Reston Association Board approves Bicycle-Friendly Community Action Plan

Last year the League of American Bicyclists awarded Reston an honorable mention in their Bicycle-Friendly Community program. Along with the award came feedback from LAB that included long and short term recommendations for becoming more bicycle-friendly. The recommendations were grouped by the five E's, Engineering, Education, Encouragement, Enforcement, and Evaluation/Planning.

The Reston Pedestrian and Bicycling Advisory Committee used the feedback to develop an Action Plan. At their May 24 meeting the Reston Association Board approved the Bicycle Friendly Community Action Plan for Reston. This is a major accomplishment for the ped/bike committee and the Board. Below is the final approved Action Plan. It can serve as an excellent model for other Fairfax communities:

Bicycle Friendly Community Action Plan for Reston

Communities across the globe are managing diverse issues such as pollution, congestion, traffic safety, accessibility, social inclusion, and economic growth. Increasing urbanization is generating extra demand for quality public spaces and recreation opportunities. A renewed emphasis on security and the costs of dealing with the emerging epidemics of obesity and physical inactivity are stretching limited resources even further.

Solutions to these many challenges are equally diverse and complex. This Action Plan recognizes one policy initiative that addresses these challenges and contributes to many of the solutions necessary to improve the quality of life in Reston; increasing the percentage of trips made by bicycle by making Reston more bicyclefriendly. Reston Association recognizes that increasing bicycle use can:

Improve the environment by reducing the impact on residents of pollution and noise, limiting greenhouse gases, and improving the quality of public spaces.

Reduce congestion by shifting short trips (the majority of trips in communities) out of cars. This will also make communities more accessible for public transport, walking, essential car travel, emergency services, and deliveries.

Save lives by creating safer conditions for bicyclists and as a direct consequence improve the safety of all other road users. Research shows that increasing the number of bicyclists on the street improves bicycle safety.

Increase opportunities for residents of all ages to participate socially and economically in the community, regardless income or ability. Greater choice of travel modes also increases independence, especially among seniors and children.

Boost the economy by creating a community that is an attractive destination for new residents, tourists and businesses.

Enhance recreational opportunities, especially for children, and further contribute to the quality of life in the community.

Save funds by increasing the efficient use of public space, reducing the need for costly new road infrastructure, preventing crashes, improving the health of the community, and increasing the use of public transport.

Enhance public safety and security by increasing the number of “eyes on the street” and providing more options for movement in the event of emergencies, natural disasters, and major public events. Improve the health and well being of the population by promoting routine physical activity.

In an effort to demonstrate its commitment to improving conditions for and realize the benefits of bicycling in the community, Reston Association’s Board of Directors formally adopted, during its meeting of May 24, 2012 the following Bicycle Friendly Community Action Plan for Reston:

1. Adopt a target level of bicycle use (e.g. percent of trips) and safety to be achieved within a specific timeframe, and improve data collection necessary to monitor progress.

2. Establish information programs to promote bicycling for all purposes, and to communicate the many benefits of bicycling to residents and businesses (e.g. with bicycle maps, public relations campaigns, neighborhood rides, a ride with the RA President)

3. Make the Reston Association (RA) a model employer by encouraging bicycle use among employees (e.g. by providing parking, showers and lockers, and providing access to a bicycle fleet).

4. Ensure all RA policies, plans, and programs are updated and implemented to take advantage of every opportunity to create a more bicycle‐friendly community. Staff in all departments should be offered training to better enable them to complete this task.

5. Encourage the Pedestrian and Bicycling Advisory Committee to submit to the Board a regular status report for completing the items in this Action Plan.

In addition, the Reston Association will advocate to federal, state and county officials the importance of:

1. Providing safe and convenient bicycle access to all parts of the community through a signed network of on‐ and off‐street facilities, low‐speed streets, and secure parking. Local cyclists should be involved in identifying maintenance needs and ongoing improvements.

2. Educating all road users to share the road and interact safely to increase the confidence of bicyclists.

3. Enforcing traffic laws to improve the safety and comfort of all road users, with a particular focus on behaviors and attitudes that cause motor vehicle/bicycle crashes.

4. Developing special programs to encourage bicycle use for neighborhoods where significant segments of the population do not drive (e.g. through Safe Routes to Schools programs) and where short trips are most common.

5. Promoting intermodal travel between public transport and bicycles, e.g. by improving parking at transit, and improving access to rail and public transport vehicles.

ATTEST: This Bicycle Friendly Community Action Plan for Reston was adopted by the Reston Association Board of Directors at its Regular Meeting of May 24, 2012.

Road to the future: Bike-friendly communities

To some people, bicycling is a fringe activity in which only a few, dedicated people participate. That may have been true in the past but it's no longer the case, especially in vibrant, urban communities. Most of our major cities are trying to transform their streets into more bicycle and pedestrian-friendly places. And most of the growth that is now occurring is in urban and inner suburban areas with access to transit and stores and workplaces that are within biking and walking distance.

In the article Road to growth is out of the exurbs Post columnist Steven Pearlstein discusses this trend. When discussing the future of suburban office parks he notes that

Workers no longer prefer to work in them, companies no longer want to occupy them, banks no l onger will finance them, real estate trusts no longer want to own them band planning boards have become reluctant to approve them. In the future, developers say, offices will be part of mixed-use developments, with shops, restaurants, schools, day-care centers, and doctors' offices, preferably within walking or biking distance of condos, townhouses and Metro stops.

