McLean Town Hall with VA legislators

On Wednesday, January 2 the McLean Citizens Association will host a Town Hall meeting with several local legislators, including Delegate Barbara Comstock. Delegate Comstock cast the deciding votes last year to kill two bills that would help protect bicyclists: 1. A bill that would prevent motorists from following a bicyclist more closely than is reasonable. Virginia appears to be the only state where bicyclists are excluded from "following too close" provisions; 2. A bill that "Requires drivers to exercise due care to avoid colliding with a pedestrian or the operator of a human-powered vehicle." Virginia is one of only four states without this provision.

Both bills will be introduced again this year by Delegate Alfonso Lopez. Support from Delegate Comstock is key to their passage. Why not attend this meeting and ask Delegate Comstock to support these bills? The meeting is 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. at the McLean Community Center, 1234 Ingleside Ave, McLean.

For more information on these bills, see the talking points developed by Allen Muchnick of Virginia Bicycling Federation:

• Following too close — banning motorists from tailgating/intimidating cyclists. See Talking points on Following Bicyclists Too Closely from 2012
• Vulnerable road user protection, and/or due care. See Talking points on Exercise Due Care bill (HB 784)

FABB Social Ride in McLean

We had a great group of 20 riders join us for the latest FABB Social Ride, a casual tour of the McLean area led by FABB member Dennis Frew. The weather forecast looked bleak but we decided to go ahead with the ride anyway, which turned out to be a good decision as there was only a hint of rain throughout the ride.

After introductions and a brief safety talk we headed out on the just over 13 mile tour. Dennis has lived in McLean for many years and knows all the cut-through trails and interesting back roads, starting with the paved trail leading from the library north to Churchill Road, a route I've never taken. We then headed north on Dead Run Rd all the way to the service road parallel to Georgetown Pike leading to Balls Hill Rd.

We crossed Georgetown Pike and wound our way through some interesting neighborhoods. At Clemyjontri Park we had a pit stop before riding to the road leading to CIA headquarters, Claude Moore Colonial Farm, and the Turner-Fairbanks Highway Research Center. We passed historic Hickory Hill, home of Senator John Kennedy and then Robert Kennedy. On the same street is one of former Vice President Cheney's homes.

Later we stopped at Greenberry's in McLean for snacks before our final stop, the former site of Evans Farm Inn, now an upscale residential development.

Thanks to Dennis for organizing the ride. I know I learned a lot about McLean and about getting around McLean on some pleasant, bike-friendly roads. The next FABB Social Ride will be a tour of Reston, probably in September.

FABB McLean Social Ride

There are still a few slots left for the FABB McLean Social Ride. This is a slow-paced, no-drop ride open to WABA members. Children 14-18 may participate if they are accompanied by an adult WABA member.

The rides leaves from the McLean Library at 9am on Saturday. Some locations that will be passed on the ride, include McLean Central Park,  Hickory Hill - Kennedy estate, CIA HQ, Clemyjontri Park - children's park, Claude Moore 1771 era Farm, Evans Farm area, historic Salona house and fields, part of 1719 land grant, and the McLean business District.

The ride is free. Helmets are required. Register online.

FABB Social Ride - Tour de McLean

Join FABB for a tour of the McLean area. This is a great opportunity to discover bike-friendly routes in this historic community. The ride is planned for August 25th with a rain date of September 1st at 9am. Registration is required and you must be a WABA member.

A slow 10-12 mph ride with rolling terrain through the neighborhoods in McLean.

Start at McLean library off Ingleside Ave at 1244 Oak Ridge Avenue

Some locations and homes that will be passed on the ride, include McLean Central Park, Senator Patrick Leahy (Vermont), Dick Cheney, Hickory Hill - Kennedy estate, Judge Bork, Rob Ryan – local weather man, CIA HQ, Clemyjontri Park - children’s park, Claude Moore 1771 era Farm, Evens Farm area, Justice Antonin Scalia, Salona house and fields, part of 1719 land grant and the McLean business District.

A stop could be made in the McLean business district for snacks at 7-11, Starbucks or Greenberry’s.

