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.

FFX Co DOT Chief's vision for Bicycle Program

Photo: Fionnuala Quinn

Tom Biesiadny, Director of the Fairfax County Department of Transportation attended the monthly FABB meeting last night. He gave us an overview of the Bicycle Program and shared is vision for the program in the future.

Tom is a bicyclist who lives and rides in the county on a regular basis. For several years he has ridden in one of the more difficult and popular multi-day rides in the country, RAGBRAI. As a cyclist he is intimately familiar with the problems we face on a daily basis.

We were very encouraged by several comments he made:

• The Board of Supervisors is researching various options for local funding of transportation projects and bicycle projects are an integral part of that discussion. Bicycling will play a bigger role in the transportation system in the future because it's a cost-effective solution to relieving congestion.
• FFX DOT recently got approval to fill the Bike Program position vacated by Jeff Hermann nearly a year ago. While the new person will be asked to handle additional duties, working on bicycle projects will be a key part of the position.
• The County will look into implementing encouragement activities similar to those conducted by BikeArlington. While our CMAQ funds are allocated for the next couple of years, other sources could be used and that will be discussed more in the future.
• Trail Maintenance: There are funds in this year's budget to assess the condition of the 700 miles of trails in the county and to develop a prioritized list of needed maintenance. While we would like to have funds to actually conduct maintenance this year, this is a start to addressing a long term problem. There has been no money for trail and bike facility maintenance for many years.

After his talk we presented Tom with a FABB t-shirt. We look forward to working with him in the future.

Funding for the Bicycle Program

Thanks to all the cyclists who responded to our request, through a WABA Alert, to ask the Fairfax Co Board of Supervisors to fund the Bicycle Program. Operating funds were cut in 2010 and eliminated in 2011. Each Supervisor received over 300 messages from cyclists; they heard us loud and clear, so we don't need to send additional messages.

The timing was right. Most messages to the Board are received before Wednesday of last week when Hunter McCleary presented the FABB testimony before the Board at the budget hearings (see video of budget testimony on April 11). After his testimony there were questions regarding the funding levels. We sent a followup message to the Board responding to their questions. In part it stated:

In the FY 2010 advertised budget the Bicycle Program was cut by 45%. See page 121 of the budget document: "This reduction decreases the Bicycle Program operating budget by 45 percent or $170,456." In the FY 2011 budget all program funding was eliminated but as you know, the Bicycle Coordinator position was retained. The funding level before the cuts was around $379,000.

We asked cyclists to contact you about funding the program. We were encouraged by their response; there really are many cyclists who want to be able to safely bike in the county for transportation and recreation. Please consider funding the program this year.

The Board will mark up the budget on April 24. Prior to that session we will be discussing our request with a representative of the Board. Thanks to the messages from cyclists, the Board knows that the request is not just coming from a small group of activists. Thanks to WABA for helping us with the Alert. If you don't currently receive WABA Alerts, you can sign up online.

Below is a copy of testimony presented to the Board:

Testimony on 2013 Fairfax County Budget

Bruce Wright, Chairman

Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling

April 11, 2012

Good evening. I am here today to ask that you fund the Bicycle Program. Program funding was cut in half two years ago and eliminated last year, at a time when more and more people are choosing to use bikes for transportation.

We appreciate your previous support for bicycling in Fairfax. Thanks to your support a great deal of work is being done to create the County Bicycle Master Plan and the Tysons Plan is now complete. Now we need your support to ensure that both plans become part of the Comprehensive Plan. We especially need your support to ensure that both plans get implemented. Most of the recommendations are not costly but they will take dedicated staff time and resources to become a reality.

FABB attends many events and we talk to a lot of people. Invariably when we ask people if they ride and we get answers from two types of people: The 1% of fearless riders who will ride anywhere, and everyone else who say they would like to ride more but don't because they don't feel it's safe. The second group represents a wide cross section of people and it's always the same answer.

I recently spoke to a woman from San Diego. I asked if she biked. She said she missed being in San Diego where they could bike to shops and to school. When they moved here her daughter asked her why they had to drive everywhere; why couldn't they walk and bike. If we want to provide our residents with a good quality of life, and be able to attract others looking for the same, we need to devote the resources necessary to make Fairfax a better place to bike.

Fairfax also needs to attract young professionals to stay competitive with surrounding jurisdictions. In Arlington Co, voters approved a bond that provides dedicated funds for bicycle and pedestrian projects. BikeArlington has dedicated staff to educate cyclists and promote the use of bicycling in the county. They've also committed to implementing the very popular Capital Bike Share system.

What would funding for the bicycle program mean? Money for shared lane markings (sharrows) placed on busy sections of road to remind motorists that bikes belong on those roads. Repaving of the Fairfax County Parkway trail, and installation of signs to guide users where the trail diverts from the Parkway. It would mean resources to ensure that the Tysons Bike Plan is approved by the Planning Commission and the Board. Building of small neighborhood connections so that cyclists can avoid riding on busy arterials that have no bike facilities. Support for Bike to Work Day and many other events to encourage people to travel by bike. Implementation of a bicycle counting program to show the increase in bicycling around the county. And much more.

