Video of bike ride from DC to Tysons

I happened across a video of a ride from Pennsylvania Ave. in DC to Tysons, mostly using trails, posted on The WashCycle. It was recorded about a year ago by Greenbelt Bike Videos.

I'm very familiar with most of this route which primarily consists of the Custis Trail to W&OD Trail. Part of the last section to Tysons is on a route that's new to me, the Beltway crossing on Barbour Rd.

Where the W&OD Trail crosses Shreve Lane the rider takes a right and quick left to follow Pinecastle Rd to Barbour Rd which crosses the Beltway. The rider continues on Barbour then turns left on Idylwood Rd. I am often harassed along this stretch of Idylwood Rd where drivers seem very aggressive and intolerant of bicyclists.

The rider then stops at the intersection of Idyl Lane and Idylwood Rd (see the sign for Idylwood Towers in the background) to check directions. After a short pause they head down Idyl Lane only to turn around and climb back up to Idylwood Rd, a fairly steep climb, and turns right on Idylwood. This is a really bad section that's narrow with lots of aggressive traffic. We've lobbied for better bike facilities here. There is funding for paved shoulders but there are many physical challenges to implementation. Bicycles May Use Full Lane signs were installed by VDOT last year.

The rider continues on this bad stretch of Idylwood toward Gallows Rd. There's lots of traffic and many close passes. Surprisingly the rider makes a U-turn and passes through this same section back to a left on Idyl Lane, a relatively bike-friendly road. Wayfinding signs indicating good routes to major destinations are definitely needed in Fairfax.

At Route 7 the rider turns left on the service road headed west toward Tysons. They then make their way through the parking lots and services roads parallel to Route 7, a route identified on the Tysons Master Plan as a possible bike route given a few improvements.

Where the service road ends the rider follows the sidewalk past Marshall High School. Past Marshall HS there is a service road that could have been an alternative. At Lisle Ave the rider crosses Route 7 and rides to the Westin Hotel.

While the Westin may have a Tysons address, it's on the periphery. To reach Tysons one would have to continue on Route 7 and cross the Beltway, which in the past has been one of the more dangerous places to ride. A cyclist was killed riding there in 2008 and a pedestrian was killed in the same location in 2010. Since the Route 7 bridge was rebuilt there is now a wide side path that cyclists can use.

It is possible to ride to Tysons and it's gradually getting better. With over 100,000 people working there, direct, safe bike routes with good wayfinding signs, are desperately needed.

Busy advocacy schedule

It's been a busy advocacy week for FABB. Here's a list of events and meetings we've attended this week:

Tuesday, Nov. 27 - We put in a few miles riding to the following meetings, despite a light rain.

• Dunn Loring Metro Station sidewalk meeting - On Tuesday morning we met with several staff from WMATA at the station to discuss the temporary sidewalk leading into the property from the paved trail along Gallows Rd on the north. The new sidewalk is narrow and splits, with a wide lip that could, and did, catch a wheel and caused a crash. These "temporary" sidewalks will be in place for at least two years. We were told that some additional paving would be done to make the situation safer for pedestrians and cyclists.
• Tysons Bike Group meeting - Glenn Hiner of Fairfax Co Employer Services brought copies of the microfiber bike map of Tysons that he is using to promote bicycling in Tysons with the goal of reducing congestion. The map shows bicycling conditions in and around Tysons. A similar map is planned fro the area in Reston around the Wiehle Ave Metro station. Glenn also discussed the possibility of the county subsidizing small-scale, employer-based bike sharing in Tysons, similar to Patriot Bikeshare. We discussed the many funded bike projects in the Tysons area including bike lanes on Idylwood Rd between Helena and Idyl Lane, paved shoulders on Old Courthouse Rd at Freedom Hill Park, upgrading the Ashgrove Lane trail, building a new trail from Vesper Ct to the Tysons West Metro station, and sharrows and wayfinding signage in various locations.
• Tysons Stakeholder meeting - Updates on various transportation projects around Tysons. As development occurs in Tysons, developers are being requested to contribute to a Tysons-wide transportation fund to be used for trip reduction strategies, probably managed by the Tysons Partnership. Bicycling will play a role in those strategies.
• W&OD Trail Safety meeting - The Vienna Transportation Advisory Commission held a public hearing that evening on W&OD Trail safety. It was an unusual public hearing since there was no public information on which to base comments. We're well aware of many concerns expressed by some trail users regarding bad behavior, but there was no clear definition of the problems nor any proposed solutions provided beforehand. We suggested that a TSC subcommittee meet with reps from the various user groups to discuss the perceived problems and to develop suggestions. At the end of the meeting Bob McCahill, Vienna Bicycle Advisory Committee chair, presented a list of proposed safety measures. The Town Council plans to meet with reps from the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority at a work session on Dec. 10 at 8pm to discuss the issue.

