Cyclist Resources
Below are links to various cycling related websites. If there are other resources that should be listed, contact FABB at info@fabb-bikes.org.
- Bike Commuting
- Bicycle Commuter Tax Benefit faq—from the League of American Bicyclists.
- Bicycle Commuter Tax Benefit info—from the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition.
- Bicycle Commuting Trends, 2000 to 2008—from the American Community Survey data as summarized by the League of American Bicyclists.
- Bike Commuting Mentors—FABB members are willing to help you learn more about bike commuting by showing you known commuting routes, discussing strategies for dressing and outfitting your bike for all-weather, day and night riding. Send us an email and we'll try to answer any questions that you have.
- MWCOG Bike Commuter Guide—A comprehensive guide to bike commuting for employers and empolyees
- Bike to Work Day. Held on the third Friday of May each year in the DC area, Bike to Work Day is a great, fun way to support bike commuting. If you don't currently bike commute, this is your chance to try it. Visit any of the pit stop locations for free beverages, food, and prizes. Registration in Spring.
- Alexandria—Yon Lambert email (703-228-838-4966)
- Arlington County—David Goodman email (703-228-3709)
- DC—Jim Sebastian email (7202-671-2331)
- Fairfax County—Charlie Strunk email (703-324-BIKE[2453])
- Bike Plans - DC Metro Area
- Arlington County Bicycle Element (pdf)—of the Master Transportation Plan.
- Alexandria Pedestrian & Bicycle Mobility Plan—Completed in 2008.
- Bicycle Master Plan Roadmap—Paper written by Peter Lagerwey of Toole Design Group, who help develop the Seattle Bicycle Master Plan when he worked for the city.
- DC Bicycle Master Plan—Completed in 2005.
- Fairfax County Trails Plan map (pdf)—This is only a map of planned facilities, not a true bike plan. It contains some on-road bike routes. Completed in 2002.
- Fairfax County Bicycle Master Plan - Fairfaxpedia version—Fairfax is creating the first ever bicycle master plan for the entire county.
- Fairfax Bicycle Master Plan Summary—From July 2012 DRAFT plan. Includes maps of recommended on- and off-road bicycle facilities.
- National Capital Region Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan (pdf)—published by the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board in July 2006. Large PDF document.
- Town of Vienna Bicycle Plan (pdf)—The plan has not been updated in several years. There is reference to a Vienna Bikeway Map which has not been located.
- Kitsap Co Washington Plan—Not in the DC area but the county is approximately the same size as Fairfax County with less than half the population.
- WABA's 2011 Regional Call to Action report—Developed by cyclists at a Fairfax County-specific meeting with input from FABB
- Cyber Cycling
- BikeWashington.org—The Recreational Bicycling Guide to the Washington DC Area
- Bike Washington ListServe—Information about bike rides, new trails, and advocacy alerts
- Fairfax Cycling ListServe—News, events, and inquiries relating to local bicycling, including opportunities to improve conditions for on-road bicycling
- The Wash Cycle—A blog about “Cycling in the Nation's Capital”
- Washington Area Bike Forum—formerly the BikeArlington forum expanded to include the Metro DC area.
- Education
- Bicycling Street Smarts—An online version of a 48-page manual that teaches safe bicycling techniques on public roads and streets.
- Cyclist's View—Videos on vehicular cycling, including segments on Traffic Skills 101 drills
- Effective Cycling—The basic principles of John Forester's Effective Cycling philosphy.
- Effective Cycling Instructor's Manual (pdf)—the companion volume to the book Effective Cycling, containing the program for teaching Effective Cycling at all levels.
- League of American Bicyclists Traffic Skills 101 online course—The City of Houston and the League of American Bicyclists (LAB) developed this online course for the classroom portion of the League's Traffic Skills 101 course.
- Search for LAB BikeEd courses in Virginia—List of all official LAB BikeEd courses, including Traffic Skills 101. May not include all courses if instructor has not listed with LAB.
- League of Illinois Bicyclists bicycle driver video Share the Road: Same Road, Same Rules, Same Rights with Robbie Ventura, the page includes a link to teacher materials. Video is used in Illinois high schools and private driver education programs.
- North Carolina Coalition for Bicycle Driving—a grass-roots organization dedicated to advancing public understanding of the principles of vehicular-style bicycle driving, and incorporating these principles into public policy.
- Reston Bike Ed—Bruce Wright teaches bicycle safety, commuting, and maintenance classes through ParkTakes. He also teaches private lessons. He can be contacted at bikecommuter
gmail {dot} com. - Friends of FABB
- A-1 Cycling—A a locally-owned shop and FABB supporter.
