Patch article on bicycle program funding

Eric Hendry of Vienna Patch wrote a comprehensive article on funding for the bicycle program: Budget Adds More Funding, But Not For Biking. As we noted in an earlier post, there is money for bicycle projects but none for the other activities that are needed for a successful bike program such as encouraging more people to travel by bike, educating bicyclists and motorists, and outreach to employers and others.

We were very encouraged by Supervisor McKay's motion yesterday to look into using the BikeArlington model in Fairfax:

Fairfax County Supervisor Jeff McKay (Lee), who chairs the board's transportation committee, said he was looking for ways to achieve some of the goals of the Fairfax County bicycle plan, and that includes funding.

At Tuesday's meeting, he said Arlington County has done more to encourage biking and its approaches could become a model for Fairfax "now that the state is shedding its transportation responsibilities faster than you can say pothole."

He asked staff to examine how BikeArlington, part of Arlington County Commuter Services, encourages businesses to coax more people to ride bicycles.

The analysis will be presented at a future transportation committee meeting.

Thanks to everyone who contacted the Board. They know there is a great deal of support for better and safer conditions for cyclists in the county. We're optimistic that with the completion of the bicycle plan, and a commitment from the new Transportation Department director to doing more to help cyclists, we will make significant progress in the future.

While we're disappointed by the lack of program funding, it appears there is a renewed effort to accomplish the goals of the program through other means. It's critical that both the Tysons and the Countywide bicycle master plans be approved this year. We think county DOT is committed to that goal. Stay tuned.

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.

Tom Biesiadny named new Fairfax DOT chief

From the Fairfax County news release:

At its meeting today, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors named Tom Biesiadny director of the Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT). He will assume his new position on Oct. 24.

FCDOT provides public transportation services including the Fairfax Connector and other transit, highway, pedestrian and bicycle facilities and information for those who live, work, travel or do business in the county. It oversees projects including long-range transportation planning and funding and coordinates on regional initiatives, such as the Dulles Rail project.

Biesiadny has worked for FCDOT since 1988 and is currently the department’s acting director. Prior to that he was chief of the Coordination and Funding Division. In that position, he coordinated between FCDOT and other state and regional transportation and air quality agencies. He also served as the county’s transportation lobbyist at the Virginia General Assembly, monitored federal legislation and chaired regional staff supporting the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority. He oversaw project funding through grants, legislation, bond issues and tax districts and negotiated agreements for funding transportation projects.

Biesiadny also has been Fairfax County’s liaison to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority (WMATA) and the Virginia Railway Express (VRE). His Fairfax County recognitions include the A. Heath Onthank Award (the highest honor Fairfax County bestows on its employees), a Transportation Advisory Commission Award and several outstanding performance awards.

His prior FCDOT positions include chief of the Coordination and Funding Section; head of the Liaison and Contract Services Section; head of the Liaison and Technical Analysis Section; and a transportation planner. He began his career as a transportation planner with the city of Port Authur, Texas.

Biesiadny received a bachelor’s degree in transportation, with a minor in management, from Parks College of Saint Louis University, Cahokia, Ill.

He is a resident of Fairfax. His salary will be $147,270.