Friday, August 1, 2014
Walking and biking in Tysons
The opening of the Silver Line has highlighted challenges for pedestrians and bicyclists in Tysons and to a lesser extent, in Reston. Yesterday we worked with Coalition for Smarter Growth on a news release on the situation: Opening of Silver Line Prompts Public Attention to Safety Issues for Pedestrians and Bicyclists.
With the opening of the first phase of the Silver Line, news stories and social media are drawing attention to the unsafe conditions for pedestrians and bicyclists on many of the roadways surrounding the stations. While the number of people parking at the new Silver Line stations is much lower than expected, the number of bicyclists has been surprisingly high, with bike racks at the Wiehle-Reston East station filling up quickly, and cyclists voicing the need for more bike lanes to safely reach the stations.
Writing Wednesday on Greater Greater Washington, Ken Archer (Chief Technology Officer for a company in Tysons), described the difficult situation pedestrians face in trying to cross as many as nine lanes of traffic at the intersection of Tysons Boulevard and Galleria Drive, where two sides of the intersection are missing marked crosswalks.
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“Route 7 and Route 123 remain a particularly serious problem in the Tysons plan. Despite repeated requests for these roads to be converted to true urban boulevards that allow for safe crossing along with protected bicycle lanes and good sidewalks, these roads remain virtual highways through the heart of Tysons.” said Stewart Schwartz. “A final section of Route 123 is even planned for widening to 8 lanes, as is unfortunately the case with the other segments of Routes 7 and 123 through Tysons.”
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Wright offered a number of other recommendations, including adoption of the Tysons Bike Plan, expediting specific projects like the Vesper Trail and Old Courthouse Road bike facilities, a near term and interim measure to paint “sharrows” on Tysons roads to alert drivers to the presence of bicyclists, wayfinding signs for bike routes, more bike lockers and racks, and strengthened coordination between the County, VDOT, the Tysons Partnership (which can serve as a future Transportation Management Association for Tyson), Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling (FABB), local employers, and existing bicycle commuters.
David Alpert of Greater Greater Washington followed up on the news release in his post Why is Tysons walkability and bikeability so bad?Writing Wednesday on Greater Greater Washington, Ken Archer (Chief Technology Officer for a company in Tysons), described the difficult situation pedestrians face in trying to cross as many as nine lanes of traffic at the intersection of Tysons Boulevard and Galleria Drive, where two sides of the intersection are missing marked crosswalks.
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“Route 7 and Route 123 remain a particularly serious problem in the Tysons plan. Despite repeated requests for these roads to be converted to true urban boulevards that allow for safe crossing along with protected bicycle lanes and good sidewalks, these roads remain virtual highways through the heart of Tysons.” said Stewart Schwartz. “A final section of Route 123 is even planned for widening to 8 lanes, as is unfortunately the case with the other segments of Routes 7 and 123 through Tysons.”
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| Routes in Red are Phase I, to be completed by 2013 |
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| The south side of Tysons Boulevard and Galleria Drive. Photo by Ken Archer, Greater Greater Washington |
Virginia officials have known for years that Metro was coming to Tysons. Yet when the four stations opened, commuters found dreadful and dangerous walking and biking conditions. Why?
The Fairfax County DOT has been making some progress. There are two crosswalks at the intersection of Route 123 and Tysons Boulevard, which FCDOT recently installed. But at the opposite corner, there are no crosswalks. This is where Ken Archer described pedestrians running across nine lanes of traffic without any crosswalk.
Fairfax County is making progress, with several funded pedestrian and bicycle projects in Tysons that will provide better access. Those projects need to be expedited. As we noted above, short term recommendations in the Tysons Bicycle Master Plan, that was completed in 2011, should have been implemented last year. They include low cost features such as Sharrows, Bicycles may Use Full Lane signs, and wayfinding signage, all of which could be installed tomorrow.The Fairfax County DOT has been making some progress. There are two crosswalks at the intersection of Route 123 and Tysons Boulevard, which FCDOT recently installed. But at the opposite corner, there are no crosswalks. This is where Ken Archer described pedestrians running across nine lanes of traffic without any crosswalk.
