FABB publishes Guide for Reviewing Public Road Design and Bicycling Accommodations for Virginia Bicycling Advocates—Virginia bicycling advocates have a new resource to help them review and comment on public road projects. The new guide, prepared by FABB in consultation with the Virginia (VDOT) and Fairfax County departments of transportation, outlines ways bicycling proponents can get involved in the process of designing, approving, building, and retrofitting roads to ensure that bicycling accommodations are integrated into the plans where needed. Although geared for Virginia, many of the ideas contained in the report could be applied to other locations as well. Guide web page. Download a High res version (18MB) or a smaller
Low res version (6MB).
Tysons Bicycle Planning process underway—County staff are finalizing negotiations with a contractor to begin planning for bicycle access in Tysons and the surrounding communities within a 3 mile radius of Tysons. The process will include several public meetings that will be announced by the county bike program. See the FABB Tysons Bicycle Plan page.
Tysons Plan approved—At their June 22 meeting the Fairfax Board of Supervisors approved proposed changes to the Tysons comprehensive plan. The plan includes new bicycle facilities on many roads in Tysons, a new grid of streets, and comprehensive bicycle parking guidelines. The bicycle recommendations will be refined once the bicycle plan is completed.
FABB is now on Facebook—It's another way to find out more about bicycle-related news and activities in the Fairfax County/Fairfax City area.
FABB is also now on Twitter as BikeFairfax.
Fairfax Board of Supervisors supports Bicycle Master Plan—At their October 5th meeting Lee District Supervisor Jeff McKay presented a motion to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to "endorse the concept only at this stage of a bicycle master plan. He asked that the Department of Transportation investigate the cost of such a plan and provide a longer term recommendation to the Board for the possible funding and development of a plan." This is an important first step toward the development of the County's first ever Bicycle Master Plan. See the meeting summary, item 44.
FABB receives grant from Alliance for Biking and Walking—The Alliance for Biking and Walking announced today that FABB was awarded a grant of $9,600. FABB will develop an easy-to-follow handbook for non-engineer bicycle advocates to help them identify issues, make informed comments, and play a constructive role during the design of new bicycle facilities. See the Alliance press release.
Tysons Metro Access Group formed—Supervisor Hudgins, along with Supervisors Smyth and Foust, has asked Fairfax County staff to form a group to review multimodal access to the four planned Metro stations in Tysons:
- That a Tysons Metrorail Access Group (TMAG), similar in composition and purpose as the RMAG group, be established with the representatives from three bordering Supervisor districts, TYTRAN, and the Town of Vienna, to create a plan that identifies multimodal access challenges and possibilities to Tysons four new Metrorail Stations.
- Direction to staff to report with necessary funding and the proposed structure. With the Tysons Plan nearing completion, bus access, sidewalk and trail, and bicycle connectivity to and from surrounding communities will be vital to the success of the new urban "downtown".
Bicycle Rack Policy—With input from FABB, Fairfax County is developing “specific standards for the County to use as part of the land development process”. The new standards will either be a Board Policy, an amendment to the Zoning Ordinance, or incorporated into the Public Facilities Manual. Recommendations are expected in the near future. See Supervisor Smyth's Board Matter from the November 19, 2007 meeting, page 20, no. 40.
Goals
- County Bicycle Master Plan
- Prioritized list of bicycle projects connecting major residential, employment, and commercial center
- Bicycle parking
- Cross county bike routes
- Bicycle Safety and Police Outreach
- Data Collection and Analysis
- VDOT Bicycle Advisory Committee
A brief history
The roots of FABB go to spring 2005 when about 10 bicycle enthusiasts got together to talk about ways to advance cycling in Fairfax County. The group met during 2005 and eventually decided to be affiliated with WABA. Since 2006 we've contacted cyclists at various bicycle events, handing out copies of the FABB brochure, and signing up cyclists for our bi-monthly newsletters. We continue to advocate for better bicycling conditions in Fairfax.
