Town Council Approves Vienna's First Bike Route, Delays Vote On Noise Ordinance

The Vienna Town Council , an effort that will provide a safer way for cyclists to access the center of town and also calm traffic on a road plagued by speed and high car volume, its creators say.

The route , an initiative that was born in the town's Bicycle Advisory Committee more than a year ago, will add lane-narrowing striping on Courthouse Road from the town boundary -- the dog park west of Nutley Street -- to the intersection of Locust and Center Streets. Each side will be striped 11 feet from the center of the road, according to Virginia Department of Transportation standards, leaving the remaining shoulder open for cyclists or residential parking where it's permitted by the town.“Bike Route” signage will be placed along the route.

Supporters say the route, which had already been approved by the BAC and  TSC, is the first step in making Vienna a bicycle-friendly town, with well-connected streets and someday a town-wide bicycle network. It will be particularly useful  .

The Vienna Town Council that deals with construction and lawn maintenance equipment, continuing a months-long debate to allow more time for public input.

The ordinance has found a new opponent in , whose members told the Council at its meeting Monday night that restricting mowing on Sundays and holidays, and implementing a later start time on Saturdays, would "negatively impact operations."

Under the proposed ordinance, , work in residential areas would not be permitted on Saturdays until 9 a.m., instead of 7 a.m. as the current code states. It would continue to ban contractor work on Sundays, along with lawn mowing, excavation, demolition and other construction activities, and would also specifically ban this work on six federal holidays: Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Any of these activities that are done for pay would be prohibited on Sundays, according to the proposed code. Residents would be permitted to do this type of work on their own home on Sundays after 9 a.m.

NEWS

Vienna Resident Ryan McElveen -- but the only one to go through the system recently as a student. Now, between the realities of school curriculum and environment and the policies that are often "out of sync" with them.

The Board of Supervisors Under the proposal from County Executive Anthony Griffin, citizens who felt unsatisfied with a police investigation of a complaint about an officer or an officer-involved shooting could petition Griffin for a separate investigation by the county's Internal Audit Office. Currently, most complaints and officer-involved shootings are only investigated internally by FCPD.

Hunter Mill School Board member Stuart Gibson says too many changes to the Fairfax County Public School's drug policy Gibson's remarks came at a school board discussion on Monday about re-examining and revamping the school system's disciplinary process.

The reconstruction of a .3 mile section of Cottage Street could take less than six months, or as long as a year, depending on the input The $2.5 million project will reconstruct pavement and replace curbs and gutters  on Cottage Street between Patrick and Walker Streets Southwest. Sidewalks will also be replaced and expanded from their current width of four feet to the new five-foot VDOT standard. Construction would begin in July 2012. VDOT will accept input from residents until April 16.

Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Sharon Bulova in support of the  underground tunnel for the Dulles International Airport Metro station. The board voted 9-4 to place the Metro underground at Dulles.The board said the placement would be more accessible for travelers, despite the potential increase in costs. This alignment could raise the cost of the project by over $300 million and delay completion by six months, Bulova said in a statement.

Though Congress avoided a government shutdown -- for now -- Patch covered local stories about the shutdown as they developed:

Gov. Bob McDonnell has to legislation that would require large employers to provide insurance coverage for autistic children. Among other cost controls, the governor would require parents to get prior authorization from their insurer before an autistic child can receive services.

In the Candidates Corner, U.S. senatorial candidate and tea party member Jamie Radtke discussed her views on everything from energy issues and healthcare to gay marriage and abortion.

PatchCast:

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COMMUNITY/ARTS

The Vienna Pedaler offers  Read on to  learn when your bike needs (or doesn't need) to go to the shop

This week in Moms Talk, parents weighed in on the county's decision to return chocolate milk to the lunchroom on May 2.

In our Viewfinder this week, It's now  a vibrant, welcoming home base for the teenagers of the church and the community.

There are some great back-stories in the annals of music. Singer William Fitzsimmons seems to have one of them.

Where can you find rock, reggae and go-go music? At on Monday, as

This week's , a winner of The American Legion Dyer Gunnell Post 180's second Annual Americanism Essay contest

SPORTS/SCHOOLS

The Unified Prevention Coalition of Fairfax County Public Schools held a Prevention Conference last week The conference was designed this year to show parents how  middle school has changed over the years, and how the age-old challenges that come with adolescence are taking on new and frightening forms that parents may not recognize.

The Vienna Little League held its opening day on Saturday. Did you miss the celebration?

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