December 2007 Arlington BAC meeting notes

Notes I was sent (edited a little)

1. The Committee will now meet every month on the first Monday except for September when there will be no meeting. The BAC meeting schedule for 2008 is the following Mondays: January 7 February 4 March 3 April 7 May 5 June 2 July 7 August 4 Skip September October 6 November 3 December 1

2. The Committee is going to work on a roster of trails so that people could volunteer to monitor specific trails or parts thereof.  Also, there is presently no Adopt a Trail program. There was one once but it no longer exists. Bike route signs are also a problem since they tend to disappear wherever there is development. It would be a good idea to determine how well the existing routes are marked.

3. The committee heard from John Durham, the Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Planner for the County. The major task of this program is to reduce motor vehicles trips during peak use hours. Until recently the Zoning Board approved bike racks and often these were not correct, but now TDM reviews and approves the bicycle facility parts of the plans. However, it is difficult to correct previous oversights unless the owner is interested in doing so. The new facilities for the EPA at Potomac Yards was prime example of incorrect implementation of the site plan mainly because of the movement of the bike facilities during construction. The County worked with the contractor to correct most of the problems. A major problem is that County Buildings are not covered by the TDM siting requirements. The Committee agreed that these building should be required to meet the requirements and plans to draft a letter from the BAC to the County Manager on this issue. The site requirements for bicycles at hotels, apartment, and retail buildings were available on the County website, but are no longer. The Committee would like to get these back on the Internet, preferably at the bicycle website.  It was noted that the Metro facility in Rosslyn will be rebuilt and that the existing bicycle facility will be replaced with double decker bike racks. 

4. Master Transportation Plan: The County Board approved the Goals and Policies part of the Plan at the November 13 meeting. The rest of the individual elements are due to be brought up at future meetings of the Board. The bicycle segment has only had minor changes since the last rewrite.

5. County Board Bike Ride: The plan is to schedule a ride in March or April of 2008. 

6. Bicycling Facilities on VDOT Roads: About $3 million of funds were reallocated to Arlington bike projects. These funds are now part of $25 million to be used on a variety of projects. The project now consists of Countywide sidewalk drainage and pedestrian safety improvements along Route 50 and other corridors. The preliminary engineering for the project is $3 million. It's hoped that this will include upgrading the crosswalks along the Route 50 trail.

7. Enforcement for Motorists and Cyclists: Arlington had an enforcement initiative for the month of November. Education included handing out street smart pamphlets to motorist and pedestrians. On November 7 an enforcement detail was assigned at Lynn St. and Lee Highway in Rosslyn. 80 tickets were issue in the morning. 3226 tickets were issued to motorists in Arlington during November, mostly involving speeding and failure to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks. The issue of enforcement or lack of enforcement with respect to bicycles was discussed. It was decided that police should make more of an effort enforcing traffic laws with respect to bicycles even if it is only verbal warnings. 

8. Updates on County and Other Projects: Trail Issues:  Four Mile Run Trail: It was noted that the small bridge at the intersection of trail at Walter Reed Road is being replaced. The project is almost complete. As a result the safety of this intersection will be greatly improved. This involved ADA and FEMA funds and now emergency vehicles will have access to this part of the park which is considered pretty isolated.  It was also noted that there is a pothole on the western part of the Trail near a bridge. W&OD Trail: There is a large pothole near a hard right turn right under Sycamore St. and another just west of there before Van Buren St. 

9. Arlington Bikeway Projects: Shirlington Underpass: Construction is now underway. Completion is not expected until Spring of 2009. Columbia Pike/Washington Blvd. Bridge: The design is with the FWHA for approval. Still issues unresolved. Construction planned for 2010. Arlington Blvd.-Washington Blvd. Bridge: Project is complete. I-66 Spot Improvements: There is now funding for a multimodal study. Public hearings have been delayed for 30 to 60 days. North Tract: Plans are to build two soccer fields. Indoor facilities will need a private partner because of the high cost. The Esplanade has also been funded which includes the bike trail but does not address the elevation issue with respect the bridge over the Parkway. The Environmental Assessment is underway with respect to North Tract and Gravelly Point.

10. March 4 is Lobby day for the National Bike Summit. The group will meet with Representative Moran on the Hill.

Comments

[Allen Muchnick]

These draft meeting notes contain the following errors that I hadn't reported to the notetaker.

Under Item #6, the trail crosswalks along Route 50 were supposed to have been fixed by now with prior funding (and should require no special money for their maintenance).

All the potholes referenced in Item #8 are on the Four Mile Run Trail in East Falls Church.

Under Item #9, no date for the public hearing on the I-66 widening project has been set. The comment about a delay was pure speculation (by me).

Under Item #10, Lobby day for the National Bike Summit is Thursday, March 6, although we often meet with Rep. Moran's staff on a different day (probably not March 4).