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.

Del. Ken Plum discusses bike sharing with Charlie Denney of Alta Planning

Bikesharing in DC is having a major impact on the number of people choosing to travel by bike. For many DC residents, using Capital Bikeshare is an affordable way to have access to a bicycle without worrying about maintenance or bike security. When I rode to the District last week the majority of people I saw riding were on CaBi bikes.

Delegate Ken Plum of Reston recently interviewed Charlie Denney of Alta Planning & Design on Virginia Report. Alta Bicycle Share, an affiliate of Alta Planning, runs Capital Bikeshare in DC. The show will air tonight (Wed.) at 7:30pm in Reston on Comcast channel 28 and Thurs. at 10:30pm. Or you can watch it online:

Virginia Report - BikeShare Rolls into the Region - July 2011 from Comcast Channel 28 on Vimeo.