Cold but fun FABB Social Ride in Reston

We had a good turnout for the Reston tour today, one of a series of FABB social rides. It was in the low 40's when we started at the Reston Town Center but the sun was out and it got much warmer during the ride.

We checked out the new Wiehle Ave Metro station under construction, pondering how users will be able to access the station from the south side and where bicyclists will park their bikes on that side. On the north side there will be 240 spaces, many of them in a secure bike room that includes a Fix-it station, that is part of the Comstock development Reston Station. We discussed the Monkey House scare in which imported monkeys living in lab near Newton Square in Reston were thought to have contracted the Eblola virus. The best-selling book The Hot Zone is a fascinating account of that episode.

Bowman Distillery next to the W&OD Trail

We stopped at Old Reston Ave and discussed the early attempt to establish the town of Wiehle. The site is where the Bowman Distillery was located. The whiskey Virginia Gentleman was made there up until 1986. The photo on the right shows W&OD Trail users passing the distillery.

We then rode to historic Lake Anne Village Center and eventually made our way back to the Reston Town Center. Afterwards a few of us had lunch at Vapiano. Check out the Reston Museum Virtual Tour page for links to other interesting historic photos.

We hope to hold more rides next year. For more information about our rides, including cue sheets for previous rides, visit the FABB Social Rides page.

FABB ride in Reston on Saturday

FABB Social Ride

It will be a cold start to our FABB Social Ride, a tour of Reston, on Saturday morning, but it should be a beautiful day. The high temperature is predicted to be 50 degrees. There is still room for a few more participants on this free 14 mile ride. We'll ride along the bike lanes on Lawyers Road and Soapstone Drive that were created by reducing 4 lanes to 2 lanes with bike lanes. We'll also check out the new Wiehle Ave Metro station and discuss the planned bike room with parking for over 200 bicycles.

Then we'll ride a short stretch of the W&OD Trail to the Bowman Mansion, site of the original first settlement in the Reston area. Then it's on to historic Lake Anne Village Center, Browns Chapel, then back to the Reston Town Center where the ride starts and ends. There is an option for a shorter, 10-mile ride.

Free online registration.

FABB Social Ride in Reston on Saturday, Nov. 17

Join FABB for a casual tour of various sights in Reston on Saturday, November 17 at 9am. The tour will start at the Reston Town Center Pavilion. Sights include bike lanes on Lawyers Road and Soapstone Drive, Walker Nature Center, Wiehle Ave Metro Station, Bowman House, historic Lake Anne, and Browns Chapel. We will ride at a slow pace as a group. The tour is just over 14 miles with a shorter option of approximately 10 miles. Free online registration is required. All riders must be WABA members, wear a helmet, and sign the ride waiver.

There is no rain date.

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.

Thanksgiving Reston ride sponsored by Reston Association

Reston Association is hosting a Pre-Feast Bike Ride on Thanksgiving Day ride starting at Fountain Square at Reston Town Center. Along with the FABB Reston Social Ride on Saturday Nov. 17, there are two opportunities to check out the streets of Reston in November.

Both rides will be casual, slow-paced rides. The Reston Association ride is approximately 6 miles and the FABB ride is just over 14 miles with an optional 10 mile shorter ride. Registration is required for the FABB ride. Everyone is welcome at the Pre-Feast Bike Ride. Let's hope for good weather for both events. There are no rain/snow dates; both rides will be cancelled if there is rain, snow, or ice covering the roads.

FABB Social Ride - Reston Tour

Soapstone Dr Bike Lanes

Join FABB for a Social Ride in Reston. It will be a casual tour of various sights in the Reston area on Saturday, November 17 at 9am. The tour will start at the Reston Town Center Pavilion. Sights include bike lanes on Lawyers Road and Soapstone Drive, Walker Nature Center, Weihle Ave Metro Station, Bowman House, historic Lake Anne, and Browns Chapel. We will ride at a slow pace as a group. The tour is just over 14 miles with a shorter option of approximately 10 miles. Free online registration is required. All riders must be WABA members, wear a helmet, and sign the ride waiver. There is no rain date.