Across the region, a generation of baby boomers is getting ready to sell three-bedroom suburban colonials to Gen Xers who either don’t want them or can’t afford them. Add to that a wave of foreclosures and excess inventory left over from a speculative housing boom that has driven home prices in many submarkets to levels below the cost of new construction.

For exurban developers, the implication is pretty clear: The raw land they’re holding isn’t worth much and in any case, and there’s not much point trying to build on it until the excess inventory is worked off. Perhaps that is why developments that were started during the boom but were never finished are selling at 35 cents on every dollar invested in land, roads, street lights, sewer and water lines and half-finished golf courses. Even when the market clears, exurban development is likely to focus on low-cost starter homes.

All that contrasts sharply with what is going on in the District and inner suburbs, where prices have held steady and a construction boom is under way for new and remodeled townhouses and apartments. Despite the absence of bank lending, speculative condo developments have even begun to spring up in the hotter neighborhoods, almost all of them equity financed. This market is driven by singles, young-marrieds and empty-nesters, plus a growing number of families with children, all looking for a more urban, less car-dependent lifestyle.

This has major implications for Fairfax. Those areas that are more dense, with a mix of land uses near transit and that are more bike and pedestrian-friendly will thrive. Unfortunately, after years of catering to our car culture, we have few of these areas. Reston, Herndon, Vienna, Burke, and Alexandria have some of these characteristics. Many of our other more densely populated areas like Tysons, Springfield, and Annandale have not developed with pedestrians and bicyclists in mind and are in a transition period.

Bicycling has become part of the mainstream and the sooner our leaders recognize the need to accommodate them the better off we will all be.

Cities with good bike-walk-transit will thrive

We've been saying this for a while and it's good to see this article: Cities now compete on how well they plan for biking-walking-transit:

With more people moving to urban settings, the cities such as Portland and Minneapolis that do the most to build transit and bike-friendly streets will be the economic winners.

The new demographics are found in two generations deeply influenced by suburbia. First there’s the 20-30 somethings who grew up in suburbia and, like all generations, do not want what their parents wanted. The second demographic are their parents, who are now becoming empty nesters with a five-bedroom McMansions in the suburbs.

According to housing and location preference surveys, the younger crowd wants to be in the center of things — downtown. They want cafes, restaurants, entertainment, and other young people to socialize with. They want walkable communities with parks; they want bike trails; they want to bike to work; and they want transit.

At the aging boomer cutting edge, what are they interested in? For boomers, preferences split almost down the middle. Half of the 50-60 somethings want to move to a larger house in a semi rural area. They wanted to build their “Dream House,” the house they wanted all their lives, but deferred it to raise their children. The other half want to move to a central urban area with a walkable, transit-accessible life style. They want easy access to shopping, food, music, art, and health care. I always thought that this split speaks volumes about my generation.

Bicycling part of Sustainable Reston Forum discussion

Nicole Wynands, Reston resident and Bicycle Friendly America Program Specialist at the League of American Bicyclists, is one of the featured speakers at the Sustainable Reston Forum. Nicole also recently joined the Reston Pedestrian & Bicycling Advisory Committee. The forum is tomorrow, Sat. Oct. 21, at Reston Community Center at Hunter's Woods, from 3-5 p.m. She will be speaking about sustainable transportation, and bicycling is probably the most sustainable form of transportation other than walking. Registration is free.

Reston receives Honorable Mention as Bike Friendly Community

The League of American Bicyclists recently announced the latest Bicycle Friendly Communities (BFC). In order to be considered a Bicycle Friendly Community, a locality must "demonstrate significant achievements in each of the five categories in order to be considered for an award". The five categories, often referred to as the five E's, are Engineering, Education, Encouragement, Enforcement, and Evaluation.

Congratulations to Arlington County, once again designated as a Silver Bicycle Friendly Community. The community of Reston had also applied to become a Bicycle Friendly Community. While "the community does not yet exhibit the characteristics of a bicycle friendly community," it did receive an Honorable Mention. The requirements for an Honorable Mention are listed below:

Honorable Mention

Communities that do not yet exhibit the characteristics of a BFC may be recognized with an honorable mention designation because:
  a) The community recently implemented significant improvements for bicycling but sufficient time has not yet passed for this to develop characteristics of a BFC.
  b) The community has a remarkable project or program, but the impact or influence of this has yet to extend throughout the community.

Examples of honorable mention characteristics for the various categories include:
• Engineering Community recently instituted a policy to engineer streets with the consideration of bicyclists and/or is beginning to develop a trail network. Facilities conform to the currently recognized safety standards.
• Education Community holds some type of bicycle safety event.
• Encouragement Mayor proclaims Bike Month or local club opens events to the public
• Enforcement Officers are familiar with laws relating to bicyclists.
• Evaluation & Planning The community is familiar with and responsive to the needs of cyclists. Bicycle mode share is at least an average level for U.S. communities.

Congratulations to Reston for achieving this honor. There are now bike lanes on Lawyers Road with plans for more on Soapstone Drive. Reston holds a very successful Bike to Work Day event each year. The Reston Bike Club holds numerous group rides throughout the year.

However, the community needs to do much more to become truly bike-friendly. Many roads have no bike facilities and inexperienced cyclists often ride on dangerous side paths and sidewalks. Very limited bike education is available to residents, and the Grade 5 bike curriculum is not being taught in the elementary schools. Much better bike parking is needed throughout the community.

Along with the Honorable Mention designation should come a list of actions the community can take to improve their bike-friendly ranking. These can be used as input to the Countywide  Bicycle Master Plan process that is now underway.