• What to Bring:
• Your bicycle,
• Helmet (required no exceptions),
• Lock to secure your bike when parked,
• WABA membership number*
• Water and a snack, sunscreen,
• Cash for (optional) lunch or snack

* The ride is for adult WABA Members. Children 14-18 may participate if they are accompanied by an adult WABA member

Fairfax Co gets first sharrows

The first sharrows (shared lane markings) in Fairfax County were recently installed on Westmoreland St in McLean. Bike lanes were installed in the north section of that road in 2008. Because the road narrows approaching Kirby Rd to the south, the bike lanes end. This is an ideal location for sharrows and one that FABB suggested needed sharrows.

The sharrows were installed this week. While not a panacea, they do indicate to motorists that they should expect bicyclists in the road. They indicate to cyclists where it's safest to ride, not hugging the white line or curb but into the lane. On a lane that cannot be shared safely with a motorist (less than 14 feet), cyclists should ride so that motorists aren't tempted to pass unsafely in the same lane. They should either move to the adjacent lane if possible or wait until it's safe to pass.

Thanks to VDOT for placing the sharrows. It took a while for them to pass the 2009 MUTCD guidelines that allow the use of sharrows, but now we hope to see many more on our roadways. Future locations include on Old Courthouse Road at Freedom Hill Park where many cyclists ride into Tysons, and on Idylwood Road between Helena Dr and Idyll Lane, where cyclists coming from the W&OD Trail off Virginia Lane ride toward Gallows Road or Pimmit Hills (via Hurst St.).

Good crowd at Be Fit McLean

We spoke to lots of people today at the Be Fit McLean Outdoor Expo. People wanted to know about good bike routes in the county and we had several copies of the Fairfax Co Bicycle Route Map to hand out. Several people signed up for the FABB e-newsletter (to sign up send a message to info@fabb-bikes.org). We also encouraged people to get involved in the county Bicycle Master Plan process.

We met Eduardo from Phoenix Bikes, a youth and community bike shop in Arlington. Their table was covered with free bike bells courtesy of BikeArlington. Phoenix Bikes will be holding a used bike sale on March 3 at Big Bear Cafe in DC. Phoenix is helping the Falls Church High School bike club to hold club rides since bike riding is a prohibited activity and the club needs an outside sponsor to hold rides. We're hoping to change that policy.

Supervisor Foust was on hand to check out the exhibits and judge the Dutch oven cooking contest. The National Park Service reps were next to our table and we discussed the issue of biking on the GW Parkway. According to them, the original charter for the GW Parkway states that bikes are not allowed on the Parkway and it was their sense that it would take an act of Congress to change that charter.

We learned that NPS holds Learn to Ride classes and Bike with a Ranger sessions in the spring. WABA also has a full schedule of bike classes this spring. We'll post more details on the FABB events page.

Thanks to the FABB volunteers who helped out at our booth and to everyone who made donations to support our work. Our next event is the Vienna Green Expo on April 19.

FABB at Be Fit McLean on Saturday

FABB will have a table at the Be Fit McLean Outdoor Expo at the McLean Community Center, 1234 Ingleside Ave. on Saturday from 10-4pm. We'll have county bike maps, safety brochures and other literature.

 There was a great crowd at last year's expo. Many commercial and non-profit outdoor groups will be there and there should be lots of free handouts.

Report on Great Falls-McLean Bike Plan Meeting

Around 20 people attended the Great Falls-McLean Bike Plan Meeting on Monday evening. Supervisor Foust attended and spent some time talking to cyclists and checking out the marked up maps. Dan Goodman of Toole Design Group gave an overview of the planning process and fielded questions from the audience. Some of the comments made during the meeting:

• The plan needs to include access to areas outside of FFX Co such as DC and Maryland. Access to Chain Bridge is poor and many cyclists use it to get to the C&O Canal towpath and the Capital Crescent Trail.
• Street sweeping of on-road bike routes is critical.
• Motorists and bicyclists need better education regarding existing bike laws and the rules of the road.
• Many roads in the area will be very difficult to retrofit with bike facilities Shared lane markings could be used on these roads.

The audience then broke into groups that made comments on the various maps showing segments of the study area. 

