New bike/ped staff person at Fairfax County

We've heard that Fairfax County DOT have hired a new bicycle (and pedestrian) staff person to work in the county bike program. Her name is Vanessa Aguayo. According to the county bike coordinator, "She has an engineering background, comes to us from the private sector, and has lots of experience in designing bike and pedestrian projects as well as traffic calming." A similar position was held by Jeff Hermann, who has moved within the department.

 This is a critical time for the county; the bicycle master plan was recently completed and will need extensive staff work when it is presented to the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors later this year or the first of next year.

We look forward to working with Ms. Aguayo in the near future. She is planning to attend the FABB meeting on Wednesday which will be a good opportunity for us to get to know her.

Bike Month video from Fairfax DOT

Bike Coordinator Charlie Strunk is featured in this video promoting Bike to Work Day/Bike Month. The video was taken at the Fairfax Corner Bike to Work Day pit stop, located near REI and across the street from the county government center:

VDOT hires state bicycle coordinator

After a year and a half, VDOT has finally filled the state bicycle coordinator position. We've heard that John Bolecek, formerly of the US Department of Transportation, is the new coordinator. While at USDOT John represented the U.S. DOT on Michelle Obamas' Let's Move childhood obesity taskforce. He's a University of Virginia graduate who is the author of Local Planning and Promotion of Bicycle and Pedestrian Accommodations: A Review and Analysis of Virginia Government Efforts.

This paper examines steps that the commonwealth and selected Virginia localities have taken to plan for bicycle and pedestrian transportation. To the extent feasible, it also analyzes the costs and benefits involved. Thus it can serve as a guide for Virginia localities that may be considering similar programs. Ideally, it will also foster increased communication among local and state officials about the benefits of bicycling and walking, as well as best practices.

This paper was written by John Bolecek, a recent graduate of the University of Virginia's Department of Urban and Environmental Planning. He works for the U.S. Department of Transportation as a transportation safety analyst and is a certified instructor for the National Safe Routes to Schools course. John wrote this report to fulfill the terms of the Wallerstein Scholarship, which he was awarded in 2008. The annual scholarship is awarded jointly by the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service at the University of Virginia and the Virginia Municipal League.

We're excited that John will be working to make Virginia a more bicycle-friendly place, and that the Draft State Bicycling Policy Plan and the State Bicycle Advisory Committee will be revived.