Labels: bicycle master plan, Silver line, tysons bike plan, wiehle station
Monday, July 28, 2014
Lots of bikes at Wiehle station on Monday
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| Bikes parked in the free bike parking outside the Wiehle bike room |
There was a bike parked in every rack at the free bike parking just outside the bike room. Each rack holds two bikes so there was still room for more bikes. I believe there are 16 racks in that space.
There were several bikes parked in the secure bike room although there was room for many more. The room can hold over 200 bikes, and the racks can be reconfigured to hold additional bikes by replacing the single inverted U racks with the vertical racks.
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| Bikes parked in the Wiehle bike room |
It looks like there is considerable demand for bike parking at the Wiehle station. For those who cannot find free parking, the bike room works out to costing around 25 cents/day if you use it on a daily basis ($60/year plus one-time $15 processing and fob fee). Eventually there will also be several bike racks installed on the plaza outside the station entrance.
The one comment I heard was from a woman who said that the bike room entry door was a little hard to hold open while walking a bike. An automated or auto-assist door would be much easier for cyclists entering the room.
WMATA is renting the bike lockers at the Wiehele and Tysons stations with the exceptions of those lockers on the north side of the Spring Hill station that are located on county property. This is the last message we heard from WMATA regarding rental of those lockers: "We are not ready to sign up bike locker patrons." Not sure what the problem is since the lockers are in place and seem ready to be used.
Congratulations to Fairfax County for having the foresight to work with the property developer, Comstock Partners, to build the bike room and
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| Racks on south side of Wiehle station |
Labels: Silver line, wiehle station, wiehle station bike room, wmata
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Sign up now for Wiehle Station bike room - Update: 28 FEB 2014
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| Photo by David Madison |
A special introductory rate is available until March 1. Those who requested the info packet will need to send in their applications soon. The county has indicated they will give some leeway on the March 1 deadline to those who requested a packet earlier but only received it in the past week (especially now that opening date is likely in the June/July timeframe).
Wiehle-Reston East Station Bikeroom
Frequently Asked Questions(FAQ)
Q) What is a Bikeroom?
In order to encourage people to bicycle, Fairfax County is making improvements to bicycle parking Countywide at our park and ride lots, Virginia Railway Express (VRE) Stations, our transit transfer facilities, and our new Silver Line Metrorail Stations. The Wiehle-Reston East Metrorail Station incorporates Fairfax County’s first enclosed, secure bicycle parking facility. Modeled after WMATA’s Bike&Ride concept, the bike room provides over 200 bicycle parking spaces adjacent located adjacent to the Station’s transit platform and kiss and ride area. Members will be able to access the room 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This bike room is equipped with both vertical (space-saver style) racks, our standard floor mounted inverted “U” racks, an area designated for over-sized bicycles, two fixit stations including an air pump, and benches, just in case you need a rest or to change your shoes.
Q) How do I become a member?
First, you’ll need to complete an application form, sign a member’s agreement, and submit payment. Start by contacting the FairfaxCounty Department of Transportation (FCDOT) and requesting an application package. You can also download the necessary forms from our webpage.
Q) How much does membership cost?
Cheaper than a Segway tour around the Capital! Fairfax County offers both half year and annual memberships. Yearly membership rates are $60, plus a $15 one-time non-refundable processing fee. The 6 month membership is 40.00 plus a $l5.00 one-time non-refundable processing fee.
Q) How will it work?
Your membership gets you one electronic access device (key fob) and three registration decals. The key fob resembles a small coin, and can be carried on your keychain. Everytime you use the bike room you will need to swipe your key fob in front of the reader at the front door and voila...you’re in. Once you’re in, find a rack and lock your bike. Voila...you’re done!
Q) I own several bikes; can I park more than one?
