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Bethany Usher Joins FABB Board
The Fairfax Alliance for Better Bicycling is pleased to announce that Bethany Usher has joined its board of directors for a 2-year term. Living in South Run near Lake Mercer, she enjoys bicycling for recreation and commuting to work at George Mason University. Trained as a biological anthropologist, she now serves as the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education.
Having spent some time in Denmark studying medieval cemeteries, Bethany is convinced that, with the right infrastructure and planning, whole communities can be healthier and happier if they rely on bikes for transportation.
The FABB board looks forward to Bethany’s wisdom, energy, and experiences in making bicycling better in Fairfax County.
Safe Routes to School
FABB has been working behind the scenes to ensure that funding for the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Program is included in the FY 2023 Fairfax County Public School and County budgets.
Check out FABB Director Jeff Anderson’s comments at the February 24 school board meeting here.
Unfortunately, the school district did not include the requested SRTS funding in the advertised budget approved by the school board at that meeting.
We have been in touch with many School Board and Board of Supervisor members and we’re hopeful funding will be added to the final budget to continue the very successful SRTS program.
Bike to Work Day
On Friday May 20, 2022, there will be 100 Bike to Work Day pit stops all over the Washington metropolitan region.
Pit stop sponsors allow FABB to host a table to tell bicyclists about the organization, provide maps, and other handouts. The primary purpose of having the table, however, is to gather names and e-mail addresses so FABB can increase the number of bicycle allies. Here are the Virginia locations.
- Annandale – Wakefield Park at Audrey Moore RECenter
- Chantilly – Regional Library
- City of Fairfax – Downtown
- City of Falls Church West End Park
- Culmore – Bailey’s Crossroads
- Fair Lakes Center
- Fairfax County Government Center*
- Fort Belvoir
- Herndon Town Hall Green*
- McLean – MITRE Corporation*
- Mosaic at Strawberry Park (afternoon) *
- Mt. Vernon RECenter – Belle View
- Oakton at Oak Marr RECenter
- Reston – at The Bike Lane*
- Springfield at South Run RECenter
- Springfield – Metro Park at Walker Lane
- Sterling*
- Town of Vienna*
- Tysons Corner Center
Sign up to volunteer at one of the FABB tables (indicated by *) here. If you want to volunteer at another station, let us know at [email protected].
Bicycle Parking
For the first time in some 40 years Fairfax County is revising the Parking ordinance. The current ordinance does not mention parking for bicycles or mobility devices.
Each county supervisor appointed representatives to the Parking Reimagined working group. The group meets monthly with county staff and contractors to determine the appropriate parking levels for the county. Board Chairman Jeff McKay selected Howard Albers, the treasurer of FABB, to serve on the parking work group.
Bicycle parking standards published by the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals have been provided to the work group. Arriving at the appropriate number of required bicycle parking spaces will be challenging. Having bike parking that is convenient, safe, and well maintained will play a big role in making bicycling better.
Bicycle Jobs
Elise Ketch, the hiring manager at Pedego Alexandria — [email protected] (703) 887-6392 — shared that they have four positions open:
“All positions are $15/hr base pay and are negotiable depending on experience. Applicants to the Bicycle Mechanic position that identify as women, trans, intersex, gender-nonconforming, and persons of color are eligible for a QBP professional training scholarship! We would be delighted to help employees pursue these scholarships.”
Thanks for Your Service
Two members have stepped down from the FABB Board of Directors but not away from FABB, and we wanted to share our appreciation for their work over the past seven years.
Sonya Breehey was an original member of the Board of Directors and served as President from 2019-2021. She was part of a small group of FABB members who help transition the group into a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization in 2015. With her “can do spirit” Sonya organized two Clips and Beer events at Reston Town Center. She also led FABB’s advocacy to ensure a paved trail would be built parallel to I-66 outside the beltway. In addition, she played a key role in expanding our alliances with Capital Trail Coalition, Fairfax Families for Safe Streets, Coalition for Smarter Growth, and Fairfax Healthy Communities.
Steve Ward was also an original FABB Board member and served as Secretary and Vice President over the years. He still serves as the webmaster for www.fabb-bikes.org and manages our social media accounts. As Vice President, he frequently gave interviews for television and with print news reporters. Steve also organized FABB meetings in each of the Supervisor Districts to ensure FABB represented all parts of the county. In addition, Steve championed the benefits of having a diverse board of directors and making safe bicycling available in all parts of Fairfax County.
National Bike Summit
FABB is pleased to be an organizational member of the League of American Bicyclists. The League provides many programs and services that help keep bicycle advocates informed.
There is still time to attend the National Bike Summit held by the League of American Bicyclists either online or in person. The Summit is from Sunday, March 27 to Wednesday, March 30, 2022 and the cost for virtual attendance is only $70 with a League membership. With the wide range of topics, you are bound to find something of interest.