Wednesday, Nov. 28 - It was a cold but clear riding day with a very bright full moon that evening.

• Alternative Transportation event at Defense Health Headquarters - DHHQ is located just inside the Beltway on Route 50. There are no safe bike/ped crossings of the Beltway on Rt 50 and only the most experienced cyclists will try to right through the intersection. However, there are many good routes from the north, east, and south. We had a table at the mid-day event and spoke to a few of the 3,000 employees working in the building.
• Route 7 Public Citizen Information Meeting - VDOT now holds public meetings much earlier in the planning process than they did in the past. At this evening meeting information was provided regarding plans to widen Route 7 to 6 lanes between Reston Parkway and Jarrett Valley Dr. There will be multi-use trails on each side of the road. We asked about the possibility of dedicating a lane to transit service. The next citizen information meeting is scheduled for Fall of 2013 at the end of the preliminary design phase.

Thursday, Nov. 29

• Transportation Planning Board Community Leadership Training - This training is provided for free by Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG). This is a "workshop designed to help community activists learn how to get involved more effectively in transportation decision-making in the Washington Region." The major part of the training takes place on Saturday. The sessions have received good reviews from other who have taken them in the past. The trip to the training was multimodal: bike to bus, bus to rail, rail to DC, Capital Bikeshare to the MWCOG offices.

Friday, Nov. 30

• Historic Marker Bike Tour - We plan to meet with a cyclist interested in helping us put together a bike tour that would visit several of the historic markers located throughout the county. It would be a great way to explore the rich history of Fairfax.

Bike facilities part of new Tysons development

Today the Board of Supervisors approved a mixed use development near the new McLean Metro station. The Cityline Partners development, Arbor Row, will include the following bike facilities: "Bike racks, lockers and storage facilities will be provided throughout Arbor Row. CityLine also will build bike lanes on both sides of the street on both Westpark Drive and Westbranch Drive." From the County news release:

Called Arbor Row, this project is the second major redevelopment plan for Tysons to get the green light. Earlier this fall, the board approved Capital One Bank’s mixed use expansion at its current campus. To date, Fairfax County has given the go-ahead for more than 14-million square feet in new major development in Tysons, which is expected to grow to 113 million square feet by 2050.

Cityline will construct eight new buildings on a 19.4-acre site along the south side of West Park Drive near Tysons Galleria. The plans call for three high-rise residential buildings with up to 1,179 units in total, four office towers, more than 58,000 square feet of retail and an approximately 250-room hotel. Construction could begin on some parts of this six-block development soon since CityLine’s application includes final development plans.

Arbor Row will be walking distance from the future Tysons Corner Metro station. Of the entire project, about 28 percent will be 1/4 to 1/3 mile from this station, and 70 percent will be between 1/3 and 1/2 mile from Metro.

This development and the Georgelas mixed use development (which was discussed at the Bike Summit) are both setting the stage for Tysons to become a bike-friendly place. It will take many years for the transformation to occur, but these early developments are an indication that bicycling is being treated as a legitimate transportation mode in Tysons.

New bike lanes on Westpark Dr in Tysons

As part of the 495 Express Lanes (aka HOT lanes) project, the bridge on Westpark Dr over Route 123, that leads from Tysons Corner Center to Galleria Dr, was rebuilt. The bridge now has bike lanes and wide sidewalks giving cyclists and pedestrians much better access in that area.