The area is a popular destination for many cyclists. The low population density and scenic roads makes for interesting riding conditions although most of the roads have no paved shoulders. It will be difficult to add new bike facilities in the future given the limited right of way.

The summary of the meeting will soon be available on the project website. The Burke-Springfield area will be the focus of the next bike plan area meeting, sometime in late January.

Bike Plan area meeting comments now online

Three area meetings have been held to gather input from cyclists for the Fairfax bicycle master plan. The Great Falls-McLean meeting, the fourth of eight, is on Monday Dec. 12.

During each meeting notes are compiled for use in developing the final plan recommendations. Toole Design folks have done a good job of summarizing comments from each meeting and those notes are now posted online on the Materials & Resources page of the bike plan website. Below are some selected comments from the meeting notes:

Clifton Area Meeting (Oct 6, 2011):

• For blind corners and steep grades, put signs with blinking lights that detect cyclists (when the sign detects a cyclist, the lights begin blinking to warn motorists that a cyclist is around the corner/going up the hill. They continue blinking until the cyclist is out of the way). 
• If the BIKES MAY USE FULL LANE is used, it may be helpful to add a plaque to the sign assembly that says “FOR SAFETY”, to remind motorists that cyclists who may be in the middle of the lane are not doing so just to annoy the motorist, but rather because it is the safest location for the cyclist to be in when there is no shoulder. 
• Where feasible, [in the uphill direction of narrow roads,] construct a segment of shoulder for bicyclists to use, which allows them to ride outside of the travel lane and then merge in again.

Reston-Herndon Area Meeting (Oct 20, 2011):

• Focus on making areas around schools safer to allow all children to bike to school. 
• Focus on education materials to share the road signs, sharrows. 
• Focus on making multi-use path crossings more visible throughout Reston. 
• Ensure that there is dedicated funding for the implementation of the plan. 
• Work with schools to create Safe Routes to School program. 
• Accommodate cyclists at intersections: time traffic lights for bicycle speeds, add loop detector markings, bike boxes, bike signal leads and video detection. 
• Make sure bike parking facilities meet/exceed standards. 
• Please make sure that all bike facilities meet NACTO standards. 

 Mt. Vernon-Eastern Lee Area Meeting (Nov 17, 2011):

• Ft Hunt Road is a preferred connection for bicycle commuters. 
• Bike Lanes, a adequate and consistent paved shoulder width, and/or shared roadway signs are desired to increase safety and visibility of cyclists 
• Residential streets parallel to the GW Memorial Parkway serve as an alternative route to the very busy Mt Vernon Trail, especially when it is crowded. 
• Short neighborhood connecting paths through parks and school grounds exist but need signage. 
• An off-road path along Ft Hunt from Westgrove Rd, past the Library towards Belle View Road needs to be resurfaced and widened and would improve safety for young people bicycling to/from the library and a school across the street. 
• Conflicts with high speed vehicular traffic, during AM/PM rush hours especially, make it difficult to connect to shopping destinations along the entire Route 1 corridor. 
• Two choke points make it difficult to travel on parallel side streets: one at Route 1 and Buckman Road and one at Beacon Hill Road and Route 1. 
• Crossing Route 1 is also challenging at these and most other intersections.

Great Falls-McLean Bike Plan Meeting and Women's Bicycling Forum on Monday Dec. 12

The Great Falls/McLean area meeting to gather input from residents about needed bicycle improvements will be held on Monday, December 12 starting at 6:30 pm. at the McLean Community Center, 1234 Ingleside Ave., McLean. This is your chance to suggest future routes or improvements to existing routes, bike parking locations, and programs for getting more people on bikes.

The bicycle master plan process began this summer and will be completed next year. This is the fourth of eight area meetings. Presentations and notes from the Clifton, Reston-Herndon, and Mt Vernon area meetings are now available on the Materials & Resources page of the project website.

Unfortunately this meeting conflicts with the Women's Bicycle Forum hosted by WABA in DC. FABB's Fionnuala Quinn is one of the invited panelists. If you're not planning to attend the Great Falls-McLean meeting why not check out the Forum.