- REI Fairfax.
- Spokes Etc.—Locally-owned shops, participates in FABB meetings and events.
- The Bike Lane—Located in Burke and Reston, The Bike Lane is a locally-owned shop that supports FABB.
- Local Bike Clubs
- Potomac Pedalers Touring Club—PPTC is a non-profit educational, recreational and social organization for bicycling enthusiasts. They sponsor recreational rides throughout the year
- Reston Bike Club—Promotes cycling in the Reston and surrounding areas.
- Maps
- ADC Regional Bike Map is a folded map of the DC metro area that includes major named trails, multi-use trails, on-road bike routes, unofficial bike routes and safety tips. Outside the beltway there is very little street-level detail.
- Alexandria Bike Map published in June 2007.
- Arlington Co, VA—PDF files in various formats on the Bike Arlington website.
- City of Fairfax Trail Map—Includes on-road bike routes. According to the section 98-15 of the City code, it is illegal to ride a bicycle on the sidewalk unless it is designated as a bike route.
- FABB Bike Route Map—This is an early draft of a map in progress that will be shared with Fairfax County as they develop the countywide bike map in 2007.
- Fairfax County Bike Map—Based on the FABB bike route map, the first edition of the official county bike map was released on Bike to Work Day 2008.
- Fairfax County Existing Trails Maps—Published in 2001, there are four maps, (large pdf files).
- Fairfax County Parkway - Proposed sign locations. There is no signage on the northern section, which includes several detours. FABB is working with Fx Co and VDOT to install directional and mileage signs.
- Fairfax County Bike Projects—Projects to be funded by Commercial and Industrial taxes.
- Fairfax County Supervisor Districts—Map of Supervisor Districts in PDF document.
- Google Maps Bike Directions—Beta version of bicycle routing within Google maps.
- Montgomery Co Bike Maps—List of various map resources mid page.
- Ride the City - DC Metro—Bike routing software for the Metro DC area that uses bike-friendly roads and trails to link origin and destination.
- Vienna Bike Route Map—Created by FFX Co DOT, the map depicts on- and off-road bike routes in the Town of Vienna, VA.
- Washington, DC—A free, printed map also available for online viewing. The first printed edition is no longer being distributed. Copies should be available in early 2007.
- Organizations
- Alexandria Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee—Meetings are usually held the third Monday of each month from 7:00pm-9:00pm at the Durant Center (1605 Cameron Street, Alexandria, VA).
- Arlington Bicycle Advisory Committee—Meets bi-monthly, up to 15 voting members with at least one rep from an Arlington bike shop. New members appointed by chairman.
- Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals—A professional membership organization that promotes excellence in the emerging professional discipline of pedestrian and bicycle transportation.
- BikeLoudoun—Loudoun County advocacy group.
- Bikes Belong—A national coalition of bicycle suppliers and retailers working together to put more people on bicycles more often.
- BikeArlington—An initiative of Arlington County to build on an existing partnership between Arlington citizens, businesses and County staff to encourage more people to bike more often.
- Bike Virginia—Promoting bicycling for all Virginians
- Commonwealth Transportation Board—The CTB allocates highway funding to specific projects, locates routes and provides funding for airports, seaports and public transportation.
- Commuter Connections Guaranteed Ride Home—Can be used four times a year for unexpected emergenices.
- DC Bicycle Advisory Council—Appointed by the DC Council, advises the Mayor and city government on bicycling issues. Meets bi-monthly.
- Fairfax County Trails and Sidewalks Committee—Advocates for trails, sidewalks, and bike routes in the county
- Friends of the W&OD Trail—A citizen-driven organization dedicated to protecting and improving the W&OD Trail.
- League of American Bicyclists—“To promote bicycling for fun, fitness and transportation and work through advocacy and education for a bicycle-friendly America.”
- Montgomery County Bicycle Action Group—Meets monthly, maintains Top Ten list of priorities, approx. 100 members.
- National Center for Bicycling & Walking—“Our mission is to create bicycle-friendly and walkable communities.”
- Rails-to-Trails Conservancy—“Creating a nationwide network of trails from former rail lines and connecting corridors to build healthier places for healthier people.”
- Alliance for Biking and Walking—A national coalition of state and local bicycle and pedestrian advocacy organizations working in unison to break down the barriers to safe bicycling and walking in North American communities.