We know many of you have more than one bike. That’s why we provide three registration decals. As part of your membership package you can register up to three bicycles, so that should be enough for your commuter, road, cargo or recumbent. Remember, all bicycles in the room must have a current room registration sticker on their bike. Place one decal on your bike. We recommend either the seat tube, down tube, or top tube.
Q) Is the bike room secure?
We’ve made every effort to make sure our Bike&Ride facility is safe and secure but everybody has to help and do their part. The room is monitored by security cameras as well as security personnel who will check the room periodcally. We’ve also invested in quality bicycle racks that provide multiple locking options. You can help by...ALWAYS LOCKINGYOUR BIKE. Most bicycle thefts are “thefts of convenience”. Don’t make it easy for someone to steal your bike. Use the appropriate lock and lock it correctly. If you’re not sure about how to lock your bike securely, talk to your local bike shop or visit: www.nationalbikeregistry.com. Last but not least, DON’T LET OTHERS IN (it’s called tailgating or piggybacking). We all want to be a friend and let our neighbors in but don’t! Like you, all registered users will have their own key fob and should access the room individually. Remember, Fairfax County is not responsible for lost or stolen items.
Q) Can I let my friend into the room?
Oh, you didn’t read the previous paragraph, did you? Though you think you are helping others by letting them in the room, please don’t! Besides if they don’t have a registered bike, the bike will be removed. All registered users should use their own fob to access the room. Let’s keep the room safe! NO TAILGATING or PIGGIE BACKING PLEASE.
Q) What if I lose my access key fob?
Let us know as soon as possible. Call the County Bicycle Program at (703) 877-5600 and we will deactivate access key. To maintain room security, we don’t want someone else that isn’t you getting access to the room. We can then re-issue you a new key fob. A replacement key fob will cost you $|0.00.
Q) Do I get a reserved parking space?
No. This is a first come first serve facility but don’t worry, the room can handle over 200 bicycles and can be reconfigured if we need more capacity.
Q) Can I leave my bike overnight?
Yes. We have a lot of reverse commuters and also understand that there may be last minute changes to your commute/ride...it’s no fun to ride in torrential rain or surprise snow storm, so no problem. However, if we notice a bike that’s been parked for more than l4 days, we’ll attempt to contact the owner. Unattended bicycles over 30 days will be removed.
Q) Can I leave other bike gear in the room?
We discourage leaving personal belongings in the room but if you do, it should be attached to your bike (e.g. helmet, towel, etc.) Remember; FairfaxCounty is not responsible for lost or stolen items. FYI, we are exploring installing coin operated lockers so you can stow your stuff.
Q) Can I park my moped or scooter in the room?
Good grief no! Neither mopeds, motor scooters, mini bikes, nor bicycles powered with internal combustion engines are permitted within the room. However, the Wiehle-Reston East Station Parking Garage can accommodate these types of vehicles. Electric power assisted bicycles and electric personal assistive mobility devices (e.g. Segway) are welcome.
Q) Are there other County operated bike rooms?
This is Fairfax County’s first, but it won’t be the last. New secure bike rooms are being planned for additional Silver line stations as well as other park and ride facilities countywide. Here’s the best part. As a member, you will able to access any of the County’s Park&Ride facilities for no additional charge.
Q) WMATA hasopened their secure bike room at College Park and adding more at other Metrorail stations. Does my membership include access to those facilities?
Our best answer is, not yet. While we attempted to have one seamless operating system that would allow access to both systems, it just didn’t work. The good news is that we’re still working on it. It’s a mutual goal of both the County and WMATA.
Q) What if need to cancel my membership?
Though we are sad to see you go, we wish you the best! With a simple call we can deactivate your key fob instantly. Please remember to take your bike out of the room before you call. As a momento keep the key fob... you were part of the first of Fairfax County’s bike rooms. Keep in mind the key fob (and your membership) is non-transferable.
Q) Ok, I want to sign up, what do I need to do?
Request a membership package from the Department of Transportation. You can do this either by emailing us at: bicycleprograms@fairfaxcountygov or calling us at 703-877-5600, TTY 7| l The membership package includes an application form, an agreement, and other related information. Submit your completed forms along with payment (checks should be made out to County of Fairfax) to:
FairfaxCounty Department of Transportation
Attention BicycleParkingProgram
4050 Legato Road, Suite 400
Fairfax,Virginia22033-2895.