We discovered the new bike lanes today after teaching a bike maintenance class at PwC, a major employer located on Tysons Blvd., within sight of the Westpark bridge. Our contact there uses the bridge on her commute to work and she pointed out the new lanes. We knew they were planned but they hadn't been stripped the last time we rode there.

Westpark Dr. bike lanes

As you can see from the photo on the left, there is a transition from the sidepath to the bike lane. This is on the north side. I didn't see any transition for those cyclists on the south side approaching the sidepath from the other direction. I assume they would cross at the crosswalk and somehow enter the trail.

Unfortunately the trail comes to an abrupt end not far away. It is planned to extend all the way to the bike lanes adjacent to the Towers Crescent (Shopping Bag) building, but probably not until there is more construction on the mixed use development planned for this area.

Sidepath on Tysons Ring Road

Tysons is slowing becoming more bike-friendly. As we mentioned earlier this week, there are now bike facilities on the Route 7 bridge over the Beltway, also a result of the 495 Express Lanes construction. Many more people will ride in this area if conditions continue to improve.

FABB at Keep Tysons Moving event

FABB table at Keep Tysons Moving

FABB was up early this morning to attend Keep Tysons Moving, an event that provides information about alternative transportation to Tysons employers and employees. We've attended the event for several years and have spoken to many people who want to ride but are afraid because of poor cycling conditions. Several people do ride in Tysons, either by choice or necessity.

Ann Cavazos of FABB brought flowers and her jewel-encrusted bike and helmet for display at the table; it's a nice touch and likely attracted more people to our booth to learn about FABB, the upcoming Fairfax Bike Summit, and plans for remaking Tysons into a more bike-friendly place.

SAIC Transportation Fair

Handing out literature at SAIC Trans. Fair

Yesterday we attended the SAIC Transportation Fair. As you can see from the photo on the right, it was held outdoors in one of the massive parking lots next to the building located on Greensboro Dr in Tysons. It's always impressive how much free parking space is used in Tysons, where land is very valuable. And people think that bicyclists don't pay for facilities. We all pay for free parking.

We talked to several people who live very close to Tysons. They all said they would ride to work if they could do so safely. I had a copy of the latest version of the Fairfax County Bicycle Route map that is being delivered to the county this week, showing people the many bike-friendly routes leading to Tysons. The worst part of the ride for most people is along Gosnell Road and Westpark Road. During rush hour the streets are packed with commuters and even the most experienced cyclists are challenged by the conditions. We need to make these critical connecting routes more bike-friendly.

New trail that ends near service road

We rode to the event, using the same route we used to the Wolf Trap concert, instead turning right on Gelder Ln at Trap Rd, left on Bois Ave, left on Montmorency Dr to the end where there's a trail into Tysons behind the Sheraton. We crossed Route 7 and took a right on the paved trail to Spring Hill Rd at the site of the new Metro station. There's a short climb after turning right on Greensboro Dr to the SAIC parking lot. It took about 35 minutes, probably less time than it would take to drive, park, and walk to the building during heavy rush hour. It was a very pleasant ride for most of the trip.

Northbound bike lane on Gallows Rd closed

On the return trip we wanted to check out the Gallows Road bike lanes again as they were part of a discussion of bike lane widths at the Bicycle Master Plan advisory committee meeting on Wed. We rode to Tysons Corner Center mall then to the ring road past the Towers Crescent building to a left on the bridge over Route 7 where we took the photo above. There's a new, much needed trail that extends from the new bridge over the 495 Express Lanes/Beltway to this location where it abruptly ends. Someone needs to complete this connection to the service road you seen in the distance. We're trying to find out if that's in the works.

Backing out of the W&OD Trail

If you're riding on the Gallows Road bike lanes this week beware that there is construction on the northbound lane just north of Idylwood Rd where the bike lane is closed and cyclists must merge with traffic in the center lane.

The bike lanes are a vast improvement over previous conditions. When traffic is congested cyclists can easily ride to head of the line at traffic lights. The lanes are about 4 feet wide with a 2 foot gutter pan. Even so we'd like them to be 5 feet wide but they work pretty well as is.

