FABB Blog

So the county's secondary road construction funding pool is expected to cover a wide range projects. New speed bumps, crosswalks, sidewalks, bike lanes, bus stops, no-parking signs, stop signs, interchanges and the widening of existing roads are just some of the types of transportation enhancements that are supposed to be funded out of this pot of money, now at $240,000.

The shortage of funds has resulted in several transportation projects being dropped or permanently put on hold.

Officials halted plans to widen parts of Rolling Road, Telegraph Road, Richmond Highway and Route 7 outside over the new few years. No money is available for interchange construction at Franconia-Springfield Parkway and Neuman Street, Franconia-Springfield Parkway and Interstate 95 or Franconia Road and South Van Dorn Street, according to Ichter.

"There are roads that have been included in the secondary program since 1986 and now there is no hope of getting them built in the short term," she said.

Lack of "secondary road" construction funding could also impact much of the plans to redevelop Tysons Corner and other parts of northern Fairfax County around the new Metrorail extension. According to Ichter, there will be no state money to expand the number of bus routes or increase service on existing bus lines, even if passengers at the new Metro stations demand it.

There will also be no state money available to assist with developing a grid of streets or installing more pedestrian and bicycle paths in Tysons Corner, where the county hopes to create a more urban landscape, said Ichter.

Griffin told the Board of Supervisors that city status would allow Fairfax greater autonomy over taxes and transportation. But it would also turn the tables on the nearby capital city: With 1 million residents, a new Fairfax City would dwarf the District of Columbia, which has fewer than 600,000. (Set aside for a moment that the county already surrounds a smaller Fairfax City.)

"In reality, we do everything a city does aside from maintain the roads," Griffin said. "I think there are substantial arguments to be made for conversion."

Attaining city status, Griffin said, would require a referendum and approval by the state legislature.

The county explored the possibility of taking over roads in 1990 but rejected it partly on concerns about cost to taxpayers. Rep. Gerald E. Connolly (D-Va.), former chairman of the Board of Supervisors, said it would be unwise to revisit the issue during a recession.

"I think it would be a grave fiscal mistake at this time," Connolly said. "It will cost potentially hundreds of millions of dollars each year. Here's the county executive telling the board that there's another $300 [million] to $350 million hole in the projected budget. This is not the time to be talking about taking on new responsibilities."

But Chairman Sharon Bulova (D) said it was worth another look. And she said perhaps it is time for Fairfax to lose the "county" label.

"Fifty, 60 years ago...we were one of the largest producers of dairy products," she said. "Now we are a mostly suburban community with some urbanizing areas. The city label more accurately describes what Fairfax is."

President Obama has talked about his desire to wean Americans off automobiles.What we've talked about is getting to a concept that we call livable communities, where people don't have to get in a car every day. You can use light rail, you can use buses, you can use walking paths, you can use your bike.

To several who took part in the annual event - which is estimated to have raised more than $700,000 for research and assistance for those with the incurable illness - the tickets were poor form, even if cyclists had rolled through the signs. To authorities, who said they received numerous complaints from motorists about cyclists crowding the roads and running stop signs, the citations were necessary to ensure safety on the roads.

"After I picked my jaw up off the ground, my feeling was, 'You've got nothing better to do at 10 o'clock on a Sunday morning than sit there and wait for people to run a stop sign?'" said David Jennings, 47, of Vienna, a cyclist who did not ride for charity but was ticketed in Lovettsville while out with his biking club.

Jennings said he and another cyclist, a charity participant, slowed to about 1 mph before proceeding through a stop sign in Lovettsville, only to find a sheriff's deputy nearby, who flagged them down.

"What was amazing to me was it seemed to me they were there because of the MS ride," Jennings said. "They've donated their time and all their money, and they've donated to a charity, and you've got the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office just sitting there waiting to hand them a ticket. It didn't seem right."

Mclean, Va.: I bicycle regularly on the W&OD trail (and obey the law). I have witnessed far more cars who fail to yield to stopped cyclists at a crosswalk (or moving cyclists in a crosswalk) than bicyclists who blow through stop signs without regard to traffic. Aren't drivers required to yield at a crosswalk in Virginia (assuming, of course, that the bicycle has stopped at the crosswalk)?

Capt. Thom Shaw: All intersections with state roadways are governed by a stop sign for the cyclists. If the rider stops and yields correctly this should not be an issue.

Cyclists must stop and yield at these intersections, whether or not they have dismounted. A rider should allow themselves enough time and space to cross the roadway safely, as they would if they were driving a vehicle.

Yes, in cases where the trail crosses the roadway and a stop sign is only present for the cyclist, the motorist has the right-of-way.

Every day we each make choices that result in impacts to the environment; opportunities to lessen these impacts abound. For instance, we can reduce automobile emissions by holding videoconferences or conference calls rather than face-to-face meetings and by walking, bicycling, carpooling, or taking transit to work.

When a Commonwealth agency or institution is to lease space or build a new building in a metropolitan area where public transportation is available, it shall seek to lease or build within a quarter mile of a transit or commuter rail stop. The Commonwealth also shall, when leasing and building facilities, seek locations that are pedestrian and bicycle accessible. The Commonwealth shall encourage the private sector to adopt green building standards by striving to lease facilities that meet the same standards as those required for new state construction as outlined above. The Division of Real Estate Services of the Department of General Services shall consider these preferences in approving new leases or extensions of current leases.