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.

Register online.

Reston company named Bicycle Friendly Business

Kittelson & Associates, a Reston transportation consulting company, was named a Bicycle Friendly Business (Honorable Mention) by the League of American Bicyclists. The company is located adjacent to the Wiehle Ave Metro Station, not far from the W&OD Trail. Congratulations to Kittelson & Associates!

Other Fairfax County businesses that have been designated as Bicycle Friendly Businesses include The Bike Lane (Silver), National Wildlife Federation (Bronze), and PricewaterhouseCoopers (Honorable Mention).

Hat tip to WashCycle.

Article on bike sharing in Reston

Bike sharing on horizon for Fairfax is the title of an article in the The Examiner about the possibility of bike sharing in Reston or Tysons. As we reported earlier, Fairfax applied for but didn't receive TIGER II funds for bike sharing. See our article in Reston Patch about the feasibility of bike sharing in Reston.

In the Examiner article Supervisor Hudgins discusses her interest in bike sharing:

"I am very interested in seeing it happen," said Fairfax County Supervisor Cathy Hudgins, a Democrat whose district includes Reston. "I think it's a possibility in the near future."

Officials say plans for bike sharing are still just being discussed and they aren't sure if a Reston pilot would be plugged into the Capital Bikeshare brand already popular in the District and Arlington. But they said they hope some form of bike system will be in place in time for the opening of Metro's Silver Line at Reston, slated for early 2014.

"The county definitely does want bike sharing," said county spokeswoman Beth Francis. "We don't have funding right now, but it's definitely in the plans."

Montgomery and Prince George's counties and Alexandria are already slated to join the Capital Bikeshare program.

Hudgins toured Arlington's bike facilities last summer. She said she wants to talk to Reston businesses and community members to figure out details such as where to put stations.

She said the county, like Arlington and the District, would search for a private partner for the bike system.

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.

Final Bicycle Master Plan meetings scheduled

Fairfax County just announced the final two countywide public meetings on the Bicycle Master Plan. The North County meeting is June 5 in Reston and the South County meeting is June 6 in Annandale. The final draft proposed route network will be presented along with policy and program recommendations.

This is the last opportunity to ensure that recommendations you made during the development of the plan are included in the route network or policy recommendations. The plan has been under development over the past year. Several FABB members are on the plan advisory committee and FABB was represented at all of the area meetings and the thematic meetings.

Please consider attending one of the following meetings:

North County Meeting
Tuesday, June 5, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Reston Regional Library
11925 Bowman Towne Drive, Reston, VA 20190

South County Meeting
Wednesday, June 6, 6:00 - 8:30 p.m.
George Mason Regional Library
7001 Little River Turnpike, Annandale, VA 22003

Record numbers of cyclists register for Bike to Work Day

Congressman Connolly addresses the Reston crowd

FABB representatives attended all 9 Fairfax Bike to Work Day events today. We couldn't have asked for better weather, and the crowd at the Reston Town Center Pavilion was one of the largest yet. Region-wide 12,700 people registered for the event, a record number.

Congressman Connolly, Supervisor Hudgins, and Reston Association President Ken Knueven spoke to the Reston cyclists. Congressman Connolly started the Fairfax bicycle program by finding funds for the bicycle coordinator position, the bike map, and funding the program. Supervisor Hudgins suggested holding the first every Fairfax County Bike to Work Day event back in 2002 and has been a supporter of bicyclists since she was elected into office in 2000.

Two younger BTWD riders
(FABB's Rob Henenlottter in
the background)

RA President Knueven said he borrowed a bike and rode the short distance from his home near Lake Anne to the Town Center. He said it reminded him of the joys of bicycling from his youth. He plans to purchase a comfortable bike and said he will start riding to his office at the Town Center. He epitomizes the reason for holding Bike to Work Day.

Hope everyone has a great commute home.

For more photos see the FABB Flickr pool.

See our Reston Patch blog post, Bike to Work Day in Reston.

