No money for bicycle program

On Tuesday the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors made final decisions on the FY 2013 budget. Despite hearing from over 300 cyclists who asked for some funding for the Bicycle Program, the Board refused to allocate any operating funds to the program. The program received $375,000 in FY 2009, $204,544 in FY 2010, and $0 in FY 2011 and 2012. According to Fairfax Co DOT,"FCDOT has significantly reduced its participation in program outreach due to budget limitations.

It's not all doom and gloom. While we were very disappointed by the lack of operating funds, that doesn't mean there is no money for bicycle-related activities and projects. Funds from the Commercial and Industrial tax are dedicated to bike projects, primarily the Gallows Road bike lanes. Funds are also available from that source for pedestrian and bicycle projects, most of which are pedestrian access projects around Silver Line Metro stations. Read about the Bicycle Initiative on page 164 of the FY 2013 budget.

The first ever Countywide Bicycle Master Plan is fully funded and should be completed this summer. However, without proper program funding or staff, we're concerned that the Countywide plan could meet the same fate of the Tysons Bicycle Master Plan which was completed in Feb. 2011 and has been sitting on the shelf ever since. It has not been approved by the Planning Commission or Board of Supervisors.

Read the FCDOT's response to Supervisor Foust's questions regarding the Bicycle Program.

No bike program funds in the Fairfax County budget

Fairfax County is in the process of developing the budget for the coming year. One of the Board of Supervisors main priorities is an "Efficient transportation network: Fairfax County makes it a priority to connect People and Places. We will continue to plan for and invest in transportation improvements to include comprehensive bicycle and pedestrian initiatives, bus and para transit, road and intersection improvements and expansion of Metrorail and VRE."

Despite this goal, the bicycle program funds were cut in half in 2010 and eliminated in 2011. During County Executive Tony Griffin's online chat session on the proposed FY2013 budget we asked about funding for the program:

Bikecommuter : Two years ago the operating funds were cut from the Bicycle Program. It's not possible for the county to have an effective program without operating funds. More and more people are choosing to use bicycles for transportation, especially as the price of gas hovers around $4/gallon. Were the Bicycle Program operating funds reinstated this year and if not, why not?

Anthony Griffin : No, we have not had the capacity in our budget to fund the restoration of previously cut programs and services.

What could be done with Bicycle Program funds? Installing signs on and repaving of the Fairfax Co Parkway Trail, placement of Shared Lane Markings on bike routes on narrow roads, support for events like Bike to Work Day, a bike sharing pilot project, basic functions like printing the bike plans and the draft bike parking guidelines, striping bike lanes, installing bike parking; the list could go on. We can't have a Bicycle Program without funds.

The Tysons Bicycle Plan was completed over a year ago and still sits on a shelf. Actually it hasn't even been printed because of a lack of funds. We paid $14 to print our copy at Kinkos. The Countywide Bicycle Plan will be finished this summer and could meet the same fate. Despite all the good work that is going into developing these plans, they mean nothing if there are no funds for getting them approved and implemented.

Your voice can be heard. If you think Fairfax should have a funded bicycle program, please consider attending one of the upcoming budget town hall meetings in your district. If the Board does not hear from us, there will be no funding for the bike program or bike projects. You can also write to the Board of Supervisors and ask that Bicycle Program funds be included in the budget.

Town Hall Meeting	Location	Date
Mason District Spring Town Meeting	Mason District Government Center – Main Community Room – 6507 Columbia Pike, Annandale	Wednesday, March 14 - 7:00 p.m.
Braddock District	Kings Park Library, Braddock Hall	Wednesday, March 14 - 7:00 p.m.
West Springfield	Government Center - conference rooms 9/10	Thursday, March 15 - 7:00 p.m.
Braddock District	Canterbury Woods Elementary – Cafeteria – 4910 Willet Drive, Annandale	Monday, March 19 - 7:30 p.m.
West Springfield	West Springfield Governmental Center	Monday, March 19 - 7:00 p.m.
Providence District Council	Dunn Loring Center - 2334 Gallows Road	Tuesday, March 20 - 7:30 p.m.
Sully District	Rocky Run Middle School - Cafeteria - 4400 Stringfellow Road, Chantilly	Thursday, March 22 - 7:00 p.m.
Hunter Mill Budget Meeting	Reston Community Center (Rooms 3 and 4)	Saturday, March 24 - 10:00 a.m.
Dranesville District	Ingram Council Chambers (Halls B and C) - 765 Lynn Street, Herndon	Monday, March 26 - 7:00 p.m.
Braddock District	Robinson Secondary School – Gold Cafeteria – 5035 Sideburn Road, Fairfax	Wednesday, March 28 - 7:30 p.m.
Sully District Council	Sully District Governmental Center - Front Meeting Room - 4900 Stonecroft Boulevard, Chantilly	Wednesday, March 28 - 7:00 p.m.
Lee District Association	Franconia Governmental Center	Wednesday, March 28 - 7:30 p.m.
Dranesville District	Great Falls Library - 9830 Georgetown Pike, Great Falls	Thursday, March 29 - 7:00 p.m.
Hunter Mill Budget Meeting	Vienna Community Center (Multi-Purpose Room)	Saturday, March 31 - 11:00 a.m.
Dranesville District	McLean Community Center - 1234 Ingleside Avenue	Monday, April 2 - 7:00 p.m.