FABB Blog

 

Map your bike routes to transit

Fairfax County is still seeking comments on biking to Metro and VRE stations. They want to know your current routes and what improvements are needed to make biking to transit safer and more convenient.  The Bike Fairfax wikimapping project will end on June 30. From the county:

Labels: Metro, vre, wikimapping project

posted by Bruce Wright at 1:05 PM permalink

 

Pohick Stream Valley Trail ribbon-cutting ceremony

FABB members Alan Young and Kerie Hitt on the left begin the ride to the bridge.

Several FABB members attended the official opening of the Pohick Stream Valley Trail that connects the Burke VRE station with Burke Lake Road and the Burke Village Shopping Center. It also connects several Park Authority and Burke Centre Conservancy trails. It will provide access to and from the VRE station for many residents in the area.

 A group of cyclists rode from the VRE station to the new bridge at Burke Lake Road where a group was gathered to hear speakers including Fairfax Co Board Chairman Sharon Bulova and Braddock District Supervisor John Cook. The speakers pointed out the importance of providing residents with opportunities to get out of their cars for making short trips by bike.

Chairman Bulova, Supervisor Cook, and others cut the ribbon.

One of the stream crossings along the trail is a fair weather crossing. Even though the weather was fair, the heavy rains yesterday meant that streams in the area were very high; so high that the fair weather crossing was impassable. As a result the bike convoy detoured along narrow asphalt trails leading into the surrounding neighborhoods.
We crossed one very slick wooden bridge and a couple of riders took a spill.

Not so fair weather crossing.

The project was the result of cooperation between Fairfax Co DOT, Fairfax Co Park Authority, and Burke Centre Conservancy. The Park Authority has a good reputation for building trail bridges quickly and at a reasonable cost. A similar cooperative project was responsible for the Wolftrap Rd bridge that is now used heavily but the community including kids riding to Kilmer Middle School. Congratulations to everyone who helped make the trail a reality.

Labels: burke centre conservancy, chairman bulova, pohick stream valley trail, supervisor cook, vre

posted by Bruce Wright at 3:23 PM permalink

 

Saturday June 2 is National Trails Day

There are a couple of ways to celebrate National Trails Day in Fairfax on Saturday:

• The Tour de Fairfax is a 10-mile loop ride in Fairfax City. Meet at Van Dyck Park upper pavilion. No RSVP needed. The ride starts at 10 a.m.
• Pohick Stream Valley Trail Ribbon-Cutting—Join a ride from the Burke VRE station to the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Pohick Stream Valley Trail. The group will meet at 9:30 a.m. and will depart the station at 9:40 a.m. and arrive at the bridge in time for brief ribbon cutting ceremonies slated for 10 a.m. The bridge is located at the end of Burke Road, adjacent to the Burke Village II Shopping Center, 9570 Burke Road, Burke, VA. The ride is approximately 1.5 miles. For more information, call the Park Authority Public Information Office at 703-324-8662.

Labels: burke, pohick stream valley trail, vre

posted by Bruce Wright at 2:54 PM permalink

 

VRE proposal to disallow bikes on trains

Virginia Railway Express is growing in popularity and their management is looking at ways to increase capacity. Unfortunately one proposed solution is to kick cyclists off the train. They can now bring any size bike onto the last three VRE rail cars. VRE wants to only allow folding bikes. Here's a summary of the proposal:Public hearings on the proposal begin on February 1 in Fredericksburg. The Fairfax County hearing is on February 27 at Burke Centre Conservancy. If you can't attend the hearing to speak out in favor of bikes on VRE, visit the WABA Action Center to submit comments.

Labels: virginia railway express, vre

posted by Bruce Wright at 4:23 PM permalink