week to speak up to make bicycling better in Fairfax County. VDOT is holding a public information meeting on Thursday, November 30, on the Rolling Road widening project, which includes bicycle and pedestrian improvements.
The project aims to reduce congestion and improve safety by widening Rolling Road (Route 638) from two to four lanes between Viola Street and Old Keene Mill Road. This project is being planned in two phases with the pedestrian and bicycle facilities being added during the second phase.
The public information meeting will be from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Rolling Valley Elementary School, 6703 Barnack Drive in West Springfield. We hope a number of local FABB members will attend to share their ideas on making the planned bike facilities as safe and easy to use as possible.
If you would like to provide feedback but are unable to attend the meeting, please send your thoughts to meetingcomments@vdot.virginia.gov. Please include “Rolling Road Widening” in the subject line.
Labels: old keene mill road, rolling road, springfield, vdot, west springfield
Wednesday, July 19, 2017
Faces of Fairfax: Donald and Susan
Burke-resident Donald Curran and Springfield-resident Susan Demsko have been commuting to work for many years. Since 2015 and on each of the subsequent two Bike to Work Days they have been kind enough to tell FABB a little about themselves and give us updates on their thoughts and concerns.
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| Donald Curran |
Donald tells us that he still enjoys riding, especially for the time it allows him to be outdoors. Susan, meanwhile, says that for her riding is a great way to exercise and reduce stress. She can’t think of a more healthful way to stay in shape.
Both riders express the desire to see more bike lanes. Their morning commute to the Burke VRE station has gotten better over the yeas with the addition of new lanes and trails. Still, there are gaps on some of the local main roads, such as Rolling Road, Burke Lake Road, and Old Keene Mill Road, which could use bike lanes.
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| Susan Demsko |
The good news for the area is that improvements are being made in the area. New bike lanes are being added as part of the VDOT summer repaving program in accordance with the Bicycle Master Plan. This will includes stretches this summer along Greeley Boulevard from Carrleigh Parkway to Old Keene Mill Road and on Hillside Road from Rolling Road to Old Keene Mill Road. In addition, the Burke VRE Station is getting paths connecting it to nearby neighborhoods. Also, Rolling Road will soon get a sidewalk section that completes an important connection near Luthern Church.
We look forward to seeing Donald and Susan next year and hearing their views on these and other changes in the area.
Labels: burke, Faces of Fairfax, springfield
Monday, February 22, 2016
Faces of Fairfax - Olivia Demsko
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| Olivia Demsko |
Olivia Demsko of Springfield took some time during Bike to Work Day 2015 to talk to FABB and responded to our brief survey. Like so many others we spoke to that day, she loves biking and would really like to see more bicycling infrastructure in the county.
Labels: FABB, Faces of Fairfax, springfield
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Article on Springfield Bike to Work Day pit stop
FABB attended all of the Fairfax Bike to Work Day events. The Springfield stop was the subject of the article Springfield Joins Bike to Work Day. FABB's Paul Kent can be seen in the photo on the far right.Below is a quote from pit stop manage Nancy-jo Manney, executive director of the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce, on the benefits of Bike to Work Day:
“It’s about encouraging people to get out of their cars, be healthier,” said Manney. But the event, which is sponsored by Virginia Megaprojects, Commuter Connections, and the Washington Area Bicyclist Association, also helps open a productive dialogue feedback from riders.
“It helps us determine where there are issues,” she continued. “We can’t just snap our fingers, but we can take some of these things we hear, and say, ‘Now let’s do something about it.’”
According to Manney, issues that can typically get rapid responses include obstructions on trails and sidewalks, debris clean-up, locked gates and signal malfunctions at intersections.
Labels: bike to work day, springfield
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Good turnout for the Burke-Springfield bike plan meeting
Bob mentioned the idea of having a mini bike share system connecting the north Ft. Belvoir area with the Franconia-Springfield Metro station.
A cyclist in the audience noted that when he rides his bike to the store there's often no place to park his bike. Another cyclist said that Arlington, Alexandria, DC and many other cities around the U.S. have somehow found the funds to make their communities more bike-friendly and we should be able to do the same. We're often forced onto major arterials and we need better bike connections.
Another cyclist said that kids should be able to ride to school. In many cases kids live directly across the street and can't even walk there because they need to cross a major arterial. Using buses to cross barriers was suggested as one solution that needs to be publicized and made easier.
A woman noted that she likes to ride with her 7 year old around Lake Accotink but she's encountered archers hired to kill deer in those areas. She refuses to ride there and ends up going to other, less dangerous areas outside the county. We've heard about this from a FABB member who has the same concern along the W&OD Trail between Reston and Vienna. If you aren't aware, Fairfax County has opened up many parks to archers this year.
After the group discussion people gathered around large scale maps and made comments on where they ride, where they want to ride but can't, and where they'd like to see improvements. They could also comment on other aspects of the plan including bike education, enforcement, and encouragement.
The next bike plan area meeting is for the Annandale area on February 15 at the Mason District Governmental Center, 6507 Columbia Pike, Annandale starting at 4:30 p.m. Since that is on the same night as the FABB meeting, we plan to hold the FABB meeting after this meeting at the same location in Annandale.
DancesWithCarsDC has posted videos of the presentation and Q&A session:
http://youtu.be/K2G37vhY46o
http://youtu.be/izN9DHhaZbs
http://youtu.be/ZKthIKeP8sY
http://youtu.be/jzbnU91WH8M
Labels: bicycle master plan, burke, springfield
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Burke-Springfield area Bike Plan meeting Tuesday
A presentation on the planning process will be given after which cyclists will be able to mark up maps and leave comments about what is needed to make Fairfax more bicycle-friendly. Besides indicating possible bike routes, cyclists can discuss the need for better bike parking, better bicycle education opportunities for adults and kids, better enforcement, and ways to encourage more people to take short trips by bike.
One reason more people don't use bikes for transportation is the poor condition of our bicycle infrastructure. If you care about having a connected bicycle network, come to the meeting let your voice be heard.
See the Burke-Springfield meeting flyer.
Labels: bicycle master plan, burke, springfield