Once again thank you for your past support for bicycling but we really do need some dedicated funds to make Fairfax a better place to bike and to live.

Presented by:
Hunter McCleary
2205 Trott Ave
Vienna Va.  22181

Restore funding to the Bicycle Program

Today WABA sent out an alert asking all Fairfax cyclists to contact the Board of Supervisors to ask them to restore funding to the Bicycle Program. Bicycle Program funds were cut in half in 2010 and eliminated in 2011. The program was originally funded with $375,000. See our earlier post about the 2013 budget.

What would the program funding support? Money for shared lane markings (sharrows) placed on busy sections of road to remind motorists that bikes belong on those roads. Repaving of the Fairfax County Parkway trail, and installation of signs to guide users where the trail diverts from the Parkway.

It would mean resources to ensure that the Tysons Bicycle Plan and Countywide Bicycle Plan are approved by the Planning Commission and the Board. Building small neighborhood connections so that cyclists can avoid riding on busy arterials that have no bike facilities. Support for Bike to Work Day and many other events to encourage people to travel by bike. Implementation of a bicycle counting program to show the increase in bicycling around the county. And much more.

If you haven't done so already, please send a message to the Board letting them know you care about the future of bicycling in Fairfax. At a time when more people are choosing to use bikes for transportation, we should be providing more funding and better, safer bike facilities for these cyclists.

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.

Bicycling section in Environment Report

The Environmental Quality Advisory Commission (EQAC) released their 2011 Annual Report on the Environment in December. It includes a section on the Bicycle Initiative that includes a summary of program activities in 2011.

The county has made much progress this year, especially with almost no operating funds and the loss of a very valuable staff person, whose position was not filled. The Tysons Bike Plan was completed and the Countywide Bike Plan was started. Phase II of the Gallows Road bike lanes, extending from Idylwood Rd north to Old Courthouse Rd, was finalized and should be completed in 2012. The county is working much more closely with VDOT's repaving program and bike lanes were added to segments of the following roads: Soapstone Dr, Lewinsville Rd, and Sleepy Hollow Rd.

However, the Tysons Bicycle Plan, still has not been reviewed and approved by the Planning Commission or the Board of Supervisors. The Bicycle Parking Guidelines are still in draft form. The Bike the Sites project, a tour of historic sites in the Sully District, is incomplete, and there are still no wayfinding signs on the Fairfax County Parkway. Only so much can be done with limited resources and staff. A great deal has been accomplished, but much more needs to be done which means the program needs dedicated funding and more staff.

The Transportation recommendations in the report are disappointing. We agree wholeheartedly that the county needs to conduct "Holistic Land Use and Transportation Planning." However the recommendations are very general and include no mention of the need for increased resources for non-motorized transportation planning and implementation.

It's worth spending some time browsing the report; it's a good look at the state of the county's environment.

Fairfax Co bicycle program highlights

See the bike program highlights presented at the Fairfax County Board Meeting today. FCDOT staff will give an overview of the Board's Four-Year Trans. Program:

June 2011 Status Report on the Board's Four-Year Transportation Program for FY2008 Through FY2011
Summary of Highlights from April through June 2011
Bicycle Program

• On-Road Bike Lane Initiative
• FCDOT and VDOT are developing new bike lane projects as part of the 2011 summer repaving program.
• Routes under consideration include: Soapstone Drive, Sleepy Hollow Road, Lewinsville Road, Sully Park Drive, and Route 123 (Dolly Madison Drive).
• Plans for Gallows Road Phase II Bike Lanes, funded by 2007 County Bonds, were finalized and construction is anticipated in late 2011.
• Increase and Enhance Bicycle Parking
• 150 new bicycle racks and 30 new bicycle lockers were purchased and are currently being installed countywide.
• In coordination with Comstock Partners, FCDOT is designing a "state of the industry" secure bicycle parking room at the proposed Reston-Wiehle Ave. Station including 200 spaces, bicycle retail use, and future bicycle sharing.
• Stringfellow Road Park-and-Ride Lot expansion is under design, including secure, covered bicycle parking for over 100 bikes and enhanced trail and sidewalk connections.
• Fairfax County bicycle parking guidelines, standards, and specifications will be released soon, providing guidance to developers and government agencies.
• Bicycle Master Plan
• Phase I focuses on the greater Tysons area including segments of McLean, Merrifield, and Vienna, and will go before the PC and BOS in late 2011.
• Phase II will encompass the rest of Fairfax County. Work began in April 2011, with a study duration of 18 months.
• Bobann Drive Bikeway
• One mile of paved, 10-foot wide shared use path from Wharton Lane to Stringfellow Road, providing access to the expanded Stringfellow Road Park-and-Ride Lot.
• Bike the Sites Map
• FCDOT is creating a family-friendly bicycle route map centered around historic sites in the western area of the County.
• Funded with a Federal Transportation Enhancement grant, the project is scheduled for completion in 2011.
• Bicycle Route Signage
• Routes include three locations in the Dranesville District, the Fairfax County Parkway, and the GMU-Fairfax City-Vienna Metrorail Station Bike Route
• Outreach, Education and Events
• FCDOT, with private sector and County agencies, continues to sponsor the region's "Bike to Work Day" with nine pit stop locations within the County.