Q) | signed up and paid, now what? -
After you send back the application, the signed agreement, with your payment; we’ll send you your activated electronic access (key fob) device, and three bicycle registration stickers. The stickers are numbered and registered to your membership account. Remember, all bicycles in the room must have a current room registration sticker on their bike. Now you are ready to ride. And, remember;
It’s your room. Please keep it clean.
Keep it safe. Do not allow entry to others.
Your key fob is not transferable.
We hope you enjoy the facility!
HAPPY RIDING!
We have received several calls and e-mails expressing concerns about a variety of topics related to the bike room contract (the application and agreement). We hope to answer these questions and concerns with this email.
1. The bike room will open when the Silver Line opens. Therefore, your membership will begin on the day the Silver Line opens. That will be the date when your contract will begin. At this time, we have not received an official opening date. ON THE AGREEMENT FORM, Please leave the date fields blank. We will fill them in based on the opening date of the Silver Line.
2. If you currently do not have a bicycle or you are planning to get a different one that will be parked in the bike room and do not have the model and serial number at this time, you can leave it blank and provide that information to us at a later date.
3. Please remember that a 1 year membership is $45 ($30 membership fee + one-time $15 key fob activation fee) and a 2 year membership is $75 ($60 membership fee + one-time $15 key fob activation fee). We would also like to remind you that as long as we have you on our list or you send an email by March 1, 2014 you will get the introductory rates. So if you know of others that are interested, there are still 2 days to get the special rates.
4. You will receive your key fob within 5 days of the Silver Line and bike room opening. As we said previously, we don’t know when the opening date is yet, so we cannot tell you specifically when to expect to receive the key fob, but will send an email out when we do have a concrete date.
5. Unfortunately, public access to the bike room will not be possible until the official opening of the Silver Line. However, you will have an opportunity to tour the room and the station as the County will have an open house for the Wiehle-Reston East Station… Details to come.
6. As a reminder, please make all checks payable to Fairfax County.
Labels: wiehle station, wiehle station bike room
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Fees set for Wiehle station bike room
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| Wiehle station bike room under construction Photo: Fairfax County |
The yearly membership fee for using the secure, bike locker room will be $75, the supervisors said. The “Bike & Ride” indoor locker room, the first of its kind for the county, will accommodate over 200 bikes and include two small, repair stations and benches.
Free, unsecured bike parking will also be available in the garage, along with a future Capital Bikeshare docking station, the county says.
The county had hoped to offer a short term rental option available for 5 cents/hour during the day and 2 cents/hour at night. Over the course of a year of regular use the cost would be similar to the annual rate. However, many people like myself will not be using the facility on a daily or even weekly basis. We will want the option of a secure room for infrequent trips on Metro. To do so will require paying the $70 fee. In the future we hope an hourly rate will be possible.Free, unsecured bike parking will also be available in the garage, along with a future Capital Bikeshare docking station, the county says.
Once we learn the details of how to sign up for the bike room we'll post them here.
Labels: wiehle station, wiehle station bike room
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Wiehle Ave Metrorail station bike room under construction
Today Fairfax County staff are installing bike racks and other equipment in the Wiehle Ave Metrorail station bike room that is part of the Reston Station development by Comstock. The room will have secure, card-accessed parking for approximately 240 bikes. There will be racks outside the bike room available to everyone. There will also be two Fixit stations similar to, if not the same as, the Fixit station made by Dero. The fee structure and card system for accessing the bike room have not been finalized.Here's a photo of some of the racks being installed today. The tall black racks will accommodate several bikes hung by their front wheel. The red U racks leaning against the will each hold 2 bikes and will be lined up around the room:
We just learned today that Phase I of the Dulles Rail project, which includes the Wiehle station, will be delayed by approximately eight weeks. The original start date for Metro service was late December. The delay pushes that date back at least until late February.
