Registration nearly full for Fairfax Bike Summit

The Fairfax Bike Summit will be held in just over a week and registration is filling fast. Free online registration is available. If  you want to attend you should register now. There may not be any walk-on registrations if we reach our goal of 200 attendees, so it's best to sign up now.

We have a great lineup of speakers:

• Supervisor Cathy Hudgins, Hunter Mill District - Welcome
• Josh Cantor, Director of Parking and Transportation, George Mason University - Welcome
• Andy Clarke, President of the League of American Bicyclists and a Fairfax County resident - Fixing the suburbs
• Tom Biesiadny, Director of the Fairfax County Department of Transportation - Fairfax County Bicycle Master Plan
• Aaron Georgelas, Partner, Georgelas Group - Remaking Tysons
• Randy Dittberner, Traffic engineer, VDOT - Better Roads
• Christine Green, National Safe Routes to School Partnership - Safe Routes to School
• Chris Eatough, BikeArlington, six time endurance cycling world champion - BikeArlington
• Fionnuala Quinn, Civil engineer, FABB vice chair - Who cycles? Growing Cycling Participation
• Charlie Denney, Alta Planning+Design - Bikesharing for Fairfax
• Anne Mader, Co-owner, The Bike Lane - Sports & Recreational Biking
• Stewart Schwartz, Executive Director, Coalition for Smarter Growth - Future Challenge

We will also be giving two special awards of appreciation. There will be representatives from several area bike shops with samples of transportation bikes and gear. Reps from several bike organizations will also be present.

At the end of the summit, at 2pm, there will be a guided bike tour of the GMU campus highlighting the many new bike facilities installed over the past couple of years. Loaner bikes will be available from the GMU bike share program and from The Bike Lane.

If  you are attending the summit, please consider coming by bike. There will be free indoor bike valet parking provided thanks to GMU volunteers and bike racks from bikes@vienna. If you like more information or would like to volunteer, contact Bruce Wright, chairman@fabb-bikes.org. 

FABB monthly meeting tonight

FABB will be meeting from 7:30-9pm tonight at Patrick Henry Library. We will be spending most of the time discussing the upcoming Fairfax Bike Summit on Oct. 27 at GMU, from 9-2pm. Everyone is welcome, especially if you want to help out at the summit.

Court hearing on Monday on motorist's assault case - Update - case moved to Nov. 5

In August a  motorist is alleged to have intentionally struck a cyclist on Maple Ave. in Vienna. The court case is scheduled for tomorrow, Monday, Oct. 15, 9:30 a.m. at Fairfax County General District Court, 4110 Chain Bridge Road, Fairfax. From the Vienna Patch article Driver Arrested After Dispute with Cyclist:

Vienna Police have arrested a man for allegedly intentionally striking a cyclist with his vehicle after a dispute on Maple Avenue while both were in motion.

John Arthur Thorpe, 52, of Bristow, was arrested Aug. 18 for assault and aggressive driving and taken to the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center, said Officer Gary Lose, VPD spokesperson. He was released on recognizance, according to the General District court online database.

A court date has been set for 9:30 a.m. Oct 15.

Around 6:30 p.m. Aug. 16, a cyclist believed a vehicle to be traveling too close to his bicycle as both traveled westbound on Maple Avenue near Nutley Street. The cyclist reported he began banging on the vehicle's window to urge the driver to move over.

Witnesses reported it appeared Thorpe intentionally struck the rear tire of the bicycle, causing the cyclist to fall.

Update: The case was delayed until November 5, 9:30 a.m. at the Vienna Courthouse located in Vienna Town Hall, 127 Center St.

The continuing saga of Stop signs on the W&OD Trail

In today's Washington Post there is a letter from our friend Rhonda Krafchin to Dr. Gridlock about motorists who stop abruptly for cyclists on the W&OD Trail. Her concern is: "If I’m obeying my stop sign, I may have a driver to my right come to an unsigned stop. Before I proceed, I need to be clear what a driver to my left is doing, and that driver may not be stopping." That's why I always recommend that cyclists proceed through a crosswalk "one lane at a time." Once you're sure you've controlled that lane, proceed to the next one.

However, I appreciate motorists who stop to allow me to cross at a crosswalk. For one thing, once I"m in the crosswalk they are required by law to yield. The Stop signs just confuse the issue. The discussion about the W&OD Trail Stop signs has a long history and won't be resolved soon. We wrote the following letter to Dr. Gridlock regarding the situation:

Dear Dr. Gridlock,

You summed up the situation in the first line of your comment on the letter from Rhonda Krafchin in Sunday's Post: "Thus, we continue our conversation about who’s supposed to do what at crossings and when they’re supposed to do it." While I understand Rhonda's concerns, I also appreciate motorists stopping for pedestrians and bicyclists at crosswalks. 

