FABB Blog

 

W&OD Trail in Herndon

It's not often that you see virgin snow on the W&OD Trail. Soon after most snowfalls there are usually tracks in the snow along the trail. This is a photo of the trail in Herndon near the train station, looking west. It will be a while before the 24-30 inches of snow is gone not to mention the 5-10 inches expected tomorrow. Wouldn't it be nice if the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority, which controls the trail, used a plow like the one in the second photo. We came across this small plow today while walking the trail around Lake Thoreau in Reston. The Reston Association purchased the used plow from a Canadian company. It causes little if any damage to the trail surface and provides a way for the many people in Reston who want to get around on foot or bike for local trips. RA has plowed their 55 miles of trails (more than the length of the W&OD Trail) after every snowfall this winter. That work was slowed after the latest snowfall due to the many trees that had fallen on the trail. That's why this plow was stopped; the driver was busy cutting up a downed tree that blocked his path. posted by Bruce Wright at 4:13 PM #

 

Supervisor Herrity wants to fire eliminate bicycle coordinator position

At a Feb. 1 town hall meeting on Fairfax County's government and schools budgets Supervisor Herrity suggested that the bicycle and environment coordinator positions be eliminated:Despite voting in favor of the bicycle master plan motion proposed by Supervisor McKay in October, Herrity wants to cut the bicycle program just as the county is making some progress toward creating a more bicycle-friendly county. The bicycle plan won't get done without a bike coordinator and a staffed bike program. If anything, we need to increase the current bike program staff to handle all the requests on their time.

While we are confident that the majority of the Board supports having a bicycle program, we suggest all cyclists contact Supervisor Herrity to demand that the bicycle program receive full funding in the 2011 budget. Send email to springfield@fairfaxcounty.gov or call his office at 703-451-8873. We suggest that you also contact your supervisor. See the letter from Alan Young to Supervisor Herrity: You can also sign up to speak at the upcoming budget hearings on Tuesday, April 6 starting at 6 p.m., Wed & Thurs, April 7 &am; 8 starting at 3 p.m.

Labels: bicycle coordinator, herrity

posted by Bruce Wright at 1:44 PM #

 

Smart Transportation and Bicycling Symposium

Yesterday we hitched a ride with John Brunow of bikes@vienna to attend the 13th Annual Smart Transportation and Bicycling Symposium in Annapolis. The symposium is sponsored by One Less Car: "Every day we advocate for providing safe and effective transportation alternatives for all citizens through education, lobbying, and facilitation between our communities, governments, and state and local representatives."

Due to the heavy snow that fell during the previous night, the symposium got a late start and some speakers were not able to attend. Nevertheless, it was a good chance to network with other advocates and hear about the latest Maryland bike news. Here are some highlights from the day:

Several Maryland state legislators spoke in support of bike facilities: Senator Pugh (Baltimore Co), Delegates Cardin (Baltimore Co, Chair of the MD Legislative Bike Caucus), Carr (Montgomery Co), Bronrott (Montgomery Co). Secretary of Transportation Swaim-Staley spoke about funding for the Great Allegheny Passage trail.

Public Health and Transportation: Exploring the Inextricable Link - Dr. Keshia M. Pollack discussed the health impacts of our transportation choices including the linkage between obesity and driving, and the healthcare costs of obesity, auto crashes, and respiratory problems. A study conducted during the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta showed there was a 42% drop in asthma-related emergency visits when traffic was banned from the downtown area. She advocates for more "health people in healthy places".

Transportation FOR Maryland, Jennifer Bevan-Dangel of 1000 friends of Maryland discussed this statewide coalition of approximately 30 groups trying to reform transportation planning in the state. "This means planning our transportation systems–and our development patterns–to ensure that there are convenient and affordable travel options available to everyone, in every community, at every stage of life." A main focus is to expand traffic impact studies for large developments to include regional impacts on all modes of transportation.

Bicycling Advocates of Howard County (BAHC), Chairman Jack Guarneri talked about the great work being done by this coalition of bike groups in Howard County, which includes Columbia, MD. Their goals are similar to FABB's and inlcude:

• Developing a Howard County Bicycling Master Plan
• Supporting physical road improvements (better shoulders turn lanes,etc.) and additional share the road signs
• Fostering driver and bicyclist education and communication initiatives

They helped establish the first Howard County bicycle advisory committee. They have 501(c)4 status, which allows them to be involved in political campaigns, but donations are not tax deductible.

Safe Routes to School in Maryland—Joe Pelaia, the Maryland Safe Routes to School (SRTS) coordinator noted that 270 schools and 112,000 students have been involved in SRTS programs in Maryland since 2007. WABA receives funds from the program for conducting bike ed classes. Patrick McMahon, the new Maryland Safe Routes to School National Partnership state network organizer, said a few words about his plans. He was hired by WABA in January. He also gets the award for longest job title.

Labels: maryland, one less car

posted by Bruce Wright at 4:57 PM #

 

I-66 meeting canceled

Due to expected heavy snowfall, the meeting on Saturday to discus future transportation options in the I-66 corridor has been canceled. If it is rescheduled, we'll post more info. See our earlier post on the meeting.

Labels: i-66

posted by Bruce Wright at 2:56 PM #

 

Three foot passing bill update

The Senate version of the three foot passing bill, SB 566, passed the full Senate by a vote of 40-0. The bill now crosses over to the House Transportation Committee for consideration the week of 2/15.

According to the 2/3/10 update from Virginia Bicycling Federation, the Virginia House Transportation Sub-Committee delayed discussion of the House version of the three foot passing bill, HB 1048, until Wednesday, Feb. 10. If you haven't contacted a sub-committee member, please do so now. Also from VBF, see their Talking Points on HB 1048/SB 566, the two three-feet to pass bills.

Since he is the only delegate on the House Transportation Sub-Committee from Northern Virginia, Fairfax cyclists should contact Delegate Thomas Rust, 86th District (Herndon, Sterling Park, Oak Hill), to ask for his support for HB 1048; deltrust@house.state.virginia.gov, 804-698-1086.

Labels: three feet to pass

posted by Bruce Wright at 9:20 AM #

 

Electric unicycle

We recently posted about a NYT article on the popularity of electric bikes. Bike Portland just featured an article on the Self-Balancing Unicycle: "The SBU is an electric-assisted unicycle with "advanced angle sensing electronics and software" that allows it to balance and "pedal" for you." It's like a single-wheeled Segway. It was featured recently on the TV show Mythbusters.

Labels: electric bicycles, unicycle

posted by Bruce Wright at 9:03 PM #

 

Bike access needed on I-66 in Fairfax

A Town Hall Meeting is planned on Saturday, Feb. 6 to discuss future transportation options along I-66, I-66-Today and the Future: Common Sense Solutions to Address Gridlock:One commonsense solution that is in place inside the Beltway is the Custis Trail, a shared-use path along I-66. It is used heavily, especially by bike commuters. It was integrated into the design of I-66 and includes grade-separated crossings of all the entrance/exit ramps. There are also several ped/bike bridges across the road to connect communities.

In 2002 the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and the Planning Commission voted to include a shared-use path along the length of I-66 on the Countywide Trails Plan, part of the county Comprehensive Plan. Any discussion of "common sense solutions to gridlock" should include non-motorized access.

Cyclists are encouraged to attend the meeting and ask about bike accommodations along I-66 and to demand that any future projects include bike access.

Labels: custis trail, i-66

posted by Bruce Wright at 11:22 AM #