Labels: comstock, fixit station, wiehle station
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Wiehle Ave trail closed near W&OD Trail
Due to construction related to the new Wiehle Ave Metro station, the trail on Wiehle Ave from the W&OD Trail to the Sunset Hills Road intersection is closed. Trail Closed signs have been in place for nearly two weeks but no work was being done. Last week I joined an onsite meeting with VDOT and county staff and the representative from the company doing the work, Comstock. Actually I butted into their meeting to explain why it was inconsiderate to block the trail for no apparent reason. |
| Wiehle Ave trail at Sunset Hills Rd |
To their credit, the VDOT rep suggested that the trail be opened until work started. That was almost a week ago and the trail was never opened and only today did we see any sign of work being done.
There was a "detour" around the closed trail segment. It involved crossing Wiehle Ave, crossing Sunset Hills Rd, and crossing Wiehle Ave again, dodging "right turn never stops on red" traffic. The photo on the left shows what this detour looked like right after the trail was closed. There's a dump truck parked in both crosswalks and a paving crew has coned off the crosswalk across Sunset Hills Rd. Those "stupid" people who used the closed trail maybe weren't so stupid after all.For people who parked in the lot called Reston North, they were trapped. Unless they caught a bus that stops in the lot, there was no legal way for them to cross the street. They couldn't reach the W&OD Trail because of the Trail Closed sign. They couldn't use the crosswalk because it was closed, and the crosswalk at the other end was under construction. We were assured that they all caught a bus. He must not have seen my wife who parked their the other day and crossed the street to catch the 505 bus.
There will be construction in this area for many months. If you can, I would avoid the intersection. From where I live near South Lakes HS I can reach the W&OD Trail using two other routes: South Lakes Dr to Sunrise Valley Dr to the W&OD Trail if I'm headed east, and South Lakes Dr to Pinecrest Dr to Glade Dr to the Fairfax Co Parkway trail to the W&OD Trail if I'm headed west.
About 10 years ago Supervisor Hudgins wrote a memo to county staff asking what procedures are in place to provide temporary access for pedestrians and bicyclists during construction. Apparently it's still a work in progress.
When FABB reps met with VDOT reps about closure of the Fairfax County Parkway trail, we asked for the following: That trail closures be treated like a road closure: Avoid if at all possible, provide a detour, close for as short a time as possible, provide advance notification, provide ongoing notification regarding status of the closure, and provide information about alternative routes if a detour is not provided. VDOT staff assured us that ped/bike detours are included in all new projects, even the smallest project. This is not a VDOT project.
Comstock has done a good job of providing pedestrian and bike access along the Wiehle Ave trail in front of their main construction site at the station. They need to do a better job at this intersection.
Update: Today (May 23) we rode by this intersection and saw this group of construction workers walking around the Trail Closed barrier and crossing in the close crosswalk. I believe they were headed to the Comstock development. One of the works actually walked into the sign when he looked back at his co-workers. They are a fine example to others on how to deal with the closed trail.
Labels: comstock, sunset hills road, vdot, wiehle ave, wiehle station
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Bicycling as Transportation
We recently appeared on a second taping of the local Reston TV show Reston Impact. We joined Anne Mader, co-onwer of The Bike Lane and host John Lovaas to discuss bicycling to the soon to be opened Wiehle Ave Metro station. We also discussed using bicycles for local trips.The garage at the Wiehle Station will have a secure, card-accessible bike room that will hold 230 bikes. Short term rental is available at 5 cents/hour during the day and 2 cents/hour at night. There will also be bike parking for 30 bikes outside the bike room along with other visitor bike parking scattered around the property.
Anne showed a photo of her husband and son riding a cargo bike to school. Her kids are accustomed to riding to school every day. "They don't question it. They don't say 'Oh, it's too cold to go out' they just put some layers on, and we don't force it." We also discussed Wolfie's Bike Train and how much fun kids have just riding to school.
Labels: anne mader, reston impact, the bike lane, wiehle station
