Oh Loudoun

Fresh on the heels of their enthusiastic enforcement of stop signs for charity cyclists, Loudoun is appropriating money set aside for a bike trail to extend Pacific Boulevard.

Supporters of the Pacific extension said it is crucial because it will allow cars to reach the AOL campus from Route 28 without using Waxpool Road, which is clogged with AOL commuters and traffic from the Ashburn area.

Among the projects that would be put on hold are the design and construction of a pedestrian and bike trail on South King Street in Leesburg, which would lose its funding of $2 million.

The county chose to redirect funds from those projects because they either have not been started or are in the early stages of design, said Loudoun transportation services director Terrie Laycock. Their costs were based on rough estimates, she said, and the county would have no way of funding the projects if their final cost ended up being higher.

Moreover, the South King Street trail was intended to be built in conjunction with Leesburg's street-widening project, which is on hold because of a $10 million funding deficit. 

From a cached version of the project page last updated in late May

Construction Start Date: Fall 2010    
Estimated Completion Date: Winter 2012
Project Manager: Paul Webster 703-737-7129

Project Description: South King Street (Route 15) is a principal arterial route and major link in the regional network serving Northern Virginia, the metro area, and the Mid-Atlantic region and serves as the primary southern gateway to the Town. Widening this section to four lanes is a regional project, currently included in COG’s Long Range Plan and VDOT’s Statewide Plan.

This project widens Route 15 from two to four lanes for approximately 5,800 feet from Evergreen Mill Road to the southern corporate limits. The project will include a multiuse trail along the west side (formerly included as CIP project number 08306, South King Street Trail Phase II), sidewalk on the east side, and a landscaped median.

The project schedule has been accelerated to reflect additional funding received from Loudoun County (VDOT Secondary Road Funds) and expected funds from VDOT (RSTP and Urban Funds) and from the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA).

Nor do I see how this project, planned since at least 2006, can be in the early stage of design. All of this is unusual considering that Leesburg is planning a summit to solicit ideas from the public for getting cars off town roads.

Butler and other council members who supported his proposal said the summit would be open to the public and would explore ways to make the town more bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly, promote existing links between sidewalks and bike trails and encourage the use of public transportation.

Hammler said the town might offer Leesburg residents free memberships to public recreation centers if, for example, they pledge to bike whenever possible.

But first, the town would need to do more to accommodate biking, council members said. They asked staff members to identify what streets are wide enough to add bike lanes.

Bicycles are not allowed on town sidewalks, council member Kevin D. Wright said.

"That's one of the things that keeps some parents from putting all of the kids on a bike and heading into downtown, because technically they're supposed to be on the street," he said.

Oh, I have an idea - instead of cutting funding for the bike trail along South King Street, how about forcing AOL and Raytheon to come up with a transportation demand management plan that allows the Pacific Boulevard extension to wait until there's money available. Oh, and I have another idea - how about changing the law to allow sidewalk cycling.

Pacific Boulevard is also extending north.

A segment of Pacific between Severn Way and Auto World Drive is under construction and scheduled to open in fall 2010.

The new section will go over the W&OD trail (rendering at right)

The project features a sidewalk along the east side of the road and a ten-foot-wide trail along the west side with connections to the W&OD Trail.

It appears that trail will be just on the section from Severn Way to the W&OD, and will not extend down to the AOL campus so that Raytheon employees can bike to work "without using Waxpool Road, which is clogged with AOL commuters and traffic from the Ashburn area."  Though I should be wrong about that

Since 2004, the state transportation department has followed a policy of including bicycle and pedestrian facilities with each new project, unless there are safety concerns or other issues.

At the local level, counties tend to develop walking and cycling infrastructure as they urbanize, Engelhart said.

A survey of 840 miles of roads in Loudoun found that 14 percent had sidewalks, according to a bicycle and pedestrian mobility plan county supervisors adopted in 2003.

The county began requiring sidewalks or bike trails in new developments in the mid-1990s, but in many places it is hard to see much effect. The result is a piecemeal network of sidewalks and trails that begin and end haphazardly, influenced by the date or parameters of developers' contracts. Many times, there are no formal paths between neighborhoods and nearby shopping centers, parks or schools.

In the absence of sidewalks, paved bike paths or even a wide shoulder on the road, walkers are blazing their own trails. The telltale yellow ribbons of wilted grass and dull, earthen stripes hugging the curb are created and maintained by carless employees, cycling teens or older people en route to Starbucks. Together, Loudoun pedestrians and cyclists have forged more than a Girl Scout camp's worth of trails.

"They are evidence that we still have a ways to go" in providing a transportation network for everyone, said Cindy Engelhart, bicycle and pedestrian transportation engineer for the Virginia Department of Transportation.

Comments

[Eric]

Next step for Loudoun County... appropriate money set aside for construction of a new bike paths to begin ripping up the W&OD and remove other cycle-friendly infrastructure.

Deconstruction Start Date: Summer 2009
Estimated Completion Date: Fall 2010
Project Manager: F.U. Bikers 703-867-5309

[Eric_W.]

Too many Erics here. ;-)

All this is an indication that energy still is not expensive enough and that, in general, myopic policies still rule.

What a sad story.

[ridethewomble]

People still work for AOL?

[Eric]

Eric W. said:
Too many Erics here. ;-)

And my last name starts with a W, too. I've been leaving that off to avoid confusion. I'll try to come up with a better screen name, though, as we know there are few, if any, names better than Eric... ;-)

[Eric_W.]

Eric said:
I'll try to come up with a better screen name, though, as we know there are few, if any, names better than Eric...

Full Ack!!