Thursday, June 7, 2012
Residents at Wednesday night's meeting say they want more bike lanes, shoulders and traffic calming.
Residents told planners Wednesday they need more biking structures and bike lanes on service roads that parallel major roads like Route 50 during the last of two countywide public meetings on the Fairfax County's Bicycle Transportation Master Plan. About 40 residents came to Wednesday night's meeting at the George Mason Regional Library, where they viewed a final draft of the plan and offered feedback to representatives from the Toole Design Group, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and more. Fairfax County officials have hosted public meetings throughout the county over the past year to solicit feedback from residents in those areas about their bicycle needs. County officials also hosted a meeting in Reston on Tuesday. Goals…
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
With third straight year of zero funding for program, cyclists say some transportation improvements are threatened; county to look toward Arlington for model
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors formally adopted a $6.7 billion budget Tuesday morning, a spending plan which put aside more money for human services, schools and employee pay but, for the third consecutive year, not bicycle programs. Although the county funds a full-time bicycle coordinator in its transportation department, the bicycle program has gone without funding since fiscal year 2011, according to Fairfax County staff reports provided to supervisors this year. The county's formal bike program was launched in 2006 as the Comprehensive Bicycle Initiative. Early projects included developing the county's first bike route map, retrofitting connector buses, and adding bike racks to county park and ride lots. The program received…
Monday, April 30, 2012
The trail is not a personal training or playing ground. Whether you are a cyclist,
walker, or runner, safety comes first.
I wasn’t planning to re-visit the W&OD and folks’ behavior out there so soon, but given the feedback I’ve gotten on my articles, and some recent experiences of my own and others, I feel I need to say a bit more about it. The most upsetting news I heard in this regard came from one of our W&OD Trail Patrol members who came by the shop the other day. He told me that a long-time member of the Patrol, who patrols on foot in the Vienna area, has decided to quit the Patrol after having been hit TWICE by speeding cyclists. Not passed too closely, but actually hit, while wearing a high visibility Trail Patrol vest. There is NO excuse for this sort of occurrence. None. And as a result, we are losing a member of the Trail Patrol, the very people who…
Monday, March 5, 2012
As spring gets into gear, our columnist offers some reminders about best practices for riding the W&OD and other trails.
Well, spring is certainly in the air. This being March in the mid-Atlantic region, we might still get some cold, messy weather, but the overall trend is toward warmer, sunnier days. Just this past Thursday, I was surprised to hear choruses of spring peepers and wood frogs along the W&OD on my morning ride. After a remarkably mild winter, we seem to be headed into an early spring, so it’s time to start getting out there for some rides. Many of you will no doubt be venturing forth on the local trails ... in fact, last Thursday I saw many more folks out than I have on a weekday morning in quite some time. The W&OD, Custis, Mt. Vernon, and other multi-use trails are great places to ease your way back into riding, so it’s no surprise that they …
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Car with Maryland plates hit youth rider Sept. 29 and drove away, police say
Vienna Police are looking for a female driver who allegedly hit a youth bicyclist on Maple Avenue and then fled. Police said Wednesday a white Honda Civic with Maryland license plates struck a juvenile bicyclist around 3:45 p.m. Sept. 29 at the intersection of Maple Avenue SE and the Washington and Old Dominion Trail. The crash left the bicyclist with only minor injuries, police said. The only description police have of the driver is she was a Hispanic woman. Any residents who have more information or may have witnessed the incident should contact MPO Sheeran at jsheeran@viennava.gov or 703-255-7826.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Our columnist offers tips for making riding in wet conditions more enjoyable
Riding a bicycle in the rain... the very words are often enough to cause a person to firmly declare “NEVER!” Chances are good, if you’ve ever been caught out in the rain on your bike, it wasn’t fun. And I don’t really know any cyclists that are eager to ride in the rain. However, there are things you can do to make it a lot more tolerable and safe, to the extent that it is no longer misery. And with the right equipment and attitude, it can even be fun. In today’s column, we’ll focus on how to start dressing properly to ride in the rain. Unfortunately, as with clothing in general, personal preference plays a large role, but there are some basics I can tell you here. An important variable is temperature. If it’s warm out, and you ride into a…
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Our bike columnist gives tips for braving blistery weather
Around this time of year, most folks have parked their bike in their garage or shed for the winter, waiting for the warm days of Spring to ride again. But I'm here to tell you that you don't have to give up enjoying your bike just because it is winter. There's still fun to be had, errands to be run. I know, because I've done it every one of the eight winters I've lived here. To begin with, stop and think about it... how many truly wintry days do we get here? Sure, we're having a heck of a cold snap right now, but let's be honest, it's not going to last that long, and what follows probably won't be all that brutal. And it's very likely that we'll have days of relative warmth and sunshine sprinkled through the entire winter season. So if …
Bob T
6:26 pm on Friday, June 8, 2012
Out of a $6.7 billion budget the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors had better find a way to allocated several million dollars to bicycle programs that immediately take cars off the county's overcrowded roads. If they can't figure it out then maybe it is time for a new county board. more ›