Finally, we eventually made our way back to the W&OD Trail where we took the photo of a motorist who had turned right onto the W&OD Trail thinking it was either a road or an entrance to the adjacent Whole Foods store. People do some crazy things out there so beware. That's the second car we've seen on the W&OD Trail in that area, but we would definitely not want bollards placed at the entrances which are a hazard to cyclists, especially at night. Maybe better signage is needed.

New bike lanes on Gallows Road

Bike lanes on Gallows Road north of the W&OD Trail

There are now bike lanes on Gallows Road from the W&OD trail into Tysons. The project has been in the planning stages for many years and is now mostly complete. Bike lanes now extend from just north of the I-66 bridge at the Dunn Loring Metro station to Tysons near Madrillon Road.

It was disappointing to see that the bike lanes end before Old Courthouse Road. Ideally they should be extended beyond Route 7 into the heart of Tysons but that wasn't part of the project. However, we had understood that the lanes would reach Old Courthouse Road so we'll check with the county to find out if there are plans in the near future to extend the lanes.

The speed limit on Gallows is 35 mph but motorists appeared to be driving much faster when we were there this morning. The bike lanes appear to be 4 feet wide not including the gutter pan. We'd prefer they were 5 feet wide given the high speeds on the road. One huge advantage of the bike lanes is that during rush hour, when traffic is backed up, cyclists can easily pass stopped traffic in the bike lanes.

Bike lanes end before Old Courthouse Rd in the distance

This is a big step forward for the county. The bike lanes are a visible sign to motorists that cyclists belong on the road. Thanks to the county for finding the funding for the project and to VDOT for adding to the bike lanes in Fairfax. We look forward to the appearance of more bike lanes, especially in the Tysons area as it redevelops with the arrival of Metro.

In fact, the lanes on Old Courthouse Road are very wide and there is a wide center turn lane. It would be very easy and relatively inexpensive to restripe the road to add bike lanes, at least from Gallows Rd to Route 123.

Tysons Bike Group hears about feasibility of bikesharing in Tysons

On Tuesday Charlie Denney of Alta Planning & Design/Alta Bike Share discussed the feasibility of a bike sharing system in Tysons, similar to the very successful Capital Bikeshare in DC run by Alta Bike Share. The presentation was sponsored by the Tysons Bike Group, an informal gathering of bicycling enthusiasts formed by FABB and TYTRAN. See our earlier post about the talk.

According to Charlie, the DC system cost $6.4 million, mostly from Federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ) funds matched by 20% local funding. It consists of 140 stations and 1200 bikes. Arlington's system cost $800,000 and consists of 26 stations in Crystal City and Ballston/Rosslyn Corridor. There are 19,000 members which is double the projected number. There have been over 1.5 million trips that average about 1 mile in length. There have been 20 reported crashes and 10 bicycles have disappeared and not recovered.

Charlie said there are four major considerations when thinking about implementing bike sharing in Tysons:

• Connections to Silver Line stations
• The need for better bicycle infrastructure
• Promotion of bike sharing
• Partnerships and sponsorships

The bike share system would be focused around the four Metro stations which are located along Routes 123 and 7. These wide, pedestrian and bicycle unfriendly streets present major barriers for bicyclists. Bike share stations would need to be located on each side of the Metro station. Other stations would be located near major residential, employment and retail/commercial destinations. Using a bike for short lunchtime trips would reduce congestion and save employees time.

There is currently no dedicated on-road bicycle infrastructure in Tysons. While many cyclists do ride there, most people will be reluctant to use bicycles without some dedicated space such as bike lanes, cycle tracks, or indications of shared use such as sharrows and "Bicycles May Use Full Lane" signs. The Tysons Bicycle Plan needs to be approved and implemented, and the planned redevelopment projects need to include bike infrastructure.

The bike share system would need to be promoted by TYTRAN, FABB, the Tysons Bike Group, VDOT and DRPT, and others. Major land developers are logical sponsors as are Fairfax County, VDOT, the Tysons Partnership, and major Tysons employers such as Booz Allen, SAIC, Freddie Mac, PwC, etc.