Check out the video of a ride today from the Greenbelt Pit Stop to the Downtown/Reagan Plaza Pit Stop (from WashCycle):

This was also the final day of the Vienna area Bike/Walk Challenge. See the Vienna Patch article with highlights and totals from the week, Bike/Walk Challenge Day Five: Best Day Yet!:

"Friday's grand total was 1,485 - the highest of the week. More than half of all elementary school students participated in the event.

Vienna Elementary School saw the largest ever bike count ever on Friday with 78 kids cycling to school. "We overflowed our two racks and the extra one brought over from the ball fields," said Sean McCall.

Wolf Trap Elementary's bike train had three Fairfax County Police Bike Patrol Officers and members of HPC Junior Team riding with students.

Louise Archer, the largest elementary school in Vienna, saw the most students participating this week."

Update: Kingstowne Patch article on Bike to Work Day at Franconia-Springfield pit stop.

Burke Patch article on Burke pit stop. That's FABB's Alan Young with the cellphone in hand, probably demonstrating the FABB app that aggregates FABB's social feeds. The app is being developed by his grandson and should be available at the app store in the near future.

Is bike sharing feasible in Reston?

I think the answer is yes. First let me explain what bike sharing entails. The concept refers to having a group of bicycles that are available to the general public, either for free or rented by the hour. The best example in our area is Capital Bikeshare. You may have seen the red three-speed bikes that are now very common in DC.

Users must first become members of Capital Bikeshare. Memberships are available for a single day, three days, 30 days, or a year. The first half hour is free, after which hourly fees apply. This pricing encourages shorter trips.

Once a bicycle is checked out it can be returned to any of the 140 stations scattered throughout the DC/Arlington area. In order to be a useful transportation alternative, a sufficient number of stations located relatively closely are needed. Users don't want to walk long distances from the stations to their destination. Ideal spacing is about 1,000 feet between stations.

With the coming of rail to Reston, many people will be traveling short distances to and from the Wiehle Ave and Reston Parkway rail stations. The "last mile" is a term used to refer to these short trips to/from transit. Bike sharing is an ideal solution.

Where would the bike stations be located? A start would be to have stations on the north and south sides of the Metro stations. The Reston Pkwy station is a long walk from the Town Center so a couple of stations could be located in parts of the Town Center. Other obvious locations include the USGS, Reston Association, Hunters Woods Village Center, the International Center, South Lakes Village Center, Newton Square, Plaza America, Stratford House, and other high density residential and commercial locations.

How would the system be funded? The Capital Bikeshare system is funded through federal, state, local and private funding. The Paris Velib bike share system is funded using advertising at the stations and on the bicycles. We currently fund other forms of transit, and bike sharing can be envisioned as a small-scale transit system that need not be self supporting. Even so, the Capital Bikeshare system is now taking in enough funds to pay for all operating expenses.

The next time you plan a short trip, think about how that trip could be taken by bike, and if a shared bike were available, would you use it? Bike sharing could be a real option for many people in Reston, but we'll need safer, more direct on- and off-road bike facilities for it to be successful. That's the topic for a future article.

Cross-posted on Reston Patch.

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.

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-Herndon bike plan meeting well-attended

An enthusiastic group of around 35 people showed up for the Reston-Herndon area bike plan meeting last night. It was the second of eight planned meetings to gather input for the countywide bicycle master plan. The meeting started with a half hour open house that gave people a chance to connect with other cyclists and to talk to the planning team.

Consultants from Toole Design Group gave a brief presentation on the plan and the purpose of the meeting. Participants split into several groups: Reston bike facilities, Herndon bike facilities, Educate/Encouragement/Enforcement, and Trails.

Each group marked up maps and listed their ideas for making the area more bicycle-friendly. The Reston group marked dangerous intersections such as Wiehle Ave/Sunset Hills Rd, W&OD/Wiehle Ave, and several FFX Co Pkwy trail intersections. Bike lanes were suggested on Sunrise Valley Drive, South Lakes Dr, and on Lawyers Rd, extending the existing bike lanes, and signed bike routes were indicated on Village Rd, North Shore Dr, and Glade Dr. The information was collected by Toole and will used as input for developing the final county bicycle master plan.

