BikeArlington is hiring

The goal of BikeArlington is "to build bike culture and make it easy for people to incorporate biking into their everyday lives." They do great work getting more people on bikes in Arlington by holding bike commuting seminars, sponsoring bicycle safety classes, hosting events, and talking to employers, employees, and residents about the benefits of bicycling.

They are looking for an Events and Outreach Coordinator. This would be a great job for someone who loves bicycling and wants to see more people using bikes to get around Northern Virginia. See the job announcement.

Del. Ken Plum discusses bike sharing with Charlie Denney of Alta Planning

Bikesharing in DC is having a major impact on the number of people choosing to travel by bike. For many DC residents, using Capital Bikeshare is an affordable way to have access to a bicycle without worrying about maintenance or bike security. When I rode to the District last week the majority of people I saw riding were on CaBi bikes.

Delegate Ken Plum of Reston recently interviewed Charlie Denney of Alta Planning & Design on Virginia Report. Alta Bicycle Share, an affiliate of Alta Planning, runs Capital Bikeshare in DC. The show will air tonight (Wed.) at 7:30pm in Reston on Comcast channel 28 and Thurs. at 10:30pm. Or you can watch it online:

Virginia Report - BikeShare Rolls into the Region - July 2011 from Comcast Channel 28 on Vimeo.

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.

Who speaks for cyclists?

FABB is one of several bike organizations included in a Vienna Patch article by Tim Fricker of bikes@vienna entitled Who Speaks For Cyclists?. Also included are the Vienna Bicycle Advisory Committee, WABA (FABB's parent organization), Virginia Bicycling Federation, and the League of American Bicyclists. FABB is a sponsored project of WABA and we encourage our supporters to become members of WABA and to donate directly to FABB.

Meeting to review the Fairfax Co Green Building Policy

The Environment Committee of the Fairfax Co Plannning Commission will meet on the same night as the Gallows Rd/Rt 29 meeting to discuss the Green Building Policy that was adopted in 2007. The meeting is Wed. the 27th from 7-9 p.m. in the Board Auditorium, Fairfax County Government Center, 12000 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax, VA 22035.

"At the time of the initial Green Building Policy adoption in December 2007, the Planning Commission was directed to review the policy after two years to assess the efficacy of the policy as well as to determine if any revisions were necessary, given that the green building field is rapidly evolving." Staff have reviewed the policy and developed a Draft Green Building Comprehensive Plan Policy Review Strawman. Part of the policy is to encourage more bicycling:

Policy e. Encourage energy conservation through the provision of measures which support nonmotorized transportation, such as the provision of showers and lockers for employees and the provision of bicycle parking facilities for employment, retail and multifamily residential uses.

While it's encouraging that bicycling is included in the policy, LEED specifications for bicycle facilities are inadequate in our opinion. We discussed this in an earlier post on bike parking at VDOT headquarters. The building is LEED-certified but has wave racks located 300 feet from the building entrance. Fortunately VDOT has agreed to provide inverted U racks adjacent to two building entrances for visitors and employees.

We sent comments to the Planning Commission asking for more detailed bike recommendations in the green building policy. Fortunately a final draft bike of the county's parking guidelines have been released and we hope the become county policy this year.

VDOT meeting on Gallows Rd/Route 29 construction

VDOT rendering of the project

VDOT is holding a public meeting Wednesday night from 7-9pm at Luther Jackson Middle School to discuss the Gallows Road/Route 29 project that will include widening both Gallows Rd and Route 29. According to the Countywide Trails Plan, bike lanes are designated on Gallows Rd, with major paved trails (>8') on each side, and major paved trails are called for on each side of Route 29. That doesn't quite match what's being built:

After three years of major utility relocation and right of way acquisition, the Virginia Department of Transportation begins construction on the $110 million project to improve the congested Route 29 and Gallows Road intersection in Merrifield.Improvements to the intersection will increase safety, reduce congestion and enhance bicycle and pedestrian access, and include:

• Widening Route 29 from two to three through lanes in each direction between Merrilee Drive and I-495 (about 0.6 miles)
• Widening Gallows Road from two to three through lanes in each direction between Gatehouse Road and Prosperity Avenue (about 0.8 miles)
• On Route 29, a six-foot sidewalk on the westbound side and 5-foot sidewalk on the eastbound side
• On Gallows Road, a 10-foot asphalt shared-use path on the west side, and six-foot sidewalk on the east side
• Dual left-turn lanes on Route 29 at Gallows Road
• Landscaped medians on both approaches

Co Trails Plan

The meeting on Wednesday is a "pardon our dust" meeting. Public hearings for this project occurred several years ago after study by a task force, before FABB was formed. Around that time we recall being told by a member of the Transportation Advisory Commission, currently a Planning Commissioner, that "those bikers" wanted too much, despite the fact that the Trails Plan contained the above recommendations. Looks like we didn't get much either.

Gallows Road is a major north-south connector for all modes of transportation, and a 10 foot shared-use path isn't sufficient to serve the pedestrian and bike traffic expected in this area. The 5 and 6 foot sidewalks along Route 29 are even worse. Given the late stage of this project, it's not very likely these plans will change. We plan to attend the meeting on Wednesday.

Update July 26—We've learned that wide outside lanes are included on Gallows Road. Bike lanes were proposed but they are not included in the final configuration. Wide outside or "wide curb" lanes work well for many cyclists although most people who are reluctant to ride in traffic would much prefer striped bike lanes. Bike lanes are currently striped on Gallows from the W&OD Trail to the bridge over I-66 just north of Dunn Loring Metro. Later this year bike lanes will be striped from the W&OD Trail north to Tysons.

Survey questionnaire on the W&OD Trail

Over the past week or so a team from Toole Design Group have been asking users of the W&OD Trail to fill out a survey. We've seen them at the Belmont Ridge and Hunter Mill Rd trail crossings. According to NVRPA, Toole is conducting a safety study of several intersections along the trail that includes field measurements, video monitoring, and survey questions. Other trail intersections include Columbia Pike, Lee Hwy, Wiehle Ave, and Sterling Blvd. We'll be interested in seeing the results of the study.

If you see the survey crew, why not stop and fill out the survey form to let them know what you think about the intersection.