Bike sharing in Tysons is an exciting prospect but major changes are needed before it could become a reality. The fist step is implementation of the Tysons Bicycle Master Plan.

Bikesharing in Tysons?

Is bike sharing in Tysons feasible? That is the subject of a presentation to the Tysons Bike Group by Charlie Denney of Alta Planning & Design that is scheduled for next Tuesday, March 6 at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Tysons from noon to 1pm. If you're interested in attended send a message to chairman@fabb-bikes.org.

Charlie Denney of Alta Planning at the
Tysons West station.

Most people cannot imagine bicycling in Tysons. There are a few people who currently bike to work there; either those who are comfortable riding most conditions, or those for whom bicycling is their only option. In order for more people to be willing to ride in a place like Tysons, and for bike sharing to be a possible option, better riding conditions are needed.

The Tysons Bicycle Master Plan contains recommendations for many on- and off-road bike facilities. Bike sharing is also recommended in Phase 2: 2012-2016 - "As the core of Tysons Corner begins redeveloping, implement priority on-street, and off-street bicycle facilities. Improve bicycle access within and from the surrounding communities. Install high-tech Bicycle Sharing infrastructure and launch encouragement programs like 'Bike-to- Lunch' and 'Bicycle-Friendly Employer A wards.'" Unfortunately the plan has not even been presented to the Planning Commission or the Board of Supervisors, and we're already into Phase 2 recommendations.

Shopper bike racks at Tysons Corner Center

Today we took Charlie on a tour of Tysons to check out riding conditions and view progress on the Silver Line Metro stations and some of the development that is occurring. That's Charlie above in front of the Tysons West station under construction, with the Sheraton in the background.

We rode by three of the four future station locations and got a feel for bike access to the stations. Tysons isn't flat. To cycle from most of the stations to interior locations will require pedaling uphill. Electric-assist bikes would make bike sharing more feasible for many people although there are few electric-assist bike share systems currently in place (see The Bike-sharing Blog for info on Japanese systems that use electric-assist).

On the left are some of the custom "shopper" bike racks that are scattered around the Tysons Corner Center.

It was a beautiful day to tour Tysons on bikes. The kind of day when you think anything is possible, even having a successful bike sharing system in Tysons.

Bike-sharing in the suburbs

Today's Post has a long article about the expansion of Capital Bikeshare in Rockville and Alexandria: Capital Bikeshare program looks to spread into the Washington suburbs.

A key reason the bike program has flourished in the District and Arlington has been the expansion of bike lanes and bike-related improvements to encourage cycling. As Bikeshare moves to areas outside the city, the same accommodations are important, said Shane Farthing, director of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association.

“I do think that the next places that come along are going to have to step it up a little bit to make sure that conditions are right, that people are safe, that there’s space for people to bike, and that drivers and cyclists are educated on how to ride responsibly,” Farthing said.

In 2010 Fairfax County applied for funding through the TIGER II grant program for bike sharing in either Reston or Tysons as part of the MWCOG application. Their application was not among those selected for funding.

While Reston is becoming more bike-friendly, that community and most of Fairfax still have a long way to go before most bicyclists feel comfortable riding on most of our roads. We will definitely have to "step it up a little bit" with more bike lanes and calmer streets before bike sharing becomes feasible. Tysons is undergoing a major transformation and within a few years could be ready for bike sharing.

Bike light giveaway at LL Bean in Tysons

FABB will be installing free bike lights between 2:30 and 5:00 p.m. at LL Bean in Tysons Corner Center. We'll be at the ground level entrance. Bring your bike and we'll in stall the lights. We've reached out to service workers who bike in the Tysons area who need lights.

Virginia Transportation Plan public hearing wrap-up

Fionnuala Quinn testifies before CTB

Approximately 16 citizens testified last night at the public hearing on transportation projects in Virginia. Only 3 of 17 members of the Commonwealth Transportation Board were present, Thelma Drake, Director of the Department of Rail and Public Transportation, Douglas Koelemay the Northern Virginia District rep and Gary Garczynski the At-Large Urban rep.