- Virginia Bicycling Federation—The unified voice of Virginia bicyclists
- Washington Area Bicyclist Association—Advocating better bicycling conditions and transportation choices for a healthier environment
- References
- 12 Bike Parking Essentials for Retailers (PDF)—Guide to bicycle parking originally from Bicycle Alliance of Washington
- AASHTO Guide to the Development of Bicycle Facilities - 1999. Used by public agencies and consultants in planning and designing bikeways, highways, and streets. The guide is being updated and a new edition is expected soon.
- Alexandria Bike Parking standards—Includes rack standards (inverted U), acceptable designs, placement guidelines, and vendors
- Arlington agreement with VDOT regarding urban design standards for roads, especially as they relate to bicycle facilities.
- Arlington Bicycle Parking documents— which includes specs for bike racks, good and bad examples of racks, and a list of vendors.
- Arlington Bicycle Parking All in One—Arlington's bike parking reference guide.
- Benefit-Cost Analysis of Bicycle Facilities—An online tool that calculates benefits and costs of specific bicycle facilities. Includes detailed cost information for such features as bike signs, racks, etc.
- Best Practices Guide for Better Business—Produced by the Cascades Bicycle Club.
- Bicycle Facility Selection: A Comparison of Approaches— by Michael King for the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center, U of NC. Contains charts showing recommended bike facility based on speed and ave. daily traffic.
- Bike Arlington PAL safety graphic—Be a PAL; Predictable, Alert, and Lawful.
- Bike Lanes: Pros and Cons—Links to research supporting and opposing the safety of bike lanes.
- Bike Lanes Versus Wide Curb Lanes: Operational And Safety Findings And Countermeasure Recommendations—by William W. Hunter et al, 1999, research comparing bicyclist behavior on both facilities.
- Bikes Belong: When People Ride Bikes, Good Things Happen—Bicycle fact sheet.
- CDC Communities Putting Prevention to Work Grants—Suggestions for Bicycle and Pedestrian Projects and Programs. CDC grant info.
- Census Data 2000 Fairfax County—Includes Means of Transportation to Work showing 669 of 527,464 people said they rode to work (0.1%).
- Census-American Community Survey—Select year, Detailed Tables, County level, Virginia, Fairfax County, Table C08301. MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION TO WORK
- Complete Streets—National Complete Streets Coalition website
- Complete Streets—Brochure on implementing Complete Streets policies
- Complete Streets—Washington DOT website with sample complete streets policies in that state
- Cycling Myths Busted—Bicycle World of Houston's list of myths about bicycling.
- DC Bicycle Program— including bike parking regulations, rack design specs, and rack placement guidelines.
- DC Bicycle Program Bike Rack Design (PDF)—with good and bad examples.
- Design Speed, Operating Speed, and Posted Speed Practices (PDF)—Transportation Research Board document.
- Economic Impact of W&OD Trail—(1) trail use, (2) user demographics and preferences, (3) economic benefits to users, and (4) economic impacts to the local communities.
- Fairfax Bike Summit—Information about the inaugural bike summit on Oct. 27, 2012 held at GMU.
- Fairfax County Bike Pages—including information on the bike locker program and a link to Virginia bike laws.
- Fairfax County Bike Plan Projects—June 2012 draft list of possible county bike projects.
- Fairfax County Next Four-Year Program - Funded Projects
- FHWA and FTA funding of bicycle facilities—List of various funding mechanisms for various types of bicycle facilities.
- FHWA Course on Bike Ped Trans (large PDF)—Good overview of bicycling in the U.S. circa late 1990's.
- FHWA University Course on Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation—For bicycle and pedestrian professionals, the course is intended for use in university courses on bicycle and pedestrian transportation.
- How Pavement Markings Influence Bicycle and Motor Vehicle Positioning—A Case Study in Cambridge, MA.
- London Bicycle Facility Design Standards—Includes matrix of which facility to implement based on road speed and volume (Chapter 4, section 4.1.10).
- Mt. Vernon Trail extension—Info on Fairfax Trails & Streams site, including link to the Mt. Vernon Multi-Use Trail Extension Feasibility Study with maps of proposed routes.
- MUTCD—Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. Current version is 2009, Current version adopted by VDOT is 2003.
- National Bicycle and Pedestrian Documentation Project—is a joint effort of Alta Planning & Design and the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Pedestrian and Bicycle Council. Contains information on conducting bicycle counts, including info about counting equipment.
- North Carolina Coalition for Bicycle Driving—grass-roots organization of people who believe that lawful, vehicular-style bicycle driving is the safest and most effective way to travel by bicycle.
- Northern Virginia Transportation Authority—maintains a regional transportation plan for projects funded by new taxes and fees that went into effect on January 1, 2008.