The next area meeting will cover the Mt. Vernon, Rose Hill, Ft. Belvoir, Mason Neck, and Huntington areas, on Thursday, Nov 17, 2011, from 5:30 – 8:00 p.m. at the South County Government Center, 8350 Richmond Hwy, Alexandria, VA in Conference Room 221 A-B, 2nd floor. Visit the project website for more information.

A few FABB members took a brief tour of the Reston-Herndon area on Saturday in preparation for two meetings this week, the WABA Fairfax meeting tonight and the Reston-Herndon bike plan area meeting on Thursday.

Bike l ockers and racks at Sunset Hills P&R lot

We started the tour at the Sunset Hills Park and Ride lot. Thanks to the efforts of the county bike coordinator, the bike parking at this new lot is the best example of good bike parking in Fairfax. There are 20 inverted U racks, spaced properly and conveniently located near the bus bays. Next to the racks are a row of 20 weatherproof bike lockers.

During the tour we reviewed current bike access to the three area Silver Line stations, Reston-Wiehle Ave, Reston-Town Center, and Herndon-Reston West. The Reston Metro Access Group report contains many recommended bike improvements for the two Reston stations, including bike lanes on Sunset Hills Rd, Sunrise Valley Dr, and Town Center Parkway leading to the station.

We looked at possible locations for future trails on both sides of the Dulles Toll Rd that would allow easy access to the new stations and to the many businesses that will be located in the area. Parking lots occupy much of the space today, and as the area redevelops, a small amount of that space could be reserved for these trails. On the south side of the Toll Rd there are private service roads that would make good bike connections if the county could obtain easements.

It will be imperative that good bike facilities be provided to link the most popular paved trail in Northern Virginia, the W&OD Trail, to the future stations. The connections should reduce conflicts with people walking to and from the stations. The W&OD Trail will also likely need to be widened in the near future. It is currently being used to capacity on most fair weather weekends and there are already many conflicts between cyclists traveling at different speeds, pedestrians, runners, and others. The road crossings on the Trail could be made safer by having raised crosswalks that force motorists to slow down.

Where the W&OD Trail crosses Wiehle Ave near the Sunset Hills Rd intersection, not far from the future Reston-Wiehle Ave station, is one of the most dangerous locations in Fairfax for bicyclists and pedestrians. A bridge over, or tunnel under Wiehle Ave would be a major improvement. Prohibiting right on red at the Wiehle/Sunset Hills intersection would also help cyclists and pedestrians trying to reach the station. A bike box, which would allow bicyclists to cue up in front of traffic, would also help; it’s a short ride to the station entrance from Sunset Hills Rd.

The last stop of the tour was the Herndon-Reston West station, current site of the Herndon-Monroe Park and Ride lot. This is another example of good bike parking, with several inverted U racks and bike lockers. Bikes on the roads approaching the station in the south, on Sunrise Valley Dr, and on the north, on Herndon Parkway, will provide good bicycle access to these stations. The Town of Herndon is even considering creating cycletracks on Herndon Parkway.

The ride was a good chance to enjoy a beautiful Fall day seeing firsthand what bike access is like today, and envisioning a bike-friendly future.

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.

Reston's Robert Simon wants to see more kids on bikes

We just received a copy of the new Biking into Fall Robert Simon writes that at his age he no longer rides a bike. He often walks along Reston's many trails.

What is truly disappointing is how rarely I have encounters with the young. Where are they? At home glued to their computer or TV? What could be better for the health of these kids than to be outdoors on their bikes?

In the same issue of the magazine is an interview with Juliette Rossant, Reston resident and author of the book and blog Super Chef. She's also daughter of James Rossant, the designer and planner of Reston who worked closely with Robert Simon in the early days of this planned community. She laments that her fathers original plans were not implemented, which would have meant more space for pedestrians and bicyclists and less reliance on the car.