Goals

Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling is a group of concerned cyclists who want to make bicycling an integral part of the transportation network of Fairfax County and Fairfax City, Virginia.

Bicycle Map—There is now, finally, a detailed bicycle map of Fairfax County. The first printing of the map was released on Bike to Work Day 2008. A major goal of FABB, the map depicts the entire county on a single large sheet, the north half on front, south half on back. We thank Chairman Connolly and the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors for funding the Comprehensive Bicycle Initiative which includes the map. Charlie Strunk, the county bike coordinator, managed the production of the map, which is based on a FABB route map developed over the past 2 years. A second printing is planned for late summer 2008 and cyclists are encouraged to review the current map and suggest changes and corrections.

On-Road Bike Routes—“Cyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of vehicles.” [John Forester, author of Effective Cycling.] Cyclists belong on the road. In urban areas, crashes between motorists and cyclists are much more likely to occur when cyclists use sidepaths or sidewalks. On-road bike routes include wide curb lanes, shoulders, and in some cases bike lanes. Bike lanes only work when the lanes are regularly swept of debris. In most cases bike lanes are not needed if the road is wide enough to safely accommodate a cyclist in the outside lane or shoulder. What is needed are signed routes to indicate to cyclists the location of safe cycling routes. Many of the roads in the county are suitable for safe cycling, and are used by cyclists in the neighborhoods. These routes need to be included on a bike map.

We are compiling a map of bike routes used by local cyclists. They are mostly located in the north part of the county. We are using Google Earth Plus to digitize the routes. These are then transferred to a server and used as input to Google Maps. The result is the Draft Fairfax Bike Route Map. Please send comments or suggestions for additional routes to info@fabb-bikes.org.

Bicycle access and facilities for Metro stations in Tysons Corner—Over 100,000 people now work in Tysons Corner. Very few of them are able to bike to work due to the poor cycling conditions in that area. While there are currently some routes that can be used for cycling, conditions in general are not good. In the near future there will be four Metro stations in Tysons and there will be no motor vehicle parking. Users of Metro must be able to walk, bike, or take transit to and from the stations. The stations need adequate, safe, covered parking with direct access to the stations. Safe, direct bicycle routes to and through Tysons need to be developed for employees, residents, and visitors. See the Tysons Land Use Task Force website for information about the Tysons planning process.

Contact FABB via email: info@fabb-bikes.org

Subscribe to the
FABB e-newsletter

Other Jurisdictions

Most other local jurisdictions have devoted resources to promoting bicycling as a form of transportation:

Arlington County has implemented most of these goals. David Goodman is the Bicycle Coordinator. The county publishes an excellent bike map. The most recent map was published in 2006. The county also has an extensive network of signed bike routes, including several miles of on-road bike lanes. “Bike Arlington is a County initiative with a goal of encouraging bicycling activity throughout the County for a healthy alternative to cars.”

The District of Columbia has a Bicycle Program, a bicycle program manager, a recently published bike map, and several miles of bike lanes and signed bike routes.

The City of Alexandria has a bicycle map and a number of on-road bike routes. Yon Lambert is the Bicycle Coordinator.

Montgomery County has a Bikeway Program, a Bikeway Coordinator, 95 miles of bike facilities, and an online bikeways map.