- Partnership for a Healthier Fairfax—Under the general name of Live Healthy Fairfax, the Partnership is a coalition that includes FABB that is working to ensure residents can lead healthier lives.
- Power Moves for Bike Coalitions—Advice from Randy Neufeld, director of SRAM Cycling Fund.
- Road Hierarchy—from Wikipedia: freeways, arterials, collectors, and local roads.
- Road taxes 1: Only 51% of highway funds come from user fees according to PEW research report.
- Road taxes 2: Road user fees cover about 0.1 of the cost of Texas roads according to DC.Streetsblog
- Road taxes 3: Actually, Highway Builders, Roads Don’t Pay For Themselves, another article from DC Streetsblog.
- Segregated Cycle Facilities—Wikipedia article on the various arguments for and against riding on trails and other segregated cycling facilities.
- Sharrow report: Evaluation of Shared Lane Markings—Published by FHWA in 2010.
- Streetfilms: The Case for Separated Bike Lanes in NYC—Reviews development of separated bike facilities in the NYC bike network as of December 2006.
- Transportation Enhancement info
- Univ. of Arizona Bicycle Page—Includes bicycle safety videos, campus bike map, and bicycle parking and traffic regulations.
- Virginia Bicycle Laws—VDOT summary of the laws.
- Virginia Code—Searchable database of Virginia law.
- Vehicular Cycling—Wikipedia article on the arguments for and against on-road cycling.
- W&OD Trail use study (pdf) —An Assessment of User Demographics, Preferences, and Economics.
- WMATA Bike-'N-Ride on Metro—Information about parking and bike lockers at Metro stations, bikes on Metrobus and bikes on Metrorail.
- Whose Roads?—Defining Bicyclists' and Pedestrians' Right to Use Public Roadways—published by the Victoria Transport Policy Institute. Contains good info on the myth that motorists pay for roads and bicyclists don't.
- Safe Routes to School
- Bicycling to School - Model policy—from the Rutgers SRTS Resource Center.
- Cycling Skills for Children—Description of the LAB Bicycling 123 Youth Cycling Clinic produced by Bicycling Advocacy of Central Arkansas.
- Fairfax County School Board members—Can be used to contact school board members about bicycling to school, including Safe Routes to School.
- FCPS Bike Curriculum
- FCPS Grade 1 bike curriculum—Introductory bicycle safety information. One lesson, Area: Personal Health and Safety, Topic: Safe and Unsafe Places to Play. Includes Bicycle Safety Situation Cards and Smart Bicycling sheet with 10 safety tips.
- FCPS Grade 5 bike curriculum—Two 45 minute lessons under Injury Prevention. Lesson one includes Parts of a Bicycle, Helmet Safety, Fitting a bicycle, and Safe Rules of Riding a Bicycle. Lesson two includes Hand Signals, Traffic Signs, and Rules of the Raod. Students create a Safety Booklet.
- FCPS Grade 7 bike curriculum—One page of safety tips under Healthy Choices>Safety Rules for Outdoor Recreational Activities.
- FCPS School Clusters (8) or Pyramids (24)
- FCPS elementary schools—from the above Clusters and Pyramids site (By Level or Type) search.
- FCPS policy on busing and walking to school—1 mile for ES, 1.5 miles for MS and HS.
- Fairfax SRTS Facebook page
- Fairfax County Schools Transportation Alternatives sub-committee report—2007 report that contains recommendations for "community/grass roots organization to promote and advocate for needed changes in attitudes and in walk/bike road safety improvements, community by community."
- Increasing Physical Activity Through Community Design—A Guide for Public Health Practitioners and Livable Community Advocates.
- Letter from County Executive Tony Griffin to Superintendent Dale on Safe Routes to School in Fairfax, dated March 2, 2011.
- Letter from Superintendent Dale to Tony Griffin on on Safe Routes to School in Fairfax, dated April 7, 2011.
- National Center for SRTS: Virginia—Includes contact information for Robert Williams, the VDOT SRTS coordinator.
- Safe Routes to School Community Profiles—contained in the report Safe Routes to School Putting Traffic Safety First.
- Safe Routes to School Guide—Steps to Creating a Safe Routes to School Program, developed by the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC) and maintained by the National Center for Safe Routes to School.
- Safe Routes to School Virginia Network—Sponsored by the SRTS National Partnership—Provides technical assistance to Virginia communities who apply for SRTS funding from VDOT.
- Safe Routes to School: Virginia funding—All funded projects from 2007-2010.
- School maps on FFX Co website—Scroll down to Public Schools. Maps of Clusters, Elementary, Middle, and High Schools, and Administrative Areas.
- SLEEP study on later high school start times.
