On May 5, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors took a landmark step toward a safer, healthier, and more connected future by approving the Active Fairfax Transportation Plan Study. For everyone who bikes, walks, rolls, runs, or uses micromobility to get around Fairfax County, this is a big deal.
For FABB, it marks the culmination of years of persistent advocacy, collaboration, and public engagement to ensure active transportation is treated as an essential part of Fairfax County’s transportation future.
The newly adopted plan consolidates and modernizes the county’s bicycle and trails planning efforts into a unified vision for a connected, comfortable, and accessible active transportation network. It updates countywide maps, introduces a policy toolkit, modernizes planning guidance, and establishes a framework that will shape future investments in trails, sidewalks, bike facilities, and micromobility infrastructure for years to come.
Years of Advocacy Reach the Finish Line
The Active Fairfax effort has been years in the making, evolving from the county’s earlier ActiveFairfax initiative launched in 2020 and building upon the 2021 Countywide Trails Plan and Bicycle Master Plan. Over that time, FABB consistently pushed for stronger bicycle and pedestrian connections, safer facilities, better implementation policies, and a transportation system that works for everyone — not just people driving cars.
FABB Board Member Shawn Newman spoke on behalf of FABB in support of the plan, thanking county staff for their years of work and emphasizing the importance of the updated Active Transportation map, policy modernization efforts, and public engagement process.
As Shawn noted, the plan incorporates input from:
- Fairfax County residents
- Nationwide best practices
- Advocacy organizations like FABB
- Transportation and environmental stakeholders across the county
The result is a plan that will have a lasting positive impact on active transportation throughout Fairfax County.
Building Consensus for Better Trails
One of the most important — and challenging — parts of the process involved balancing transportation connectivity with environmental stewardship.
In recent months, environmental organizations raised concerns about trail alignments through sensitive natural areas, wetlands, and stream valleys. Rather than allowing those disagreements to derail the broader effort, FABB worked closely with partners in the Fairfax Healthy Communities Network and other stakeholders to find common ground and reduce the possibility of late-stage conflicts over future trail projects.
The Fairfax County Planning Commission ultimately recommended revised language clarifying that trail planning and design should consider avoiding and mitigating environmental impacts through a two-step assessment process. Commissioners praised the revisions for “threading the needle” between important environmental protections and the need for a connected transportation network.
FABB supported the revised language while also emphasizing an important principle: environmental concerns should be addressed early in the design process so they do not unnecessarily delay critical trail connections that residents need. This kind of thoughtful, solutions-oriented advocacy is exactly the role FABB strives to play.
Why This Plan Matters
The Active Fairfax Transportation Plan Study is much more than a policy document. It establishes a framework for:
- Safer bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure
- Better trail connectivity
- Expanded micromobility access
- Improved coordination between agencies
- Stronger consideration of active transportation in future development and roadway projects
- More comfortable “low-stress” transportation options for residents of all ages and abilities
FABB also highlighted several critical priorities moving forward:
- Better coordination between the Fairfax County Department of Transportation and the Fairfax County Park Authority
- Stronger partnerships with VDOT to actually implement protected bike facilities and cycle tracks
- Identification and prioritization of major bicycle corridors and maintenance needs
- Dedicated funding for trail and bikeway maintenance, repair, snow clearing, and repaving
Those implementation details matter enormously. Plans alone do not build safe bike networks — sustained funding, political commitment, and continued public advocacy do.
This victory reflects years of work by county staff, partner organizations, residents, volunteers, and advocates who believe Fairfax County should be a place where people can safely and comfortably travel without needing to drive everywhere.
FABB is proud to have helped move this vision forward — and we are even more excited about the work ahead to make that vision a reality.
Want to help? Contact us at [email protected].