The stops signs on the W&OD Trail adjacent to crosswalks are a contradiction. Normally a stop sign indicates a road user must wait until traffic clears before entering the intersection. From 46.2-821: "Before proceeding, he shall yield the right-of-way to the driver of any vehicle approaching on such other highway from either direction." A pedestrian (and bicyclist) has the right-of-way in a crosswalk once they've entered the crosswalk. From 46.2-924, "A. The driver of any vehicle on a highway shall yield the right-of-way to any pedestrian crossing such highway: 1. At any clearly marked crosswalk, whether at mid-block or at the end of any block;" Trail users can't disregard oncoming traffic before entering the crosswalk, but they aren't required to stop if there is no crossing traffic.

VDOT recently conducted a study of the zig-zag markings adjacent to crossings on the W&OD trail. As part of their study they recognized this contradiction: "RECOMMENDATION 5. A review of the Code of Virginia should be undertaken with respect to those sections dealing with trail users on multiuse pathways and their obligation to comply with non-signalized traffic control devices. The purpose of the review should be to determine if legislative changes could help alleviate the confusion about right-of-way, and if so, to suggest appropriate legislative change proposals. Such a review could be initiated, or led, by VDOT’s Traffic Engineering Division with assistance from staff at VTRC. A cursory review of the Code language in this study suggested that trail users on multiuse pathways may not be obligated to comply with non-signalized traffic control devices where the trail intersects a roadway. In addition, the research found there is confusion among motorists and trail users about right-of-way laws regarding the W&OD Trail where a STOP sign is directed toward the trail users. This confusion could compromise safety at these and other similar multiuse trail/roadway intersections."

A major problem with the W&OD Trail stop signs is that police have used them as an excuse to target cyclists for not coming to a complete stop, even when there is no crossing traffic. However, in at least one instance, a cyclist was ticketed by police who used 46.2-821 as the reason. That ticket was dismissed since a trail is not a "highway."

Bruce

Ribbon-cutting for Beltway bridge bike facilities

FABB members at Oak St Bridge

Today some FABB members rode to the Oak St. bridge over the Beltway to participate in a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new bike facilities on that and many of the other 50 bridges that were rebuilt as part of the 495 Express Lanes project, formerly known as the HOT lanes.

The Oak St. bike lanes have been in place for some time but several of the other bridges are just now opening, including the new sidepaths on the Route 7, Westpark Dr, and Lee Hwy bridges. While many of the bike facilities are not ideal, in most cases this is the first time there has ever been a bike facility on those bridges. Starting in 2007 FABB fought hard to ensure some facilities were included in the project.

We initially planned to use the sidepaths on the Lee Hwy bridge, but the side paths were too narrow and aren't really a bike facility. Instead there are supposed to be wide curb lanes on that bridge and it wasn't safe to try to simulate a ribbon-cutting there. The outside lane isn't really wide; there is a painted stripe 3 feet from the curb making it an 11-foot lane with a 3 foot shoulder which isn't very useful for cyclists. I'd prefer to see the lane without the stripe.

After the ribbon-cutting we rode to the new Mosaic District (that I wrote about earlier) to attend the grand opening of Fresh Bikes. We met the manager Stacey and dropped off some FABB rack cards. It's a very nice shop, with many fine bike-oriented details including a bike chain used as edging on the front counter and bike chains used to support sections of the ceiling structure. We especially liked the automatic double-door entrance. We didn't see many transportation bikes; Fresh Bikes is a bike store for the "performance-minded." Some of their hybrids and cross bikes could be used for commuting. We wish them well and we hope to work with them in the future.

Mosaic District bike racks

Some of us then stopped at a nearby coffee shop for snacks and drinks. When we left we rode around the streets that are open and only saw one set of bike racks. They were nice racks that were like a U rack but with some style. There should be many more racks in place for visitors and we'll check no future plans for racks.

Finally, as we were leaving the development we decided to use Eskridge Rd to travel north where it turns into Merrilee Dr. We were in the straight through lane with no cars behind us and we waited through 2 full cycles before a car finally appeared. Under VA law we are allowed to go through the light after 2 cycles, but there should be a bicycle-sensitive sensor present. Traffic is so heavy on Lee Hwy that legally running the red light was not an option.

By the way, Eskridge Rd will soon be open south toward Route 50. That means that from Dunn Loring Metro station it will be possible to ride a route parallel to Gallows Rd all the way south to Woodburn Rd using Merrilee Dr to continue on Eskridge Rd to Williams Dr across Route 50 to Willow Oaks Corporate Dr to a new road that leads south past the Ronald McDonald House to Inova Hospital and on to Woodburn Rd.