More than half of the speakers wanted better bicycle, pedestrian, and transit solutions. Roger Deitrick and David Dixon of the Sierra Club testified as did Fionnuala Quinn and myself from FABB, Pat Turner of BikeLoudoun, and Jenifer Madden of the Tysons Metrorail Station Access Management team. Chairman Bulova, Supervisor McKay and several other speakers stressed the need to fund Tysons access projects, including those in the Tysons Bicycle Master Plan.

Folks from the car lobby once again advocated for the sprawl-inducing outer beltway. With our current system badly in need of maintenance funds they and their developer supporters want to build a new north south highway to feed new development in Loudoun County. Carol Welty of the Washington Airports Task Force even advocated for a 6-8 lane freeway circling Dulles airport. Bob Chase of Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance has been the biggest booster of the outer beltway, including a new crossing of the Potomac into Montgomery Co.

See our complete testimony on the Six-Year Improvement Program.

See also Greater Greater Washington's excellent summary of the CTB's reversal of having connected neighborhood streets that was the subject several speaker's comments last night: Virginia turns back toward the 1950s by weakening road connection standards, neglecting populated areas.

Update: See coverage of the meeting in Vienna Patch: NOVA Weighs In On Allocation of VDOT Transportation Funds.

37% of Tysons Metro riders plan to get there by bike

At the final meeting of Tysons Metrorail Station Access Management Study team, results of their online survey were presented. 1,896 people completed the survey which included the following question: "If going to a new Tysons Corner Metrorail station, how do you plan to travel to the station?" The responses included 45% plan to walk, 37% plan to bike, 33% plan to ride the bus, and 33% plan to use kiss and ride.

The Tysons Bicycle Master Plan was completed in February and is awaiting approval by the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors. The plan includes many recommendations for improving bicycle access to the stations. The plan needs to be approved and work needs to begin on implementing the plan so that when the stations open, bicyclists have safe, convenient ways to reach the stations. With no permanent car parking planned, adequate bike parking is critical.

Final recommendations for sidewalk, trail, bicycle, and transit improvements were discussed. The bicycle plan contains the bicycle recommendations. There was some overlap between the sidewalk and trail recommendations. The highest priority sidewalk and trail recommendation was a new trail from the neighborhood southwest of the Tysons-Spring Hill Road (formerly Tysons West) station from Vesper Lane to Route 7 and Spring Hill Rd. The .4 mile trail would lead almost directly to the station and provide access for bicyclists from the W&OD Trail and Vienna area.

The final report should be completed in the next week or two and will be available on the TMSAMS website.

Tysons rezonings meeting - Updated 8/30/11

Several major Tysons rezoning applications will be coming before the Fairfax Co Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors in the coming months. One of the first set of applications will be heard by the Planning Commission on September 8.

As Tysons redevelops it's important that bicycle facilities are included in all Tysons projects. The Tysons Bicycle Master Plan was recently completed but has not been formally adopted by the Board, so the recommendations are not binding yet.

A public meeting to discuss these first rezoning applications will be held on September 1. Cyclists are encouraged to attend this information meeting to learn more about the application and to plan to testify in favor of bicycle facilities at the Sept. 8 public hearing. From Fairfax County:

The first rezonings under the new Comprehensive Plan for Tysons are scheduled for a public hearing at the Fairfax County Planning Commission on September 8. These applications are RZ 2010-PR-014A and 014B, Georgelas Group LLC, which are located near the future Tysons Spring Hill Metro Station. We would like to invite the public to an informational meeting on the rezonings. The meeting will be held at the Vienna Town Hall, 127 Center Street South, on Thursday, September 1 at 7:30 pm. The applicant and Fairfax County staff will be on hand to review the rezoning proposals and to answer questions. The staff report for the applications will be available on the county website.

Linda Smyth, Providence District Supervisor
John Foust, Dranesville District Supervisor
Cathy Hudgins, Hunter Mill District Supervisor

See the Fairfax County Active Zoning Applications Interactive Map which allows you to zoom to the Tysons area, select parcels, and display application information. I was not able to list info for the 014B application (an error message appeared).

Update: See additional information on these applications on the Fairfax Co website.