- Title I schools—Schools in which at least 40% of students must enroll in the free and reduced lunch program.
- VDOT Safe Routes to School Program—Virginia SRTS program for distributing federal funding.
- Video: Safe Bicycling from a Kid's Eye View—DVD available from the League of American Bicyclists. There is also a Spanish version.
- Video: Wolfie's Bike Train—Video is part of Vienna Patch article on biking to Wolftrap Elementary School.
- Safety
- About bicycle sidepaths—Articles on the dangers of riding on sidewalks/sidepaths from John Allen's website.
- Aggressive Driver report form—on the Fairfax County police website. [Note: Due to budget cuts, Fairfax Co Police no longer accept these reports online. Please either call 911 or the non-emergency number 703-691-2131.]
- Alexandria Safe Routes to School program—“The City and Alexandria City Public Schools will receive over $517,000 in “Safe Routes to School” grant funding from the Virginia Department of Transportation. The funds will be directed toward education, encouragement and engineering improvements at Alexandria elementary and middle schools.”
- Bicycle Crash research—Streets Wiki article on bicycle crashes with several good research references.
- Bicycle Safety video produced by the League of American Bicyclists and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. This is an educational video on safely driving, fitting and maintaining a bicycle.
- Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Research—A U.S. Dept. of Transportation site that provides information on issues and research related to improving pedestrian and bicyclist safety.
- Risk Factors for Bicycle-Motor Vehicle Collisions at Intersections—Palo Alto, CA study done in 1992.
- Road safety and perceived risk of cycle facilities in Copenhagen
- Safe Bicycling in the Washington Area (pdf) —Informative booklet that contains basic fitting, maintenance, riding and safety tips. Published by WABA.
- Sharing the Road in Virginia Laws and Safety Tips for Bicyclists and Pedestrians—Published by the Northern Virginia Regional Commission>.
- Traffic violations report form—Since the Aggressive Driver report form is no longer available, citizens can report serious traffic violations using this form. Scroll to the bottom and click "Enter your report". Under "Type of Incident..." select "Police Service." See How Traffic Tickets Work for a discussion of infractions (not considered a crime) vs. violations (often considered a misdemeanor or felony crime).
- Tysons Corner
- TMSAMS Trail and Bicycle Projects with cost estimates, May 2012.
- Fairfax County Bicycle Master Plan (includes Tysons).
- Tysons Bicycle Transportation Plan (pdf)—Presentation to the Fairfax County Planning Commission on February 2008. See a text version of the plan.
- Tysons Corner Bicycle Tour—Photos taken in July, 2005 along the planned on-road bike route through Tysons Corner.
- Tysons Corner Land Use Task Force—A citizens group asked to evaluate the Tysons Corner area's transportation system and review Tysons Corner rail related Plan recommendations.
- Tysons Planning Commission Committee—developing specific recommendations for the revised Comprehensive Plan language for the Tysons Corner area.
- VDOT Resources
- Bicycle Facility Resource Guide—Comprehensive guide to bicycle master planning.
- Traffic Count data by county—Available in PDF or XLS format for the years 2001-2008.
- VDOT 2008 Bike Count locations—Counts were conducted in spring and summer of 2008. Video was also captured during the counts.
- VDOT Bike Map—Published in November, 2006, it is a generalized map of major routes in the state. Free copies are available from VDOT. The paper map can be ordered or download side 1 or side 2.
- VDOT State Bicycle Policy Plan (DRAFT)—to provide bicycle policy recommendations that will guide the planning, design, construction, operation and maintenance of bicycle accommodations.
- VDOT Bike Policy (pdf) —Commits VDOT to routinely accommodate bicycling and walking as fundamental travel modes
- VDOT Bicycle Program—VDOT has a designated State Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator to oversee and coordinate activities related to the program for the Department.
- VDOT Hotline—Report unsafe road conditions, equipment malfunctions, request trash removal, etc. The telephone number is 703-383-VDOT (703-383-8368). Or use the online report form.
- VDOT N.VA Regional Bikeway and Trail Network Study—Provides a coordinated and strategic approach to developing a regional transportation system for bicycling in Northern Virginia
- Virginia Bicycle Laws—VDOT summary of the laws.
- Virginia law review—Report commission by CTB to review Virginia's bicycle and pedestrian laws: Safe Travel for Virginia's Non-Motorized Road Users: A Comprehensive Review of Pedestrian and Bicycle Laws in Virginia and the United States.
- Virginia Work Protection Area Protection Manual—Specifies that detours should be provided when pedestrian and bicycle facilities are affected during construction.
- Bike Coordinators