CSG debunks new GMU report

A new report from the Center for Regional Analysis at GMU concludes that we're just going to keep driving and we need more roads for those cars. The report was funded by the 2030 Group, an organization of major developers in the region, including the infamous Til Hazel, who supports multiple outer beltways that will foster continued sprawl development. When our roads are crumbling in the DC metro area the 2030 Group wants to spend scarce transportation funds on these outer beltways.

The Coalition for Smarter Growth recently responded to the report with a press release, GMU Report Flawed; Would Lead Region Down Unsustainable Path:

Using funding from developers with significant interests in land in outer suburban locations, researchers at George Mason University's Center for Regional Analysis have issued a new report arguing for massive investment in highway infrastructure. Experts at the Coalition for Smarter Growth disagree.

"The GMU report is based on flawed and outdated assumptions and would lead our region down an unsustainable development path," said Stewart Schwartz, Executive Director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth (CSG).

"The report ignores the fundamental shifts in real estate demand, changing demographics and market demand. The GMU view would also leave behind Prince George's and older parts of eastern Fairfax and eastern Prince William counties," said Cheryl Cort, Policy Director for CSG.

"While dressed up with an acknowledgment of transit, the report is focused on justifying a wasteful expansion of highways which would fuel more spread-out development and yet more traffic," said Schwartz. "This includes real estate mogul and 2030 Group backer Til Hazel's primary goal of an outer beltway in Virginia."

The Coalition for Smarter Growth has identified the following flaws in the GMU analysis:

1) Ignores fundamental changes in the residential real estate market: The report relies on population projections which continue to include old assumptions about growth in the region's outer suburbs and still don't fully reflect the dramatic long-term shift in real estate demand.

Demand for housing with long commutes has collapsed and may never recover given high gas prices, the ever-smaller percentage of households with children, and the strong demand of millennials, retiring baby boomers and empty nesters to live in walkable, urban and transit-oriented communities. (See Christopher Leinberger, Walk the Way: The Economic Promise of Walkable Places in Metropolitan Washington, D.C.)

2) Uses old regional activity centers data: The report uses the old regional "activity centers" data, instead of the most up-to-date activity centers, which means it omits and ignores many of Prince George's County's Metro stations, Fairfax's Route 1 corridor and a number of other older commercial corridors which are planned to be efficient transit-focused centers. This omission biases the report toward sprawling auto-dependent areas.

3) Fails to acknowledge the failure of highway expansion to fix congestion: Transportation experts have acknowledged that highway expansion in metropolitan areas typically fails and that the new capacity induces more auto-dependent development leading to a return of congestion in as little as five years.

4) Fails to fully account for the benefits of transit and transit-oriented communities: The report fails to acknowledge the critical importance of transit to manage peak hour commuting. By offering a high-capacity commuting alternative, transit offers tens of thousands of Washington area residents an alternative to driving in traffic. The report also fails to note that mixed-use transit-oriented communities not only shift many trips to transit, but they also maximize walking and biking trips and shorten many car trips.

Update: See the GreaterGreaterWashington post about Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance's take on the GMU report.

New bike lanes on Westpark Dr in Tysons

As part of the 495 Express Lanes (aka HOT lanes) project, the bridge on Westpark Dr over Route 123, that leads from Tysons Corner Center to Galleria Dr, was rebuilt. The bridge now has bike lanes and wide sidewalks giving cyclists and pedestrians much better access in that area.

We discovered the new bike lanes today after teaching a bike maintenance class at PwC, a major employer located on Tysons Blvd., within sight of the Westpark bridge. Our contact there uses the bridge on her commute to work and she pointed out the new lanes. We knew they were planned but they hadn't been stripped the last time we rode there.

Westpark Dr. bike lanes

As you can see from the photo on the left, there is a transition from the sidepath to the bike lane. This is on the north side. I didn't see any transition for those cyclists on the south side approaching the sidepath from the other direction. I assume they would cross at the crosswalk and somehow enter the trail.

Unfortunately the trail comes to an abrupt end not far away. It is planned to extend all the way to the bike lanes adjacent to the Towers Crescent (Shopping Bag) building, but probably not until there is more construction on the mixed use development planned for this area.

Sidepath on Tysons Ring Road

Tysons is slowing becoming more bike-friendly. As we mentioned earlier this week, there are now bike facilities on the Route 7 bridge over the Beltway, also a result of the 495 Express Lanes construction. Many more people will ride in this area if conditions continue to improve.