Schools

New Bike Racks At Kilmer Draw Visit From Connolly

Congressman talks to students about transportation, exercise at ribbon cutting ceremony

Last fall, administrators at began to notice that biking was an issue.

And in a good way: 45 students would regularly use two wheels (instead of the bus or a car) to get to class, thanks largely to a recent repair of a foot bridge at the bottom of Wolftrap Road.

But the bikes overflowed from the school's lone bike rack, spilling into the walkway, the flag pole and just about anywhere else they could tether their ride.

Find out what's happening in Viennawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"We saw a lot more students biking to school but they'd get creative with where they put them. We saw this influx of bikes and knew we had to do something," Assistant Principal Susan Britton said.

On Wednesday morning, the school had a solution: two new bike racks purchased by Fairfax County Public Schools, which sat on an all-weather bike pad donated by the parent teacher association.

Find out what's happening in Viennawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The few dozen students who were released from class for the occasion spent about 15 minutes with U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly, who came just before 9 a.m. for a ribbon cutting ceremony with school administrators and members of Fairfax Advocates For Better Bicycling and Safe Routes To School. At least 25 bikes were parked in the racks as Connolly cut the ribbon.

"It's a small step, but a very important one in an area that boasts the second or third worst congestion in the country," Connolly said.

About 30 percent of all car trips in the country are three miles or less, said Connolly, who told students he was the "champion" of  the Cross County Trail and helped hire a bike coordinator during his time as Chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.

Many students live that distance from the school, or less, administrators said, but because bus routes pick up the closest children first, they end up having the longest ride. As a result, parents drive their children and clog the school's kiss-and-ride,

"We're hoping these bike racks encourage more students to bike to school," they said.

Safe Routes to Schools initiatives , including three elementary schools' . Kilmer administrators say they may try a similar challenge in the fall.

"Though sometimes the eighth graders get to be 'too cool' to ride their bikes," Dean of Students Larry Knighten said.

They might have a change of heart: During a Q+A, among questions about Congress and filibusters, Connolly told students he walks for exercise, and used to bike along the W+OD trail.

"I need a new [bike]," he said.

Watch a clip from Connolly's remarks in the media player above, or, click through to see photos from the event.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here